Commemorated annually on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day recognizing women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

This year, the campaign theme for IWD is #ChooseToChallenge. A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our thoughts and actions – all day, every day. We can all choose to challenge by calling out gender bias and inequality and celebrating women’s achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.

At Wizeline, diversity & inclusion and gender equality are two of our top priorities. We foster a diverse, inclusive, and harassment-free workplace where all can achieve their full potential, leading to company, customer, and community success. We believe diversity will always be valuable for growth and are committed to building inclusive teams and presenting more opportunities for women every day.

We’ve created different programs to support this goal, one of which is our Women in Leadership Program. This program is both a community and a series of workshops based out of our offices in Guadalajara, Mexico City, Querétaro, and Ho Chi Minh City that provides Wizewomen with tools, frameworks, and practices to navigate workplace challenges better and improve their ability to lead, negotiate, and influence with confidence and impact. Beyond WILP, Wizeline participates in Google’s #IamRemarkable workshop series, which is open to the public in addition to Wizewomen.

For this piece, we’re highlighting some Wizeliners who share what “choose to challenge” means to them and insights on our WILP’s impact on the company.

Chief Legal Officer – Lin Cherry:

“#ChooseToChallenge means accepting that sometimes we are going to be out of our comfort zone, but knowing that this is necessary for Wizeline to create a space of belonging where we can bring our authentic selves to work and feel welcome, appreciated, and valued in a way that allows us to create our best work.”

“The WILP is an anchor initiative for Wizeline that expands the funnel of female talent, advances Wizewomen, and creates a safe space for relationships and a sense of community amongst participants.”

VP of Engineering – Isela Borroel:

“For a conscious commitment to inclusion, where differences can be celebrated with respectful treatment and equal access to opportunities, I #ChooseToChallenge how we react in the personal and work environment when interacting with others who think differently. It is essential to be conscious of our thoughts, avoid early judgment, and be open to enriching our lives learning about these differences.”

“The WILP is a wonderful program that opens the door to explore the leader inside yourself, where women train the muscle of self-confidence and put into practice how to find their inner voice. Wizewomen need to unlock their potential and go to the next level of influence. This is beneficial for individual progression and provides the company with more prepared leaders that can take ownership and accountability of challenges and opportunities.”

Corporate Relations, D&I Office – Ricardo Tapia:

“#ChooseToChallenge means space to reflect on those unconscious gender biases we might be part of, to acknowledge the changes that have to be made in our organization and our societies to foster a more fair and equal world. It is also an opportunity to value and recognize the transcendental contributions of women in business, politics, science, technology, education, social development, and our daily lives.”

“The WILP has had two significant outcomes: providing a set of tools for women to advance their careers, to self-lead and lead others, and to unfold their full potential; also, working as a platform for women to share their experiences, challenges, and advise with other women, fostering mentorship and networking, furthering camaraderie.”

Chief Marketing Officer – Danielle Ruess:

“#ChooseToChallenge means we are all in this together, as women, as humans, striving to create a place where diversity and inclusivity aren’t special programs, but a natural way of doing business.”

“The WILP is a crucial initiative that provides the resources needed for women to unlock their full potential through personal development and peer support. In addition, it provides valuable feedback to not only improve the skills of the participants but to ultimately assess and improve the workplace.”

Wizeliners continue to raise a hand in celebration of all women, choosing to challenge ourselves to take action for equality and foster a more gender-equal world.

From challenge comes change, so let’s all #ChooseToChallenge.