This year’s theme, ‘Give to Gain,’ resonates strongly with me. Because running a business has taught me that when you invest in people, you often gain far more in return.

At Pinstone, we’re a predominantly female team. Not by design, but because PR tends to attract more women, which is something reflected across the UK PR industry. Like many agencies, we’ve learned that supporting colleagues through different stages of their careers and lives requires flexibility and trust. At times it can also create short-term disruption for a small business.

But the longer-term return is remarkable. The people who grow their careers with us often become some of our most committed colleagues. They stay, they progress into leadership roles and they bring huge energy and dedication back into the business.

For me as a founder, seeing people build long and successful careers with us is one of the clearest examples of ‘give to gain’ in action.

What makes this conversation particularly relevant for us is the sector we represent. Many of our clients operate in agriculture and the food supply chain; industries that still have more work to do than the PR sector when it comes to gender balance.

Research commissioned by Meat Business Women shows that women currently represent around 33.5% of the global meat industry workforce, and only 8% of CEO roles are held by women. Even at board level, representation sits at around 23%, highlighting how the gender gap widens further up the leadership ladder.

These numbers matter. Not simply from an equality perspective, but from a business one. Industries that want to remain resilient and innovative need to attract and retain the very best talent available.

And that means ensuring talented people can see a future for themselves in the sector.

What supporting women in business has taught me

Running a female-dominated agency has taught me a great deal over the years. Perhaps the most important lesson is that careers rarely follow a straight line.

People’s lives evolve. Priorities shift. Sometimes that means teams need to adapt by redistributing workloads, adjusting plans or helping colleagues step up into new responsibilities more quickly.

For small businesses, navigating those challenges requires flexibility and trust.

But what we’ve consistently seen is that when people feel genuinely supported, they repay that support many times over.

They stay longer.
They grow into leadership roles.
They bring huge energy and commitment back into the business.

In industries where talent and skills are increasingly valuable, that kind of loyalty and engagement is incredibly powerful.

The opportunity for our industry

Working across agriculture and the food supply chain gives us a front-row seat to some of the most important industries in the UK and globally. These sectors feed nations, support rural economies and drive innovation in sustainability, technology and food security.

Yet they are also industries where historical perceptions and structural barriers have sometimes limited who sees themselves working there.

The work being done by organisations like Meat Business Women is helping to change that. Through research, mentoring, events and networking, they are raising the visibility of female role models and creating clearer pathways into leadership.

Their research highlights something many businesses are beginning to recognise: flexible working, inclusive leadership and strong professional networks are among the most important enablers of gender inclusion in the sector.

These aren’t ‘nice to have’ policies, they are increasingly central to attracting and retaining the talent our industries need for the future.

Why this matters to Pinstone

At Pinstone, we work with organisations across agriculture, food and the rural economy every day. We see first-hand the passion, expertise and innovation that exists across the supply chain.

We’re also proud to support Meat Business Women and the work they do to grow confidence, connections and opportunity for women across the industry.

For us, International Women’s Day isn’t about making bold declarations. It’s about recognising the progress that has been made, acknowledging the work still to do, and supporting the initiatives that help talented people build long, rewarding careers in our sector.

Because when industries open their doors wider to talent — and invest in the people within them — everyone benefits.

And that feels like a future worth investing in.

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