International Women’s Day remains a moment of reflection for business leaders across every sector. But in 2026, the conversation has moved beyond awareness. The focus is no longer simply on attracting women into industries – it is about progression, visibility, structural change and ownership.
Across retail, technology and HR, three North West leaders are clear: meaningful progress depends on embedding inclusion into everyday business operations, not simply stating it as intent.
From heritage retail to telecoms and technology, their insights reveal what modern leadership really demands.
Retail Leadership: Modernising Culture in a Heritage Business
At the helm of a fourth-generation family retailer, Sarah Bianchi, CEO of Arighi Bianchi, believes the biggest transformation in retail leadership is cultural.
“Retail leadership today has to be far more people-led, creative and responsive than ever before. The biggest shift in retail isn’t technology or trends – it’s culture, and that comes from creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, heard and confident enough to contribute.
“The businesses that will thrive are the ones where leaders spend as much time listening to their teams and customers as they do analysing spreadsheets; shaking off ‘old ways’ of doing things and attitudes. Retail leadership needs to be more curious – curious about customers, curious about teams and curious about what’s changing outside the business. Without that curiosity, retail becomes reactive instead of relevant.”
For Bianchi, the principle of “Give to Gain” is rooted in action rather than rhetoric.
“For me, giving means actively creating opportunities for women before they ask for them – putting them in rooms, backing their ideas, and encouraging them to take on responsibility before they feel ready. When you do that, the whole business gains confidence, creativity and momentum.
“Similarly, putting policies on paper isn’t the same as creating a culture where women feel confident putting themselves forward. Many business still hide behind ‘policy’ and ignore the day-to-day environment. Real support is about encouragement, visibility and trust – not just HR policies. This means actively giving time, support and encouragement; this is where change really happens, making it what you do, not what you say you do.”
She is also keen to dismantle persistent misconceptions about female leadership.
“One myth about women in leadership that really needs to disappear is the idea that women lead ‘softly’. In reality, many women lead very decisively – but with empathy, awareness and strong communication. That’s often mistaken for being less authoritative, when in fact it’s a far more effective way to run a modern business.
“Creating an environment where people feel heard, supported and confident enough to contribute isn’t softness – it’s smart leadership. It builds loyalty, creativity and trust across a team, and those are the qualities that make businesses resilient and successful long term.
“That’s something I’m particularly passionate about through my involvement with the Women in Furniture Network, where supporting and championing female progression in the industry is a shared priority.”
And her advice to her younger self is direct: “Don’t wait until you feel qualified to have an opinion. Most leadership is learnt by doing, not by being perfectly prepared. I spent too long thinking I needed to know everything before speaking up – and you simply don’t.”
Women in Tech: Beyond Recruitment
In telecoms and technology, the challenge has evolved. According to Maxine Blackwell, People & Culture Director at Zen Internet, the real issue is no longer entry – it is progression and retention.
“The tech industry talks a lot about attracting women into roles, but far less about what happens once they’re there. The real issue is progression, visibility and retention. If women don’t see clear pathways to leadership, flexible working that genuinely works for them, and role models at senior level, recruitment alone doesn’t solve the problem.
“That’s why at Zen our Women in Tech network is structured around three things – attract, develop and retain – because without all three working together, the pipeline breaks down.
“Tech’s impact on society is only growing. Maximising the benefits and opportunities for all starts with equal representation across the whole sector.
“While overall progress has been made within the sector, it continues to be slow. I believe that this is because diversity is still not driven as hard as it should be in many organisations. It is still seen as doing the right thing, as opposed to being a core strategic business objective.”
For Blackwell, turning principle into practice is essential.
“For us, giving means actively challenging stereotypes, creating support networks and putting real structure behind equality. When you do that, you gain better ideas, stronger teams and a culture people want to stay in.
“That’s why we focus on practical actions – rewriting job descriptions to remove bias, building mentoring and development specifically for women, offering genuine flexibility, and running programmes like Step into Tech to show young women what a career in tech really looks like. It’s those operational changes that turn good intentions into real progress.”
She adds: “Having a diversity statement is easy. Building a culture where people feel supported, heard and able to progress takes consistent work, buy-in across the business (not just leadership or a minority) and accountability. Measuring success and garnering regular feedback is critical. What also makes a difference is reviewing job descriptions for bias, redesigning recruitment processes, offering genuine flexibility and putting female-specific development and mentoring in place. Small operational changes like this have a significant impact on how many women apply, stay and progress within a tech business.
“Employers that communicate authentically and set realistic expectations are seeing higher acceptance and retention rates, especially from women.
“UK research also shows that workplaces with mature diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) practices see higher productivity, greater happiness and longer employee tenure than those without such practices embedded. Yet there remains a disconnect between organisational ambition and employee experience, with relatively few employees experiencing DEIB as fully integrated into day-to-day culture.”
Flexibility, she argues, is structural — not optional: “Flexible and hybrid working isn’t a perk for women – it’s often what makes a career in tech possible.
Removing presenteeism and focusing on output rather than location opens opportunities for talented women who previously couldn’t access these roles at all.
“The challenge for businesses now is getting the balance right between flexibility and connection. But what’s clear is that people no longer judge a workplace by how many days they sit at a desk, but by how supported and trusted they feel to do their job well.”
Amanda Rogers, Head of Marketing at Zen Internet, addresses early perception and visibility.
“One of the biggest myths is that women don’t choose tech because they’re not interested. Many simply don’t see what the opportunities look like or can’t picture themselves in those roles. That’s why visibility, mentoring and programmes like Step into Tech are so important – they make careers in tech feel tangible and accessible.”
She adds: “By the time young women are making career decisions, many have already ruled tech out because of outdated stereotypes. Introducing coding and tech skills early, alongside visible female role models, helps break that cycle and creates a much stronger future pipeline of talent.
“Young women often don’t realise how broad a career in tech can be. Programmes like Step into Tech are about showing that you don’t have to fit a stereotype to belong in this industry.
“As AI becomes a bigger part of how tech businesses operate, the way we work is only going to become more outcome-focused and less tied to traditional office structures. That creates a real opportunity to design workplaces that are more inclusive from the outset, but only if women are part of shaping how that future looks.
“Changing how tech is taught in schools is a crucial factor if we’re to close the gender gap across the tech industry. Increasing awareness and sharing the opportunities the sector could offer women will over time help change perceptions. Many tech companies and large employers already have close working relationships with further education establishments, and this is something that should be encouraged, not only to create role models but to provide a means of sharing advice and experiences.”
