First Wimbledon Charter Event at King's College

On 8^th March, WHS and King’s Year 12 students came together to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022. This was the first Charter Hosted event of its kind, and there couldn’t have been a better day to promote the aims of the Charter.

The theme of this year’s IWD was #breakthebias we explored topical issues through a panel of speakers. Myself and Sienna (an ex-WHS student, now at King’s) had the exciting – but slightly nerve-racking – opportunity to discuss important topics with female leaders who have invaluable experience in the workplace to share with us. One of the panelists, Rebecca McKinlay, is our chair of governors here at WHS, and has a background in publishing, strategy and the advertising industry. Elham Fardad was also on the panel – she is the founder and CEO of Migrant Leaders, an organisation which helps 1^st and 2^nd generation migrants achieve their potential through support and education. The final member of the panel was Barbara Gottardi, who  currently has two sons at King’s and has done significant work in asset management, as well as her role as CIO at TISAtech. The panel conversation was then opened up to the audience, where students were able to challenge and elaborate the conversations previously discussed.

Being able to collaborate with our King’s counterparts on International Women’s Day demonstrates the importance that everybody has to play in the fight for equality. Tuesday might have been our first big joint event post the Charter launch, but I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Emily R, Year 12 student