#IWD2026: Creative Women - Shirah Bamber

International Women’s Day (IWD) is an annual global event celebrating women and their achievements.  First initiated in 1911, IWD has since grown into a global movement encouraging us to stand up for a more diverse, equitable and inclusive world, free of discrimination and stereotypes.

This year's campaign theme is GiveToGain, which explores how giving our support can help advance gender equality as well as reinforce a sense of connection and purpose.

Creative Lancashire has a long history of supporting International Women’s Day, with a special campaign and Conversations in Creativity event every year. As part of our #IWD2026 "Creative Women" Series, we've posed three questions relating to this year's theme to our four featured women. 

Meet Shirah Bamber, an independent Strategist and Communications Consultant.

Shirah is also the host and moderator of our special Conversations in Creativity panel discussion on Friday 6th March 2026 at The Harris Museum in Preston.

Let's find out more about Shirah and her thoughts on giving to gain, resiliency, and supporting others.

About Shirah Bamber

Shirah is the founder of Shirah Consulting, where she works as a strategist, communications specialist and creative problem solver for organisations across the UK.

Throughout her career, Shirah has led projects, teams and campaigns of all shapes and sizes in the public, private and third sectors. While much of her current work is focused on innovation, strategy and politics, she has commissioned public art, marketed events and festivals, and delivered comprehensive communications services.

Shirah regularly fulfills the role of senior advisor to the C-Suite, supporting leaders as they navigate complex and sensitive issues, and helping her clients to translate ambitious objectives into deliverable outcomes. One of Shirah's current projects is overseeing the Preston Innovates campaign for Preston Partnership.

Giving to Gain in Real Life

The IWD 2026 theme is Give to Gain. What does this idea of reciprocity and generosity mean in your own work or leadership, and how have you seen it create ripple effects beyond you?

No (wo)man is an island. I am keenly aware that I am in a position of privilege - I run my own business, work on great projects with interesting people and can say no to work that doesn’t fit.  Sure, I have gotten here through a fair amount of hard work and determination, but I have also gotten here through my network, opportunities shared and chances taken on me.

I have so many examples of when I was given the space to learn on the job, because my line manager believed I was capable of things I didn’t yet have experience with. Or where I have been invited into a room and introduced to people that would later become instrumental to a project or my career. 

Now, I am profoundly grateful for every recommendation, piece of positive feedback and contract with clients. I try to pay it forward by collaborating with other SMEs, making recommendations and introductions wherever possible. 

There is enough space for all of us. Experience shows me that we all do better when we work together, rather than defensively protecting our space in siloes. 

I love working with other consultants and agencies, and both past employers and clients have found my network to be part of the added value I bring to projects.

On Challenges, Resilience & Support

Looking back, what were some of the key challenges or moments of resistance you faced in your career journey, and what types of support, encouragement, or belief helped you continue despite them?

For better or for worse, I have always had an inherent belief in my ability to do my job. 

That belief has meant that I pushed back when I saw myself being paid significantly less to do more than my male predecessor; walked into rooms full of older colleagues with confidence; and took on projects that were steep learning curves. 

Unfortunately, I have faced many of the “expected” challenges of a woman in a senior role. 

• Youngest person in the room
• Only woman in the room
• Sexually harassed and bullied by someone in a more senior position
• Underestimated and undervalued

And I didn’t make it particularly easy for myself by starting my Masters with a baby and a toddler, and changing jobs two months before my dissertation was due!

Looking back, I think the biggest lesson learned is that at the time I have accepted situations that I would no longer tolerate. I am a recovering workaholic and see now that I took on work, unrealistic deadlines and stress that I should have said no to. At the time, I don’t think I saw another option, and so I kept on carrying on. However, I also look back at some of my challenges with the recognition that we are all clearly more capable than we think. 

For the majority of my career to date, I have had the privilege of working for, and with, some really great people, and for me that has been invaluable. I have had line managers who have genuinely had my back, given me the space to do my job and taken chances on me by giving me opportunities.  

Lifting Others as We Rise

How do you actively create space, opportunity, or visibility for others through your work, and what would you love to see more people ‘give’ to support the next generation of women and creatives?

What “making space for others” looks like varies depending on the role I am in at the time. Over the years it has included things like informal and formal mentoring, giving “above their paygrade” opportunities to people in my team, and work placements. 

Also at times, it has been as simple as making an introduction or providing an invitation to an event. Because the adage “people buy from people” isn’t just limited to sales, people also hire people and collaborate with them. 

Having a strong network, or sometimes having just been in the right room, can open life-changing doors.

I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all formula that we should all be following to give support to the next generation. Instead, it’s a mindset we can adopt - understanding what is our own gift to pass on and identifying those opportunities. 

What that looks like will depend on the moment in time, specific circumstances and individuals around us. 

But let’s be honest. If we aren’t actively choosing to find those opportunities, we won’t pass them on. Because we are already busy people and it simply will fall off the radar.   

Find out more about Shirah and her work:

Website: www.shirah.co.uk

LinkedIn: @ShirahBamber

Instagram: @prestoninnovates

Images provided by Shirah Bamber.

International Women's Day occurs globally on 8 March to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

IWD is not country, group or organisation specific, it belongs to all groups collectively everywhere who champion equality, diversity and inclusivity.

www.internationalwomensday.com

This year’s IWD theme is #GiveToGain. 

Giving requires open hearts and minds. As individuals, giving support means calling out stereotypes, challenging discrimination, questioning bias, celebrating women's success, and more.

Sharing our knowledge and encouragement with others is also key. Giving our support to help advance gender equality reinforces a sense of connection and purpose.

This creates an important ripple effect for spreading positive impacts for everyone.