By Business & Finance 
To mark International Women’s Day 2026, senior executive women share their thoughts on the Give to Gain principle. Sharon Walsh is Managing Director at HEINEKEN Ireland. She shares practical steps for advancing women in traditionally male-dominated roles, creating balanced teams, and ensuring gender equality remains a strategic priority.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2026 is Give to Gain. In a business context, what does this mean to you as a leader?
When you invest in people and the communities you operate in, business thrives; so, this theme resonates. Give to Gain means creating the right conditions for people and teams to succeed, resulting in a more engaged organisation and better business results. Our Brew a Better World strategy at HEINEKEN Ireland is this theme in action. We’re ambitious about reducing our environmental impact, but equally about the social impact we make locally. Our partnership with AssistiV, which helps people with disabilities access jobs in hospitality through intuitive touch-screen technology, is another great example of Give to Gain. It’s purposeful, practical, and it changes lives.
Looking at your own career, what opportunities or support were most pivotal in accelerating your leadership journey, and how are you now paying that forward?
For me, getting the right support whilst being served the right challenges has been critical. I’ve always been willing to step outside my comfort zone, which has served me well. Mentorship is key for me, and interestingly, the mentors who’ve had the biggest impact on me weren’t always women. In fact, many of the men I’ve worked with have opened doors, challenged my thinking, and backed me all the way.
To me, the best leaders leave their ego at the door and are open to new experiences that are not always linear, but often sideways moves to get critical experience to progress. For me, moving from leading the marketing function to switching to lead the sales function during my career gave me new perspectives and depth of knowledge to progress.
I don’t really identify as a ‘female leader’, more as a leader. Finally, I think confidence and the belief in my own ability are critical. When we back ourselves, it creates space for others to do the same.
Now, ‘paying it forward’ means being a mentor and champion for others and creating safe stretch opportunities. I always aim to offer the same honest support I got and help people see what they’re capable of, even before they might see it themselves.
Where do you believe organisations are still falling short in advancing women into senior decision-making roles, and what tangible actions would you prioritise?
I think many organisations are genuinely making progress. But I think larger, more developed companies should showcase and share knowledge more. This would create a wider cultural impact in the business community.
At HEINEKEN Ireland, we’re proud of our policies that support women, including life-stage policies supporting Maternity, Fertility, Menopause, and Dependants’ Leave, for example.
We’ve also been very intentional about focusing on areas of our business that were traditionally male-dominated, such as our brewery and sales teams. When women are supported and encouraged into these roles, not only does it work, but it also elevates the team, shifts perceptions of what’s possible, and improves the employee and customer experience.
The feedback is incredibly positive, and it shows how quickly progress can happen when organisations open doors with purpose.
In today’s economic climate, how can businesses ensure that gender equality remains a strategic priority rather than a secondary consideration?
Gender equality must be treated as a business imperative, integrated into businesses from the outset. It’s a performance driver, not an optional extra. I’ve seen firsthand how a balanced team strengthens results.
My own team is a great example; it’s 50/50 gender balanced, diverse in many respects, and each of us has different strengths that complement each other. Together, that’s powerful and delivers results for our people and our business. Championing diversity at the very highest level, and measuring impact, will help us all to continue on the right trajectory.
What is one practical commitment you believe every business leader should make in 2026 to truly embody the principle of Give to Gain?
Sometimes I think a lot about what I would have hoped for at the start of my career – all I wanted was for someone to take a bet on me. So, I always try to ensure our team identifies the talented, ambitious people and backs them.
Seniority can be intimidating for many, so we need to make space for others to step forward with confidence. It means meeting them where they’re at, using simple language and expressing complex things in easy-to-understand ways so they can learn and grow. That ensures there is no risk of ambiguity or intimidation – that’s really important. When people understand something, they can go for it.
I work in a traditionally male-dominated industry, and I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve always felt supported, never discriminated against. My responsibility now is to make sure the next generation has that same, or even better, experience. That’s how we give, and in doing so, everyone gains.
