International Women’s Day Interview: Conversations on Empowerment, Equity & Inclusion
To celebrate International Women’s Day, I sat down with two brilliant women who are shaping the future of their industries: Louise Phillips, Vice President of Customer Centres at Virgin Atlantic Airways & Virgin Atlantic Holidays, and Laura Alexander, Head of Data Services at Hodge Bank.
We talked about empowerment, the pace of change, misconceptions about women in leadership, and the allies who helped shape their journeys.
What does this year’s theme empowerment, equity and inclusion mean to you personally or professionally?
Laura Alexander
“I think the personal and professional go hand in hand because our experiences shape who we are. Growing up in the South Wales valleys, you can only be what you can see. I’m a huge advocate for empowering young women and promoting inclusion and equity early on.
I do a lot of work in STEM, including going into schools, because of something we call the bravery deficit. We teach young girls to be perfect and boys to be brave. So we need to empower girls early and encourage them to be unapologetically themselves.
Louise Phillips
“These are powerful words, and they’re very rooted in our values at Virgin Atlantic. But they can’t just be words we work hard to make them real.
For me, empowerment is about having the confidence to back yourself. You might not tick every traditional box. Like Laura, I’m also from the South Wales valleys, and sometimes there’s an idea that you must follow a certain path. But opportunities shouldn’t be reserved for certain types of people, or only the loudest person in the room.
It’s about recognising potential in all its different forms, making space for people, and giving them room to grow.”
What misconceptions do you think people have about women in senior roles?
Louise Phillips
“There are two that stand out to me.
The first is that women in senior leadership must be overly ambitious or aggressive. In reality, most of us simply care deeply about doing a great job and delivering results. That’s what motivates me.
The second is the misconception that senior women have all followed a traditional path university degrees, academic backgrounds, textbook career progression. That’s not me. I don’t have a university degree. I worked my way up by learning my craft, putting my hand up, volunteering before being asked, and working hard.
Laura Alexander
“I echo what Louise said. I didn’t go to university either I went to the ‘University of Life’. That experience moulds you. Yes, the traditional path is university, then operations, then working your way up. But the non-traditional route gives you a unique selling point and a deeper understanding of the businesses we work in.
I also don’t look or behave like a stereotypical senior leader. My characteristics are who I am, and I’m in the role because of that.
We also need more senior women in the room—that’s an absolute fact.”
The median gender pay gap has barely shifted. Why do you think progress is so slow?
Laura Alexander
“I’ll be honest—I’m perplexed. There’s so much good work happening networks, diversity programmes, the Women in STEM Taskforce at DSET. So why isn’t the dial moving?
Why? I don’t know. And I struggle to understand why the efforts aren’t making more impact. If women aren’t leaving for traditional reasons but because we’re not being nurtured or given opportunities, then next International Women’s Day we need to ask: how do we change the environment? How do we change the patriarchy?”
Louise Phillips
“No one really knows the answer, but I agree with Laura: the pay gap is the symptom, not the cause.
It reflects years of structural imbalance who gets promoted, who takes career breaks, who has access to higher-paying roles and stretch opportunities. It’s not about women leaving to have children—that doesn’t reflect me or many women I know.
Who has been your most powerful ally or mentor?
Louise Phillips
“This might surprise some people, but one of my strongest allies has been a male leader. I’ve worked in male-dominated environments engineering, aircraft, airports so having that support was powerful.
He never treated me differently because I’m female. He gave me the same opportunities as everyone else, believed in me, and helped me build credibility and confidence.
Laura Alexander
“I’m the same as Louise some of my biggest advocates have been men. It’s always been about the best person for the job. I’ve been lucky to work with leaders who see ability first.
As women, we sometimes struggle to ask for help, but I try to absorb what I can from the inspirational people around me, whatever their gender. Hodge is a values-driven organisation, which has also nurtured my growth.
Final reflections
As our conversation wrapped up, one thing was clear: while progress can feel slow, women like Louise and Laura are pushing it forward every day—not just through their achievements, but through their openness, allyship, authenticity, and commitment to lifting others.
Here’s to empowerment, equity and inclusion—not just on International Women’s Day, but every day of the year.
View the full audio below:
