It was a privilege to be part of the panel discussion at the International Women’s Day 2026 webinar, proudly hosted by CIMA Australasia. This year’s theme — Give to Gain — explored a powerful yet often counterintuitive idea: that generosity, collaboration, and shared opportunity are not signs of weakness in competitive industries like finance, but rather the most strategic advantages we can cultivate.

In conjunction with International Women’s Day 2026, CIMA Australasia brought together a diverse group of industry leaders, professionals, and changemakers for a thought-provoking session examining how giving — whether through mentorship, advocacy, knowledge-sharing, or simply lending a voice to the voiceless — can accelerate progress for women in finance and beyond.

The webinar opened with a compelling keynote address by Amanda Rose, a leading voice in women’s leadership and advocacy. Amanda shared her personal journey of building purpose-driven businesses, the importance of knowing your value system, the art of saying no strategically, and how confidence, when rooted in authenticity, becomes the foundation for meaningful impact. Her message was clear: if you want it bad enough, you’ll do it — but you must protect who you are while doing it.

A sincere thank you to the team at CIMA Australasia — including Peumika Karunaratne and Jana Griffiths — for bringing this important discussion together with such care and purpose. Thank you to our keynote speaker Amanda Rose for her candid and energising address, to our moderator Devika Mohotti for guiding a rich and meaningful conversation, and to my fellow panelists Annelize du Toit, Caroline Edwards, and Stephen Walsh for their generosity in sharing personal stories and hard-won wisdom.

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who joined the session. It is conversations like these — honest, practical, and deeply human — that remind us why community matters, and why giving remains one of the most powerful forces for professional and personal growth.

Great to see these conversations continue. Let us keep giving, keep gaining, and keep lifting each other forward.