Today is International Women’s Day (IWD) – an international day of recognition and celebration of women past and present, and their work in helping to pave the way for a gender balanced future. 

Marked each year on March 8th, IWD aims to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about women’s equality and lobby for accelerated gender parity 

The theme for International Women's Day this year is #Embrace Equity. It encourages us to imagine a gender equal world, a world that is, free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. Diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.   

At Halton Housing, our aim is to foster an environment that encourages diversity and inclusion and we’re proud that our colleagues are passionate about working with us to achieve this. 

Mentoring and encouraging fellow colleagues 

Head of Neighbourhoods, Amanda Hogarty has been a colleague of Halton Housing since 2005 and has a real passion for supporting women across the organisation in their personal development, ensuring they receive the recognition they deserve, and their voices are being heard. 

Amanda is an advocate for championing women in the workplace and goes above and beyond in supporting other women across the business who may be apprehensive about aiming high, providing opportunities for her colleagues to progress in their own careers.

In recent months Amanda has mentored and provided in-depth coaching to another female colleague, giving her the confidence to her colleague to gain internal promotion.

Speaking about International Women’s Day, Amanda said: 

“Throughout my career I have been fortunate to have had the support of my colleagues who have encouraged me to progress and develop both personally and professionally. Not all women have been, or are as fortunate as me, that’s why International Women’s Day is so important. It’s a day for us all to not only celebrate the incredible women around us reflect on how far we have come but also reminds us of the part we can all play in ensuring equality and calling out bias and stereotypes. Together with my colleagues I’m committed to helping address inequality and improve outcomes for women in the workplace and beyond.” 

Providing opportunities for women to thrive 

Hannah Ireland is a Neighbourhood Officer in Amanda’s team. Hannah has worked for the organisation since 2014 starting her career as Customer Engagement Assistant. Since then, Hannah has gone on to work as Customer Liaison Officer, Customer Engagement Officer progressing on to Customer Engagement Officer before securing a promotion to Neighbourhood Officer working within our communities to improve the lives of our customers.  

We are proud to offer learning opportunities for all our colleagues to enhance their career prospects Hannah recently achieved the CIH Level 4 Apprenticeship in Housing Practice following the Level 3 qualification. 

Echoing Amanda’s sentiments, Hannah added: 

“I have been privileged to have worked alongside many inspiring women during my 9 years at HH, all who have guided me and empowered me during my housing journey. These women have allowed me to build my confidence, knowledge and to always reach for my goals. International Women’s Day is important to me as I want to be able to provide equal opportunities for others and for them to be given the opportunity to apply for any job role. The more woman who break the stereotype will inspire other woman/girls and future generations to strive for more and who feel they can do anything. I hope there comes a time where we are free from bias and create a world where we are all equals peers”.   

Happy International Women’s Day to all!