In 2016, SSE (Scottish Energy Company) became the major sponsor of women’s football in Scotland, providing vital investment across women’s football and marking the energy company as an official partner of the Scotland Women’s National Team and title sponsor of the SSE Scottish Women’s Cup. With Thursday 8th being International Women’s Day, we couldn’t think of a more important company to spotlight.

One major brand that has had women at the heart of its purpose since conception, is Avon. A globally-recognised brand with over 6 million women representatives, their products are well known, but perhaps less so are their efforts in fighting domestic violence. Through the Avon Foundation for Women (founded in 1955 to improve the lives of women and their families), domestic violence awareness and prevention has long been a foundation of their purpose.

As important as it is authentic, we’ve been inspired by Aviva’s embrace and celebration of team members who in many other organisations still feel inclined to hide a very important part of who they are. While a lot of brands are promoting equality and recognition of some of the major milestones that have been achieved in the advancement of LGBT+ rights in recent years, there is something particularly admirable in a company who are committed to creating change from the inside out through an inclusive culture that still does not exist in our wider work culture.