International Women’s Day: Celebrating Success at Mirakl

From Mary Wollstonecraft to Simone de Beauvoir, Rosa Parks to Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie to Mary Seacole - history remembers great women who in the face of great adversity triumphed. Yet there are thousands of voices we’ve lost, whose fearless actions and thoughtful words paved the way for successes we enjoy today yet aren’t remembered. That’s why every year on March 8th we celebrate International Women’s Day - all women are equal, regardless of who they are and what they have accomplished. A day dedicated to empowering, inspiring and pushing for positive social change. This year the day falls amidst the World Economic Forums' Global Gender Gap Report which shows that it will take 217 years to close the gender parity gap, proof that it’s more important than ever that we #pressforprogress

Times are changing. We know this. And it’s long overdue. Over the past few decades the technology industry has increasingly come under fire for its lack of gender diversity. With companies now addressing these concerns directly, it finally feels like the tides are turning. Here at Mirakl we’re proud of the incredibly successful and intelligent women we work with every day, around the world. We were galvanized by International Women’s Day to ask our colleagues about what inspires them, and the best advice they’ve received from female colleagues.

#1 What's the best/most inspiring advice you've ever received from a female colleague?

We had a lot of responses that spoke about learning to speak up and having the confidence to sometimes say no.

“If you want something then take it. Don't wait for someone to tell you that you can do something when you know already you have the ability to do it. Prove that you can by just accomplishing it.”

[Shea, Boston, Marketing]

"Speak up because no ones will give you anything if you do not ask for it."

[Federica, Paris, Alliances]

“My mum is great at advice! When I’ve felt unsure of myself she got me a beautiful bracelet that said: “What if I fall. Oh but darling what if you fly?” I always remember this whenever I have to take a risk or do something out of my comfort zone and I never let fear of the unknown hold me back.”

[Laura, London, Marketing]

“I’ve learnt from one of my colleagues to never undersell myself and to speak up, which I think is a very important thing for every woman to learn, regardless of what kind or role or company you work with.”

[Kelly, Paris, Alliances]

“I saw Doris Kearns Goodwin (American historian, biographer) speak, and she said, "As a woman, it's not that you can't have it all; it's that you have to pursue different things with different intensity at different times." I think about that daily.”

[Jess, Boston, Marketing]

#2 What are you most proud of achieving?

We had some lovely and touching stories from this question, reminding us to celebrate every success no matter how small it may seem.

“I co-authored an O'Reilly book about how to simplify web development and the Opa technology my startup invented. I’m very proud of this!”

[Ida, Paris, UX]

“Being able to grow in a company and being trusted enough to follow my personal dream of moving abroad whilst still being valued by my company.”

[Lison, Paris, Marketing]

"Definitely, my daughter makes me very proud :) I'm also proud of being able to equilibrate time with her and time at work on inspiring tasks and challenges in an IT men's world."

[Sabine, Paris, Technical Documentation]

"In my work life, I am most proud of being recognized for my ability to get things done in a thorough manner. Even when I do not know how to get something done, I pride myself on being able to self teach."

[Hannah, Boston, Marketing]

“When I look back, I am very proud to have been the very first female employee at a tech start-up and to have in a way, led the way for other women coming into the company. Not only was I female in a male dominated sector like tech, but also a foreigner, and the co-founders really understood how my skill set could be utilised at this critical, early growth phase of the company. I'm proud to work for a company that puts both women and men in charge of many strategic roles, and broadly across all different departments including developers, support, marketing and sales, and to have so many strong female role models working with me everyday. Oh and I'm also proud of the 4 goals I scored in the last mixed-league Mirakl Football game!”

[Kelly, Paris, Alliances]

 “Three months ago I decided that I would make a pledge to donate 1% of my time per month to voluntary causes, helping people to do marketing, social media, or design tasks. What I’ve learnt is how important generosity is, making time to help people whoever they are is something I’m proud to do. It’s so lovely seeing how happy people are, you definitely can’t put a price on that.”

[Laura, London, Marketing]

“Every day of the week I get three children (4 years old and younger) to daycare, and get to work on time. It feels impossible... and then it happens! It's a daily #Mirakl.”

[Jess, Boston, Marketing]

“Being an independent and strong woman who cares and supports other people's feelings and emotions.”

[Federica, Paris, Alliances]

#3 Are there any colleagues you would like to mention who have been an inspiration or mentor to you?

"Anaïs Lapeyre, as she rocks in her role as QA person for Mirakl dedicated features and as she always keeps high motivation for her role."

“Amelia Van Camp, People Operations Manager: She always gives me great advice and I know I can count on her to push myself.”

“Jess Iandiorio, SVP Marketing is a great leader,  she always makes you feel trusted and empowered. Both at work and outside work she advocates for helping women grow in business; and Christel Toriello, Marketing Director for being such hard-working, always fair and you can always rely on her to support her team whenever they need it.”

“I have to admire the way that Jane Barge has built the Client Success organisation at Mirakl from the ground up. This takes courage and being assertive which are great qualities that look up to her for. She has also built a large team comprised of mostly women who have an important impact on our customer's business and the overall health of the company.”

"One of my mentors at Mirakl, Laure Le Gall, often steps in after I have introduced myself in a meeting to add a few extra words that really highlight the skills and knowledge I have acquired at Mirakl. She continuously reminds me not to undersell myself and to speak up, which I think is a very important thing for every woman to learn, regardless of what kind or role or company you work with."

So whatever you are doing to celebrate International Women’s Day, we hope you take a moment to give thanks for all the wonderful women in your life and those who are striving for positive change for women across the world. As Maya Angelou said, “I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in a previous life.”