On International Women’s Day at our site in Brazil members of staff from various walks of motherhood – including first-time mums, mums with babies, mums with teenagers, those whose children no longer live at home, and grandmothers – were invited to afternoon tea to connect and share their experiences of the joys and challenges that motherhood brings.

This is in line with our sustainability goal of improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, in particular, our aim to help more women build successful and gratifying careers, supporting their work-life balance.

The event provided a platform for the participants to reflect on how their roles as mothers impact their professional lives. They discussed how their co-workers inspire them and emphasized the significance of having a strong support network. Moreover, they shared valuable tips on how to contribute to and foster such a support system.

Clarissa Martins, Rio Plant Manager said: “It was a special moment of exchanges of experiences, encouragement, and learning. We were all connected by the empathy and love that we experience with motherhood. Having somebody to share our insecurities, successes, and challenges with makes our journey as mothers lighter.”

HR Manager Danielle Souza echoed the sentiment of finding support and encouragement from other mothers: “It was one of the simplest yet nicest events that I have organised. Sometimes motherhood can be quite tiring and lonely but having the support and encouragement from other mothers provides us with more motivation.”

Renata Fernandes, Finance Leader in Brazil, and a first-time mother, added: “Being a first-time mother can be daunting, but the exchange of experiences helped me see that we face the same problems and that we are not alone in this journey. I understood that we have an excellent support network within our work environment. The most important part was to have the opportunity to tell them how much other mothers inspire me!”