International Women’s Day: What 'accelerate action' means to MY marketing leaders

International Women's Day (IWD) is fast approaching this 8 March, with this year's theme being 'Accelerate action'.

Accelerate action emphasises the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres. 

"At the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity, according to data from the World Economic Forum (WEF). Accelerate action is a worldwide call to acknowledge strategies, resources and activity that positively impact women's advancement and to support and elevate their implementation," said IWD. 

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"Significant barriers to gender equality remain, yet with the right action and support, positive progress can be made for women everywhere," it added. 

The WEF's 2024 global gender gap report revealed that while 79% of women and 80% of men are actively seeking opportunities to expand their skillsets. However, the proactive stance towards skill development is not without gender disparities in enrolment rates across different categories. 

According to the report, the most pronounced losses occur in management skills (-11 points from 2022), in leadership and social influence (-5 percentage points) and teaching and mentoring (-13 percentage points). Marketing and media registered a +1 percentage-point improvement. 

In honour of IWD, A+M spoke with women in leadership roles within the marketing industry to ask what 'accelerate action' means to them.  

Imun Lim, marketing director, Dutch Lady Milk, Friesland Campina

What does ‘accelerate action’ mean to you?

The theme 'accelerate action' for International Women’s Day 2025, in my view, is about recognising the great importance of creating better, positive outcomes on the road to complete gender equality. Despite great advances in Malaysia where senior corporate roles are increasingly held by women, systemic barriers and biases still persist. The theme signifies and symbolises the urgent task of unwavering commitment to advancing women’s rights and opportunities. The theme also means we have to collectively work harder to push towards a true holistic and tangible gender equality as envisioned by the first ever International Women’s Day organisers back in 1911.

Pamela Chia, regional marketing head, Digibanks, Grab

What does “accelerate action” mean to you

It means boldly challenging the old rules while leading with empathy. As a marketing leader, I believe in taking swift, brave actions that not only push boundaries but also create environments where everyone feels safe and valued. World women leaders inspire by trusting their instincts, experimenting fearlessly, and showing that caring leadership drives real innovation.

Fiona Liao, group chief marketing, communications and sustainability officer, Pos Malaysia

What does ‘accelerate action’ mean to you?

To me, 'accelerate action" represents a powerful call to not just envision change but to actively create it. It’s about igniting momentum and turning plans into reality—moving from good intentions to meaningful, measurable progress. In the context of Pos Malaysia, it means harnessing our brand’s influence to cultivate a culture of innovation and inclusivity. We are passionate about connecting lives and businesses by embracing sustainability and social responsibility, ensuring that our actions today pave the way for a better tomorrow.

Driving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a core part of our corporate key performance indicators (KPIs). Everyone in the organisation is responsible for driving this agenda. Three years ago, our female leadership was below 30%, but through focused efforts and initiatives, we’ve made significant progress. Our target is to reach 50% female leadership by the end of 2025, ensuring that we continue to create a more inclusive and balanced leadership structure.

Evelyn Lee, head of marketing, Secret Recipe Cakes & Cafe

What does ‘accelerate action’ mean to you?

The theme for IWD 2025, 'accelerate action', couldn’t be more fitting. For years, we’ve talked about gender equality, but now it’s time to unite our efforts and turn words into real, measurable progress. As I often say, results speak louder than words. Each of us has a role to play in championing equality, inclusivity, and opportunity.

I’m sure many women can relate to having their capabilities questioned simply because of their gender. In my case, something as trivial as my daily coffee choice once led to doubts about whether I could market a particular brand—but that’s a story for another day.

In marketing, accelerating action means ensuring women have equal opportunities in leadership, decision-making, and creative influence. It’s not just about hiring more women; it’s about fostering a culture that truly values their voices, challenges biases, and actively supports their growth. Real change happens when we move beyond token gestures and commit to structural shifts that empower women at every level.

Elaine Chiew, general manager for marketing, Sushi King Malaysia 

What does ‘accelerate action’ mean to you?

We’ve heard a lot, a lot about gender equality and the benefits that come with it. But we have yet to seen many initiatives that really go beyond conversations to drive change. 'Accelerate action’ to me, highlights the urgency of a significant shift from just creating awareness to real tangible actions that sees women professionals with merits get promoted to leadership positions, paid equally, fairly, well supported to enable them to stay in the workforce and advance their careers.

Stephy Foong, VP, brand, marketing, growth, product, Zus Coffee

What does ‘accelerate action’ mean to you?

'Accelerate action' to me means making faster, bolder moves to achieve a unified goal, which applies throughout ZUS Coffee as an organisation and my career as a woman in the modern day.

Join us this coming 21 May for #Content360, an extravaganza centered around three core thematic pillars: Challenging the norm; Conquering Media Fragmentation; and Unlocking Imagination. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!   

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