THE “great unfinished business of the 21st century” These were the words spoken by Hillary Clinton at an International Women’s Day event last month, talking about equality for women.

International Women’s day and York International Women’s Week gave us all – men and women alike – the chance to think about the initiatives which encourage diversity in the city and to celebrate some of the awe inspiring achievements of women globally.

In York we have an abundance of female role models in business, education and in the civil service to celebrate for their role in encouraging others to do, think and be the best they can. We’ve many female chief executives, entrepreneurs and fantastic high level representation within the public service.

York St John alumnus Cherie Frederico, Aesthetica, and former Acorn programme member Sophie Jewett from York Cocoa House, are outstanding female role models for young entrepreneurs and anyone thinking of starting up their own business. They are both well-recognised faces in York, not least for their business successes but for their passion for sharing their experiences with others.

Higher Education institutions are focusing strongly on the career pipeline and preparing people at all levels for their next challenge. It is particularly key to provide support at every level of the career path if we are to encourage young women now to become the directors and chief executives of tomorrow.

It’s our role as educators to help young people and people returning to education – men and women equally – to develop the attributes that will enable them to succeed in whatever their chosen path may be. And it’s the role of business owners to have a fair and diverse approach to recruitment, giving equal opportunities. There is always room for improvement.

In her speech last month Hillary Clinton also said that we should “mark the gains we’ve made together, as well as acknowledge the gaps.” Nationally, there’s still a long way to go, despite recent reports that women now represent over 20.7% of FTSE 100 board members. There is work to be done if Lord Davies’ proposed target of 25% by 2015 is to be reached. I, like many women, am not a fan of mandatory quotas and believe that everyone should be appointed on the basis of skill not gender but recognise that they may be a necessary evil if other measures fail.

It is therefore important that we continue to review or own practices, rise to the challenge and encourage open recruitment, embrace schemes that welcome in young people from diverse backgrounds, promote flexible working in organisations and visibly champion the success of under-represented elements of our workforce.