She Inspires: International Women's Day

Stats overwhelmingly show that equality for all makes good business sense. Research from the McKinsey Global Institute has found that empowering women and girls could add up to US$28 trillion to global GDP by 2025. According to an S&P Global research report, firms with female CEOs and CFOs recorded superior stock price performance compared to the market average. Plus, within two years of being appointed, female CEOs saw a 20 per cent increase in stock price momentum, while female CFOs saw a 6 per cent increase in profitability.

With this in mind, it can be helpful to research companies based on ESG ranking, which includes environmental considerations, social issues and corporate governance – including gender diversity.

On March 8 we're celebrating International Women's Day. This year's theme: Each for Equal. If we're to accomplish true gender parity, every last one of us needs to make it a priority – and we're not there yet. In Canada, women earn on average only 87 cents to every dollar earned by men. Plus, just 18.1 per cent of board of director seats are held by women in Canada, according to the latest government data, with over 61 per cent of corporate boards filled entirely by men.

For inspiration, we look no further than the women around us. In celebration of International Women's Day 2020, here are a few empowering sentiments from women we've been fortunate to connect to and work with.

Terri-Lee Weeks leads the RBC savings and investments businesses with immense charisma. She never misses the opportunity to “pass the mic," so to speak, to create room for another voice. When we asked our colleagues for money-management tips, she was quick to offer up a gem – read it and others in 10 Smart Money Hacks.

Celebrity chef Nicole Gomes doesn't mince words: She owes her success to drowning out the noise – in and out of the bustling professional kitchen – and tuning in to herself. Read more in Recipes for Success.

Is there anything more inspiring than a woman who's made it who pulls other women up? In Inside Six Innovative Minds, serial entrepreneur and “Dragon" Michele Romanow shares some of her invaluable tips on failure, time management and more.

As Melissa Leong writes in Dear Money, It's Not You, It's Me, changing our perspective on our finances can make room for a healthier money relationship to flourish, no matter its current state.

As head of RBC Global Asset Management's Corporate Governance & Responsible Investment, Melanie Adams knows women can drive significant change, not just for themselves, but for others. Read more in A Better World.

Our colleague Kanwal Rafiq radiates drive and determination. Read about how she took the plunge into investing for herself in #InvestingTruths: Finding the Confidence to Invest.

Through Sarah Landstreet's eyes, the business world is a world for all of us. Read more of what this young leader has to say in Inside Six Innovative Minds.