Accelerating action: The elevation of female voices

Emily Chow reflects on International Women’s Day in 2025, speaking to members of the Two Circles Women’s Network, who have been transformative in creating a community to empower women in the business and in the wider industry. 

The pursuit of gender equality and the elevation of women’s voices and accomplishments should be woven into the very fabric of our society every day. And in the sports and entertainment industry, this sentiment rings louder than ever.

International Women’s Day is an important occasion to mark with recognition, celebration and empowerment; however it should never be reduced to a single day. It serves as a powerful time to reflect; to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the women in our business, in our industry and around the world. I hope it is a mechanism that gets people to think, talk and action decisive steps towards true equality in today’s society. 

This day is often a stark reminder of the reality women continue to face; where progress still exists alongside the challenges of inequality, underrepresentation and bias. It’s a day that calls us not just to honour the women making history, but to confront the barriers they are still breaking down, and to acknowledge that the fight for true equality is ongoing. 

Ahead of International Women’s Day, I spoke to members of the Two Circles Women’s Network, who have been transformative in showing how passion, collaboration and ambition can drive genuine, positive change within our global business – championing the empowerment of women in sports and beyond. They’ll share their personal views on what International Women’s Day means to them, the vision of the network, and the tangible steps they’re taking to make that vision a reality. 

Alicia Perez said of the Women’s Network: “The Women’s Network at Two Circles has been such a passion project for me. I remember having to fight for something similar at a previous job and it still hadn’t been approved by the time I left, so being able to join a team that already had something like this set up was amazing. Over the past year, we have worked towards building a good baseline of insights and learning what the main issues for women in the company are, so that we can help tackle them and build skills that women can take with them throughout the rest of their careers.

“This year, we used International Women’s Week to launch our Soft Skills Training Series with a session on ‘Confidence in presenting and speaking in public, led by one of our own client leads, Siobhan Filsell. The session was designed to be a casual discussion between the women attending, aiming to be a forum for everyone to share their own experiences, knowledge, tips and skills around the topic. We are very pleased with the attendance and the results of the session; and very proud that this was the first of many sessions we will be putting on throughout the year, proving that this isn’t just an issue to be brought up during one ‘special day’ or week, but rather a year-round commitment to make the company, and the industry, a more accessible place for women.” 

I also asked Imogen Eddison, an analyst in the Women’s Network what IWD meant to her. She said:  “In 2025, we are keen to build a genuine network of women at Two Circles – one that fosters support, empowerment, and a strong connection between women in the business and leadership. The energy around the Women’s Network and International Women’s Day over the past week has been great, creating a valuable opportunity to maintain momentum, deepen company-wide engagement, and strengthen the network for future initiatives and impactful conversations. 

“Thursday’s Brunch Club special – hosted internally for Two Circlers – was a great opportunity to highlight some of the great work Two Circles currently do to in accelerating action in women’s sport and was attended by 170 Two Circlers from our EMEA & North American offices.  

“Phoebe Jordan and Gretchen McAleer spoke through the Rugby World Cup Content Creator Programme and its mission to grow and amplify women’s rugby on a global scale by connecting fans to players. Our people are our best tool to connect with fans and personality-led content continues to grow at pace and is increasingly being embraced by sports rightsholders. Athletes are now seen as more than just sportspeople, and fans want to connect with them on an emotional level. The Content Creator Programme was piloted by the team during RWC21 and has now evolved into an opportunity for women working in sport to raise the profile of players and attract and engage audiences.

“Kathryn Wilson and Sophy Coombes-Roberts explored the transformative journey of UEFA Women’s Football – from growing the partner programme from four partners in Cycle 1 to 24 partners in Cycle 2, negotiating new broadcaster agreements for UWCL 2025-2030 and establishing Two Circles as UEFA’s trusted partner to deliver partnership success, the path is trodden for UEFA Women’s Football to treble audiences, double revenue and double asset value – accelerating further action in women’s sport. 

“Overall, I feel like it was a valuable showcase of the expertise, passion, and impact we have in Women’s Rugby and Football, highlighting Two Circles’ role in driving the growth of women’s sports. I look forward to more opportunities to bring the company together to champion and amplify the impactful work we do across this space.” 

At Two Circles, we are continuously looking for ways to support and uplift women in the sports and entertainment industry. This year marks the sixth year of Diversity in Sports, a six-month mentoring programme, designed to help accelerate the growth of under-represented talent across the UK industry through bespoke mentoring, training, knowledge sharing and networking. 

Diversity in Sports has developed a 100-strong alumni network of mentees that have participated in the programme so far. Of those, many got their first real taste of working in the industry, on events such as the Paralympics, the Hundred and the Commonwealth Games. 61% of the mentees are currently working in the sports & entertainment industry, and we are eagerly tracking their progress in their exciting new careers. Applications for the 2025 programme are still open until Sunday 16th March – Apply now! 

I know Two Circles truly believes in the transformative power of sport, and we are committed to ensuring that women are not only celebrated but are given the space, recognition, and opportunities they deserve to thrive in our business and the wider industry.