Despite the many studies from different countries on the benefits of board diversity — with at least 90 (and counting) all pointing to a correlation between more women on boards and companies’ better financial performance — there remains skepticism or hesitancy among organizations on adopting policies to make their boards more diverse, and not only in gender, age, and skills, among others. Thus, in my gender equality and women’s economic empowerment advocacy work, I am often asked: “Is there a business case to be made for board diversity?”

As a coalition of women’s business and advocacy groups, we clearly see that technology is shaping our future and transforming our economies. Thus, we need to work toward accessibility and inclusivity of technology, which combines the two themes of IWD and UN Women.

Last month, I had the privilege of speaking at the Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation on the priority theme for the 67th session of thte CSW 67. It was a productive and collaborative process, which gives me confidence that our shared goal is within our reach—as long as we work together.

Allow me to share some thoughts I shared during the consultation.

“It will take over 200 years for women to be at par with men,” a news report from Davos said. Now, that’s “encouraging” (I hope you realize I am being sarcastic). But when we talk about equality, there really is much to do in the gender equality side. Why? Because sometimes it is the women who prevent other women from rising up. Sometimes it is other women who think women are lesser mortals. And oftentimes it is women who think we cannot do what men can do. So there are jobs that are “panglalaki” (meant for men) and “pambabae” (meant for women). And we as a society have long accepted these differentiations.

Diversity has become much of a hot topic these days, and for good reason. It is important to understand how this affects organizations and businesses. However, diversity is not just about gender. It is also about age, professional expertise and experience, ethnicity, educational background, regional provenance, or even family background. The “diversity recipe” is also about inclusivity—persons with disabilities, indigenous people, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people of different faiths—so that we are able to truly represent the population, and be sensitive and considerate of the variety of options we offer to meet their needs, wants, and dreams in terms of service or product.

Women CEOs are rising through the ranks in the food and beverage space—and, of course, it’s a trend we’re thrilled to see. More and more women are taking on leadership roles, many of whom are self-made hustlers in the traditionally male-dominated realm of food and beverage.

That said, there’s a reason for the rising success of women in this space. Particularly since women have long been excluded from contributing to the industry, they come equipped with a fresh perspective, innovative ideas, and the motivation—and passion—to seamlessly turn complicated concepts into reality. In short, women in the food and beverage space are inspiring positive change in a number of different ways, and this is only the beginning of what’s in store.

When I meet young girls who seem to be looking for mentors and inspiring modern-day idols, I tell them to attend events of women organizations like the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWen). The coalition is composed of five active women groups involved in business: the Filipina CEO Circle, the NextGen Organization of Women Corporate Directors or NOWCD, SPARK, the Network for Enterprising Women (NEW), and Business and Professional Women (BPW). Because it is Women’s Month, it may be a good time to focus on directing our younger women on career paths and business options.

What are the most important findings a young woman must remember?