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Episode 5: Celebrating International Women’s Day with Advita Patel

In the latest episode of The Pagoda Perspective podcast, we welcome Advita Patel, President-Elect of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and a leading expert on internal communications in the UK. We discuss her career to date, her agency Comms Rebel, and the impact of International Women’s Day.

Joined by Pagoda colleagues, Natasha Chudasama and Deborah Meikle, our podcast explores the challenges Advita has faced throughout her career as a woman of colour. Having founded the Comms Rebel agency, Advita supports organisations implementing internal communication strategies on diversity, equity, and inclusion and she empowers individuals to grow their confidence and confront imposter syndrome through mentoring and speaking engagements. She explores all these themes in her debut book, ‘Building a Culture of Inclusivity’, co-written with fellow comms expert Priya Bates, which sets out a framework for increasing inclusion in the workplace.

The importance of International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day, celebrated every year on March 8th, was first recognised by the United Nations in 1975 and then formalised two years later in 1977. This marked a pivotal moment in history, recognising the hardships and barriers women endured in the fight for equality. Today, International Women’s Day highlights the efforts made to make the world a safer, more gender-equal place and allows us to draw attention to what still needs to be done to fully achieve it. Although women’s rights have come a long way since 1975, there are still many global injustices that make this day significant for women across the world.

In the podcast, Advita, Deborah, and Natasha discuss their personal learnings from  International Women’s Day and how organisations can mark the day with sensitivity and authenticity. Advita also explains why she isn’t going to ‘Inspire Inclusivity’ as the marketing agency-owned International Women’s Day website told people to do, but instead, follow the UN’s official theme, ‘Invest in women: Accelerate progress’. In 2024, this theme couldn’t be more apt.  As women fight for their rights surrounded by war and violence, UN Women estimates that 110 million girls and young women may be out of school by 2030. For Advita, it’s a topic that could spark measurable and meaningful change.

Embracing intersectional feminism to combat imposter syndrome

Studies show that up to two-thirds of women experience imposter syndrome in the workplace – the concern that they’re underqualified or incompetent, despite ample qualifications or experience. Natasha, Deborah, and Advita consider how embracing intersectional feminism can help combat imposter syndrome and create a safe and empowering workplace for women. Intersectional feminism recognises that women come from diverse backgrounds and therefore face unique challenges. It is essential to address and respect these differences to create a genuinely inclusive environment.

For Advita, many women experience imposter syndrome because their work environment doesn’t enable them to thrive. One way to reduce imposter syndrome in the workplace is by celebrating diversity, promoting inclusion, and gender equality. This is particularly true for PR agencies and in-house departments, where diverse teams make for more effective communicators who can successfully engage with a wide range of audiences.

Advita’s words encourage us on our journey to creating an inspiring and inclusive workplace, where our colleagues not only deliver exceptional results, but are able to access the career progression they deserve.

Get in touch

If you would like to know more about Pagoda PR and the Pagoda Perspective, or have any questions about the topics we discussed on our podcast, please email info@pagodapr.com with any questions or enquiries.

Do you have a story you’d love to share with us? The Pagoda Perspective takes a fresh look at politics, media, civic society, and everything in between. If you’d like to join us for a conversation, contact us at info@pagodapr.com