About HSBC

The celebration

International Women's Day is celebrated around the world. The occasion is marked annually in the City of London where we use the opportunity to acknowledge women’s success and contribution to the workplace and to society. HSBC has supported this event since it started 4 years ago and was the corporate sponsor of the 2010 event.

The prestigious venue of The Great Hall in the Guildhall was a fitting place to hold the breakfast event. It

was chaired by our top comedienne, Jo Brand, who is a patron of Refuge and she introduced four fantastic speakers:

Fiona Bowman MBA MBIFM - Senior Facilities Manager for Addleshaw Goddard LLP will be speaking about her experiences of escaping domestic violence on behalf of Refuge
Ruth Lea - Director of Global Vision and a Non-Executive Director and Economic Advisor to the Arbuthnot Banking Group.
Colette O’Shea - Head of Development, London Portfolio, Land Securities.
Alexandra Sinton - Vice President, UK Credit Sales at Royal Bank of Canada.

The charity

Over £20,000 was raised for Refuge - the national domestic violence charity. Every day Refuge supports over 1,000 women and children through emergency accommodation, practical and emotional support and community based outreach services. This support helps them carry out their vital work. See www.refuge.org.uk