At Monki Gras, we celebrated the Nordics concept of talkoot, working together to achieve a common goal by being an active member in the local community.
Since the early 1900’s, International Women’s Day has focussed a spotlight on women’s achievements globally, and reminds us of inequities still to be redressed. This year, IWD is on 8th March, coming quick on the heels of Valentine’s Day, which celebrates love the world over. In these crazy times, a little bit of love and common understanding sure can go a long way.
We want to thank our fabulous female speakers who shared with us their insights, passions, dedication, stories and backgrounds, while encouraging us to speak out more, care more, do more.
Monki Gras thanks our #NordicWomen – we all learned alot from you.
PS You can contribute and follow IWD here: #MakeItHappen.
| Saffron Governor was our organiser and curator of all the delicious fare consumed at Monki Gras. With care and precision combined with sheer bloody-mindedness, she scoured the city for exciting, delicious and quality food. Nothing but the best for Monki Gras delegates! |
| We knew Helena Bengtsson was going to be good; after all, she is the winner of the Stora Journalistpriset, Sweden’s Great Journalism Award, for her work on Valpejl.se, a website profiling every candidate in that season’s Swedish elections. She inspired us to be tough, no-nonsense, and to fight for the truth – even if it gets very, very ugly. |
| Reetta Heiskanen reminded us that our children are the future. She leads a programme which sparks a love of technology education in schoolchildren, and encouraged all of us to help ignite it with our local kids. We all want what’s best for our children, and Reetta is ensuring they are ready to lead us and contribute positively to the IT industry. |
| Anke Holst is on a journey of self-discovery. She seeks to understand her identity on a deeper level, gifting everyone around her with an immense sense of calm. She also ran a knitting circle at Monki Gras – that’s a first! |
| Marietta Le is an expert in using the Freedom of Information Act to pursue the truth, open up competitive barriers, and ensure transparency in business. She pushed us to never give up on finding the truth, and to use the tools you have to hand to make things happen. |
| A banker-turned-developer-turned Member of Parliament, Elina Leopmaki has been there and done that. Her Twitter feed is full of fearless commentary, frequently pointing out the truth behind the headlines. She knows when to speak out, and is knowledgeable enough to make her contemporaries quiver when her fierce eye points towards them. She definitely has a Take No Prisoners approach (and we like that!). |
| Our relationship with Linda Sandvik began when she attended Monki Gras 2013, and we were delighted to welcome her to the stage this year. She’s a straight shooter with a great sense of humour who tells it like it is. She champions tirelessly to raise the profile of women in tech, and we are proud that she chose Monki Gras to deliver a stellar presentation this year. And, if you can help answer her question about the expense of women’s razors, we are sure she would appreciate that. |
Monki Gras 