Join us for a FREE WoW webinar in March in celebration of IWD and Mother’s Day in the UK!
About this Event
March is the month in which we celebrate both International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day in the UK. This year, we felt it was important to reflect, and raise awareness of how the pandemic has affected something we, as an organization (and all of us as a society), are constantly working on – gender equality.
2020 was the most challenging year for all of us, but especially for working parents who found themselves without childcare, home-schooling, while still working. And although some families are sharing childcare between both parents, findings from a study published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) show that, in most cases, it is still mothers who are bearing the brunt of childcare, amplifying the already existing “motherhood penalty” women face.
According to Women In The Workplace 2020 report by McKinsey, more than one in four women were contemplating downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce completely, as a result of a change of family dynamics both in the home and at the workplace during the pandemic. The report conducted by The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), shows that women today earn just 49% of the typical men’s dollar, they lose 39% of lifetime earnings after just one year out of the workforce, so the penalties of taking time out of the labor force are high and increasing, and strengthening women’s labor force attachment is critical to narrowing the gender wage gap.
So, this year, more than ever, it’s important that we all take action for equality, raise awareness about the challenges the pandemic has had on family dynamics both in the home and at the workplace, and talk about the action plan.
AGENDA
6:00pm – Webinar starts
6.00 – 6.05pm – Women of Wearables – 5-minute presentation
6.05 – 7.30pm – Panel discussion + Q&A
7.30pm – Webinar finishes
MEET OUR PANELISTS
Melanie Faxon, Co-founder and COO of Mirza
Melanie Faxon is the Co-Founder/COO of Mirza, a FemTech meets FinTech company on a mission to close the gender pay gap. After graduating from UVA, Mel launched a career focused on building fast-growth companies. From launching and scaling sales territories in Europe to making college education more accessible, to managing a luxury real estate portfolio, Mel fell in love with the process of building a concept from the ground up. A lifelong ideator, Mel had launched side hustles and passion projects while working, but it was during her time at London Business School that she realized she wanted to go all-in on her own business. Mirza is her second company and is the manifestation of her passion for equitable access for all womxn and the desire to operate in the social impact space.
Rachel Carrell, founder and CEO of Koru Kids
Rachel Carrell is the founder and CEO of Koru Kids, a fast-growing tech company dedicated to building the world’s best childcare service. Originally from New Zealand, Rachel came over to the UK in 2002 to complete a master’s and doctorate at the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. Then she had two kids… experienced first hand how difficult and expensive it was to arrange childcare, and decided to found Koru Kids. Rachel has received numerous awards including ‘Inspirational Mother of the Year’ and ‘Best Businesswoman in Tech’, and was elected a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in recognition of her work.
Charlotte Michailidis, Founder and CEO of Parenthood Ventures
Charlotte Michailidis is a mama to two little ones and the founder and CEO of Parenthood Ventures, an inclusive founder ecosystem for early-stage ParentTech – i.e., startups serving parents, fertility to tweens. ParentTech founders (typically parents, female, and outside Silicon Valley), are uniquely underserved by the existing startup world: Parenthood Ventures is solving that. In her former life, Charlotte spent a decade in Business Strategy at The Boston Consulting Group, was in the leadership team of a YC startup, and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Moderated by Anja Streicher, CMO of Women of Wearables
Anja Streicher is a Chief Marketing Officer at Women of Wearables. Anja started her career working for a Y Combinator women’s health startup Bellabeat, where she led communications, content, and social media strategy. After moving to London, she continued supporting startups from different industries working at Techstars London, a mentorship-driven startup accelerator program and a worldwide network for entrepreneurs. She then joined the newly opened Bellabeat’s London office during exciting times of the company’s expansion to a portfolio of products aiming to help women lead a healthier lifestyle. She is passionate about women’s health & wellness and is inspired every day by WoW women in tech and business who are changing lives with their innovative products.
ABOUT WOMEN OF WEARABLES
Women of Wearables (WoW) is a leading global organization aiming to inspire, connect and support women and diverse founders and technologists in wearable tech, fashion tech, smart textiles, IoT, health tech, and VR/AR.
With headquarters in London (UK) and more than 20,000 members located around the globe, WoW has become a global movement that supports its growing community through events, mentorship, educational programs, and collaboration with its network of local collaborators and partners. Our members are startup founders, designers, technologists, industry experts, researchers, bloggers, journalists, investors, and many more.
Our community is open to anyone who is affiliated with and interested in emerging technologies such as wearable tech, fashion tech, health tech, and IoT. WoW is not just for professional women, but for anyone with an interest in wearable technology and providing women with a platform for growth.