We’re delighted to have Lis Anderson, founder of AMBITIOUS, a strategic communications agency that helps organisations amplify brand awareness and protect business reputations, join us for our International Women’s Day event on the 8th March at Leigh Court in Bristol.

Joined by Lis and four other inspirational business people from the South West region, we hope our panel event inspires important conversations that lead to active changes for women in the world of work and beyond, with the 8th March being just the beginning!

We asked Lis about her career, and why she's excited to speak on our panel about inspiring inclusion.

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your career and your current position at AMBITIOUS?

Hello, I’m Lis Anderson and I’m the founder of AMBITIOUS, a strategic communications agency based in Bristol. I’m also CoChair of Bristol Creative Industries, a membership network that helps Bristol’s creative community learn, connect & grow.

I’ve spent my career in the creative sector, working agency side and founded AMBITIOUS 11 years ago, and now my main role within the business is focused on talent retention and development.

Why did you choose to get involved with our International Women’s Day event this year? 

When I founded the agency, I wanted to make sure that I offered support and opportunities to talented women in the sector, so it’s probably no surprise that 70% of our team are women. I’m excited to get involved to showcase and celebrate women in business. 

Why do you feel this year’s theme of Inspiring Inclusion is so important? 

I think it’s important that the topic of inclusion is being discussed more openly, in terms of race, age, gender, culture, sexual preferences, social economic background and education. Whilst it’s encouraging to see many businesses embracing inclusion and putting best practice measures in place, to some extent there is still a need for women to have strong representation in the workplace.

How does AMBITIOUS inspire inclusion for women by recruiting, retaining and developing female talent?

I’m keen to support and promote women during their career pathways, so showcasing women in all roles is a key part of what we do. For us to provide the most supportive environment we need to understand and tailor our approach. This is the same for every individual in my business, and some of our policies which support female talent include flexible working hours, income protection insurance, funded private menopause consultation, and specific training & coaching

How can we inspire organisations, groups and individuals to understand and value women’s inclusion? 

My advice would be to invest in PR, in order to showcase women in your organisation leading your projects and founding your businesses. It’s important to understand the needs of your female employees & tailor training to support them.

What do you hope people get out of listening to you and the other panel members after the event?

A huge takeaway from the event should be knowledge sharing. It’s important to reflect on conversations and think about what they are currently doing and look to see if there are improvements they can make in their organisation!

If you would like to be a part of our International Women’s Day conversation, we would love to see you at our panel event on the 8th March, taking place at Leigh Court in Bristol. Spaces are still open, and you can find out more and sign up here.