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?Q: What is the change you see / what are the changes you see in the conversation about women’s voice/role in the world?
?A: Thanks to Social Media now we have platforms where any message can be heard. Good or bad, constructive or superficial. Or too superficial sometimes. But as we get to be our own curators of content, Social Media changes the narrative and we can all be part in real society changes, from equal payments to sex scandals and climate change, to name a few. Social Media helped Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the young democrat representative, to become a rock star celebrity in the US and “forced” the younger generations to pay attention to what politicians are doing and how this may affect their lives. Last year, Finland decided to name their youngest prime minister ever, a 34 yo woman, who appointed more women in her cabinet. And she’s also the world’s youngest serving leader. I remember I felt very proud about her and reminded me about myself (I’m not the prime minister at Finland. yet), who I was appointed a manager at the age of 23 and was asked not to talk about my age in official meetings because I was way too young for such a position.

Finally, capabilities are more important nowadays than any other requirement. Then there is the role model that Jacinda Arden offers from New Zealand, constantly showing that a country can also be run with a sharp mind and a kind heart. Women are now present in every structure that’s deciding the future and are constantly proving there’s always room for intelligent people and fresh perspectives. Places where it doesn’t matter the gender, but what you can do. And that’s the most important part, in my perspective.

?Q: What still needs to be done?
?A: With this focus on women empowerment and gender equality, I think we should also talk about the risk of radicalization. There should be a measure in everything, a balance, and like my old Russian friend Gorki put it – “the measurement of any civilization can be seen in its attitude towards women”. A couple of years ago, I was at a gala dinner in Sydney and I was the only woman seated at the table together with 9 men. None of them offered to pour wine into my glass so I did it myself. Then, the guys next to me asked me to pour in their glasses too. I was appalled. How come? This would never happen in Europe, sometimes neither in the US. But their answer was simple – “can’t you pour it? Do you have a problem? You wanted gender equality, this is it”. Yes, I want gender equality, but I also want to be treated as a woman. Chivalry should not die.

?Q: With regards to our event theme, Women March Together, what is the glue that links us women to create a better, more conscious world?
?A: Openness. An open mind can open any world and any prejudices. When we start to notice the ceiling we created with our own thoughts and patterns, that’s the moment when we can change anything.

?Q: What is the story you would say today about women?
?A: I was born in 1985, right at the border between communism and democracy. I feel lucky and grateful I was born in a time and in a country where I am free to do whatever I want to. That’s the greatest freedom: to have the feeling you can do anything. Here you can easily access education. Here it doesn’t matter if you are a boy or a girl, it only matters what you want to do. And how much time you are willing to invest in your dreams. I strongly believe we create our own opportunities so I would like to tell a story about courageous women who were brave enough to try different paths in their lives. To leave “what if” behind and transform it in “I will do it”. Because there is nothing that can stand against the human will. Or to put it in another perspective, if it’s not working, at least we’re going to have a good story to tell, something to laugh at.