Give to Gain. What abundant giving looks like at Ecommpay and beyond (IWD 2026)

International Women’s Day 2026 asks a simple question with real weight: what will you give to gain gender equality? This year’s theme, Give to gain, is a reminder that progress isn’t finite. When we give time, advocacy, fairness, visibility and support, we don’t lose anything. We multiply opportunity.

We asked colleagues across Ecommpay and voices from our wider community what the theme means to them. The answer, again and again, was practical: give access, give respect, give visibility, then build systems that make fairness non-negotiable.

For Miranda McLean, CMO at Ecommpay, giving isn’t a transaction. “The most meaningful progress happens when you invest in others without calculating the return,” she says. Her focus is consistent: access to rooms and conversations, visibility for others’ work, and transparency about progression and structural barriers.

Julia Streets MBE (Streets Consulting, SoftSkillingIt.com) echoes that progress is “never a solo endeavour”. Her version of Give to gain is collective action: mentor generously, sponsor intentionally, and elevate voices that are too often overlooked, because generosity doesn’t dilute success, it multiplies it.

Mianda, Sandra (Paypr.work) agrees, and pushes back on giving with strings attached. The fulfilment is in sharing knowledge, opening doors, and offering encouragement without expecting anything back. She compares it to planting seeds. You may not see where they grow, but over time they create confidence and momentum for more women to step forward.

Lucy Heavens (Heavens Sent GTM Services) calls the theme a leadership standard. Support should not be a “nice-to-have”. It is leadership. Her give is time, visibility and advocacy, especially for women in the messy middle of their careers, plus pushing for sponsorship, fair pay and progression based on impact, not confidence. When women thrive, businesses thrive. It’s common sense.

At Ecommpay, many responses start with what we normalise in day-to-day interactions.

Marija Golubeva centres on respect. Without it, equality can’t exist. She draws a clear line on jokes and stereotypes that belittle women, and she highlights the power of simple encouragement when someone doubts themselves.

Ksenija Vezane points to assumptions about who “should” do what. Those stereotypes limit everyone. Her give is shared responsibility and active support, creating a space where all voices are heard and choices are respected.

Eleonora Gude keeps it grounded in everyday behaviour: treat colleagues with respect, avoid stereotypes, listen properly, and back ideas that might otherwise be overlooked. If a remark is biased, respond calmly and directly.

Jekaterina Jaskova captures it in small, repeatable actions: speak up, share opportunities, challenge bias, keep learning.

Dana Afanasevica agrees that consistency is everything. Promote fairness, support inclusive decisions, and listen to diverse perspectives, in work and life.

And Firuza Burka states the non-negotiables: equal opportunities, equal pay and equal respect, alongside fairness, empowerment and breaking stereotypes “in every space”.

Sometimes the “give” is showing what equality looks like, without asking permission.

Anna Fadejeva (APM Specialist, Finance) believes that performance and skill should be the only measures of capability. Outside work, she applies the same confidence to practical renovation projects, from painting to tiling, to normalise the idea that hands-on skills aren’t gendered.

Jekaterina Grebencuka gives through conversation and education. When she hears outdated assumptions, she doesn’t ignore them. She gently questions them and opens a dialogue, sharing what she learns about equal opportunities and respect.

Iuliia Doronina focuses on the environments we create, including for young people. She believes teenagers should hear early about the full range of opportunities available to everyone.

Culture matters. Systems make it stick.

For Willem Wellinghoff, UK Chair and CCO at Ecommpay, Give to gain is a serious challenge for leadership, especially male allies. Inclusion isn’t a soft value, he says. It’s a compliance imperative and a commercial one. His give is accountability: measurable commitments embedded in hiring, promotion and leadership, reviewed with board-level rigour, plus honest scrutiny of who gets opportunities and who gets heard.

Janis Saimens shares that systems should not rely on good intentions. He backs pay transparency, clear salary bands, and promotion criteria that cut out the guessing game. Day to day, his practical allyship is simple: don’t talk over women, name who contributed what, and make sure credit goes to the right person.

Charlie Bronks (Crown Agents Bank) frames it as treating influence as a responsibility. She gives practical support by advocating for capable women, being transparent about how leadership environments operate, and pushing for clear progression standards that are visible and applied fairly.

So many careers change because someone chose to back someone else.

Araminta Robertson (Mint Studios) credits mentorship as a turning point. Her give is to pass it forward: one-to-one guidance that builds confidence and clarity, shows what’s possible, and equips women with practical support to succeed once the door is open.

For Aishat Apesin (Freemarket), it’s personal. She’s experienced gender bias and imposter syndrome, and she didn’t have strong female mentorship early on. Today she gives time to create visibility for underrepresented voices, host educational moments, and build spaces where more women feel supported to step forward.

Calypso Harland (Fintech Fringe) gives visibility by design, aiming for 50%+ female representation across programming because women deserve the same platform, connections and profile. She’s seen the ripple effects across fundraising, career progression and role models, and channels that into FinSisters through capital, mentorship and leadership development.

Gemma Livermore (Women of Fintech) brings it to daily practice. Give to gain isn’t sacrifice, it’s contribution. Ask “what can I give today?” Amplify a voice, make an introduction, share the stage, mentor early. Small actions compound into collective momentum.

Not every barrier is loud. Some are normalised.

Gillian Ridley Whittle (Peachaus) shines a light on women living “comfortably uncomfortable”, where discomfort becomes the baseline. Her give is awareness, education and permission to expect better, because real comfort can be transformational for confidence and everyday wellbeing.

Finally, Nadia Edwards-Dashti (Harrington Starr) names what many feel: gender equality can seem further out of reach than it should be. But she also sees a growing strength in the camaraderie between women and allies, and in mainstream mentoring, sponsorship and advocacy. Her call is direct: it’s time for more people to give to women, because everyone gains when we give.

Across every voice, the message is consistent. Giving is practical. It’s respect, speaking up, learning, mentoring, sharing opportunity, and building systems where fairness is visible and measurable. Choose one thing you’ll give this week, then do it again next week. That’s how progress compounds.