Give to Gain Is Not a Transaction. It’s Transformational.

Anjuna Kalsi, Chief Human Resources Officer, Theramex

 IWD 2026

When I first heard this year’s International Women’s Day theme, Give to Gain, I paused.

In a world where “giving” is often linked to donations, campaigns, or corporate initiatives, it would be easy to interpret this theme as transactional. Give something. Gain something. But for me, Give to Gain is far deeper than that.

The first woman who gave to me

I grew up in a traditional North Indian Punjabi family where expectations for girls were clearly defined. There were unspoken rules about what was appropriate, acceptable, and ambitious enough.

But my mother quietly challenged those rules. Not through loud rebellion, but through resilience and conviction. She believed her five children, including her four daughters, should be educated. Independent. Opinionated. Capable of standing on their own feet. She believed our voices mattered — even when the world around us did not always reinforce that belief, where we were gripped by traditions and perceptions of others.

She gave me something extraordinary: confidence before I had earned it.

She gave me trust before I fully trusted myself.

She gave me permission to imagine a future bigger than what tradition prescribed.

That belief altered the trajectory of my life.

At the time, I didn’t see it as giving. I simply experienced it as love. Now I understand it as leadership.

The women who held the ladder steady

Years later, as I built my career in the corporate world, I encountered another powerful form of giving. Women who advocated for me in rooms I wasn’t in.

Women who encouraged me to speak when silence felt safer.

Women who told me not to shrink myself to fit expectations.

Women who championed authenticity over conformity.

They created opportunities.

They offered sponsorship.

They provided honest feedback.

They lent belief on the days mine wavered.

Most importantly, they did not pull the ladder up behind them.

They held it steady. That distinction matters.

Because too often, success can become something we guard.

We protect our position. We compete for limited seats at the table. We unconsciously perpetuate the very barriers we once fought to overcome.

But real progress happens when we choose differently.

When we choose to open doors instead of closing them.

When we choose collaboration over competition.

When we choose to lift as we rise.

What “Give to Gain” really means to me

Give to Gain is not about giving in order to receive something in return.

It is about understanding that when we give intentionally — trust, opportunity, mentorship, advocacy — we transform systems, cultures, and futures.

When we give trust, we transform confidence.

When we give opportunity, we transform careers.

When we give mentorship and sponsorship, we transform leadership pipelines.

And when women support women, we don’t dilute our own success. We multiply it.

This is not idealism. It is strategy.

Organisations are stronger when leadership is diverse.

Teams are more innovative when voices are heard.

Cultures are healthier when authenticity is encouraged.

Giving, in this context, is not charity. It is an investment in collective progress.

Let’s make it more than a day

International Women’s Day gives us a moment to reflect. To celebrate. To acknowledge how far we’ve come — and how far we still have to go.

But progress cannot live in a single calendar date.

If Give to Gain is truly transformational, then it must show up beyond the panel discussions, beyond the social media posts, beyond the symbolic gestures.

It must show up in: How we hire. How we promote. Who we mentor. Whose voices we amplify. How we respond when bias appears.

It must show up in everyday leadership.

So, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s make a commitment: Not just to support the idea of equality — but to practice it. Not just to talk about change — but to drive it. Not just to climb — but to lift. Because Give to Gain is not a transaction. It is transformational.

And when we choose to live it daily, we don’t just elevate women. We elevate everyone.