Our International Women’s Day celebration took place on Thursday (March 5) and brought together colleagues, speakers, and members for an inspiring and thought-provoking afternoon focused on empowerment, allyship, and wellbeing.
Loretta Lee of CA Support opened the event with a powerful reflection on the charity’s long-standing commitment to supporting members, students, and their families during times of crisis.
She spoke about CA Support’s roots as a fund that once primarily assisted widows at a time when women’s roles were centred in the home, and how it has evolved over nearly a century to meet the complex realities people face today.
Loretta highlighted the ongoing financial vulnerabilities that disproportionately affect women, unstable work patterns, economic dependence, relationship breakdowns, financial coercion, and the pressures of single-income households. Through her work, she has seen first-hand how these challenges impact women managing childcare costs, household bills, debt, and unforeseen hardships.
If you would like to donate to CA Support to help its work, you can do so here.
Our keynote speaker, Cara Sothern, guided attendees through the concept of living an intuitive, grounded life amidst busy schedules.
She explained the role of the parasympathetic nervous system in stress regulation and led an energising session that encouraged participants to quite literally “shake out” stress. Through practical breathwork exercises, she demonstrated simple techniques to calm the body, enhance clarity, and support resilience, tools everyone can integrate into their daily routines.
Our panel featured a wide range of members who shared insights on this year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” emphasising the power of giving back, building allyship, fostering mentorship, and elevating others.
Our panel consisted of:
- Sarah Murphy, Distribution Services Leader at PWC and Chair of the Chartered Accountants Ireland Leinster Society
- Loretta Lee, Finance Director at Workday and Chair of CA Support
- Bernard Byrne, Chair of Balance for Better Business
- Sarah McAleese, Risk Consulting Manager at KPMG and a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland Inclusion and Diversity committee
- Aine Spellacy, Executive Director at EY and Council Member of Chartered Accountants Ireland
Each panellist shared some honest reflections about their personal career journey and spoke about the women, male leaders, and colleagues who supported and encouraged them along the way. Key insights from the panel included:
- Be brave enough to ask for what you want—opportunities often begin with a single courageous step.
- Give back by helping others start their journey, set goals, and recognise their own potential.
- Seize every opportunity, especially early in your career, to build confidence and broaden your experience.
- Look out for emerging talent and use leadership positions to open doors for others.
The panel reinforced that uplifting one another is essential to advancing equality and strengthening our community.
Our fireside conversation with Meabh Cahill and Rosemary Keogh explored leadership through the lens of Rosemary's personal experience. Rosemary spoke candidly about her early career journey and her experience as a CEO.
Some of her shared honest reflections included:
- the loneliness that can come with senior leadership,
- the challenge of finding female role models, early in her career,
- the importance of telling your story and recognising your own worth,
- And the practical ways she manages pressure—coaching, Pilates, and building a support network.
A central theme emerged from the conversation was confidence grows when you own your value, understand who you are, and advocate for yourself.
The chat also emphasised the power of events like this to foster connection, representation, and vulnerability among peers. Attendees were encouraged to ask for help, check in with one another, and embrace the grounding that the CA qualification provides: a platform from which you can pursue any direction you choose.
You can see photos from the event here.
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