International Women’s Day 2023
Celebrating Magnetic women in our network
At Magnetic we think designing a better future means putting people first, building with purpose and creating a culture where an innovation mindset thrives. In our new book, we share inspiring stories of companies and interviews with people who have done just that; designing better futures, today.
This International Women’s Day is all about embracing equity. For The UN that means driving digital innovation and technology for advancement, for us, that’s about championing inclusive design. This also happens to be one of the central themes of our new book.
Here’s a sneak peek from our latest publication (to be the first to get your hands on a copy sign up here).
We’re celebrating 5 brilliant women who are shaping their industries and designing with purpose, making their companies, customers and teams better off in the process. Here are some excerpts from our interviews with them.
Alison Mulligan, (ex) Workplace Director at Mars Corporate
Mars is 100 years old, family-owned, with a storied history and 140,000 employees around the world. Passionate about uniting people with a shared, purpose-led vision, Alie spearheaded Mars’ future of work programme.
How does a 100 year old business adapt? “When folks are distributed and not sitting together, purpose is what unites us. Research shows that people are questioning whether work is filling their cup so it’s important that they know they’re not just laying bricks, they’re building a cathedral.”
Amber Johnson, Global VP at Mars Cocoa
Amber has been looking at creating a sustainable future for cocoa, motivated by positively impacting everyone along the value chain,
from farmers to consumers.
Why is it important to have an organisational purpose? “Why is it important to have purpose? At Mars we think in generations. Doing business in a way that’s in line with our goals, ambitions and values enables us to set the stage for the world we want tomorrow. It’s not a tagline or something we do on the side; it’s embedded in how we operate in our categories”.
Dani Adams, Innovation Transformation Lead at Save The Children UK
With charities’ traditional income streams and ways of delivering impact in flux, Dani and her team have to find new ways to improve the lives of children, and that means trying things they’ve never done before.
What does purpose mean for you? “It’s important to work in an organisation where purpose matters but also scary when you’re using resources to try new things that might not work. It’s challenging for organisations like ours to commit to innovation. There aren’t buckets of cash and it’s a big responsibility. But we have to explore new areas, or we won’t be able to deliver for children in the future. That’s what drives it.”
Lauren Gill, Corporate Development Manager at Octopus Real Estate.
Lauren’s team are responsible for growing Octopus’s real estate business, keeping their impact and sustainability mission at the heart of what they do.
What motivates you personally? ”Within affordable housing, it’s the scale of the housing crisis and how much noise it’s not receiving. Housing associations are under extreme pressure to deliver energy performance, fire safety and more homes all at the same time. There is a systemic issue as the wait list for affordable housing grows but the delivery of new, quality homes is not meeting the demand. Hopefully we can make a dent.
Beatriz Montoya, COO at Simply Business
When small businesses are worried about their future they don’t just need insurance — they need support. Simply Business has a big ambition to become the undisputed champion of micro SMEs.
What’s a vital leadership skill today? “Empathy has become the most important skill in leadership. We saw that through Covid and I think we’re seeing it more and more now. I also think the four Simply Business leadership habits are critical: drive purpose, collaborate effectively, coach for growth and be humble (which for us is about modelling integrity, embracing differences and actively listening)”.
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