INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY SPECIAL 2023 - Emma Georgiou

To celebrate International Women's Day, we interviewed some influential women to share with you all about why IWD is important to them.

What’s your name? Dr Emma Georgiou 

What’s your profession? I am an accredited Executive Coach. I help ambitious people who feel stuck or unfulfilled to overcome the challenges they face in their careers such as stress, burnout or being overlooked, so that they can get their promotions, feel valued and can confidently navigate the corporate world. Through working with me people uncover what makes them tick, what is holding them back and what actions they need to take to find work that truly inspires them. I also work with companies to build team resilience to improve staff retention and performance. 

Prior to working as a coach, I have thirteen years experience in corporate medical communications, providing strategic, commercial, and scientific support to my clients. Through this, I have worked on campaigns that raise awareness of different diseases and have brought about changes in health policy across the globe. I bring the same strategic expertise, guidance and creative tools to my coaching clients. 

What’s your business? Emma Georgiou Coaching  

Where is this business based? I am based in Oxfordshire in the UK but offer coaching via Zoom and travel across the UK as needed to deliver workshops and coaching for corporate clients. 

What does #embracequity mean to you? For me it means being more aware of and using my voice to challenge workplace stereotyping and biases. It means embracing differences and providing opportunities that are tailored to each person’s circumstances to help drive success for all. 

In which of these areas do you support women? I support Women in Work and Business and Women and Health but if I had to choose one area, I would say Woman and Business, this is where I can offer the most support through the coaching work I do. I help people to feel empowered to take charge of their careers and achieve what they want to. Whether that is working to get a salary increase/promotion, change job, or start a new career. 

The theme of Women and Health also resonates with me, because of my background in science and medical communications. In the UK there is a lot of research going on right now to explore inequities in healthcare ranging from inequities in genetic profiling to inequities in access to healthcare. All if this is fundamental for improved health outcomes for women. 

Which women have inspired you over the last year generally?  
Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed. There is still a lot of work to do around pregnancy and maternity discrimination and Pregnant Then Screwed is working to tackle the root causes of this discrimination  

Dr Maxine Mackintosh from Genomics England. Maxine leads the Diverse Data Initiative at Genomics England, which aims to reduce health inequalities in genomic medicine by ensuring all patient’s, regardless of background, receive the same quality of genomics-enabled personalised medicine, supported by the latest research on people like them. I saw Maxine present at a conference last summer was totally blown away by the work she is leading. 

Which local women have inspired you in the last year? The two people that immediately spring to mind are both women who have set up their own businesses doing things that they love. 

Fiona Scott of Scott Media. Fiona is a PR rockstar. Fiona is such a joy to work with and I always feel very positive and energised after our conversations. 

Laura Cooper of Form and Flow Pilates. I’ve known Laura for about 4 years now, and have seen her successfully make the transition from a ballet teacher to starting her Pilates business during COVID lockdowns; recently she has opened two Pilates studios. Laura is an inspiration. 

What do you think are the biggest issues facing women this year and beyond? Work still needs to be done to challenge pregnancy and maternity discrimination, with the aim to foster greater parity between men and women, both at home and in the workplace. 

I would also like to see greater focus on raising awareness and improving care for women’s health issues. In recent years there have been huge leaps forward in understanding and supporting women through menopause, but more still needs to be done for example around contraception and fertility.   

Why do you think it's important to have an International Women's Day? International Women’s Day is a wonderful time to celebrate women’s achievements across the globe. It also provides a great opportunity to educate and raise awareness for women’s equality, and to drive the conversation on behalf of all women around the world.  

For more information on Emma visit www.emmageorgiou.com