To mark International Women’s Day 2026, colleagues across the business came together to discuss Voice, Visibility and Being Heard - one of the key themes explored during this year’s Women in Business Network roundtables.  

In this Q&A, Maria Gordillo, Graduate E-commerce Executive shares her perspective on what it means to find your voice early in your career. From leading initiatives at university and during her placement year, to building confidence and contributing ideas in her current role, Maria reflects on the experiences that have helped shape her approach to speaking up, learning from others and creating impact.  

As someone early in your career, what has “finding your voice” meant to you so far? Has that definition changed since you joined the business? 

Before joining the corporate world, finding my voice was about making the most of the opportunities around me. At university I got very involved in different initiatives, from starting as a First Year Representative in Women in Business to eventually becoming President of the society. I found myself looking for ways to get involved and learn from the experiences around me. 

My university placement year was also a really important step in that journey. It was my first experience in a corporate environment, and leading initiatives with their Green Team and external clients helped me realise that I could contribute ideas and make a real impact. 

Since joining the business world and THG full-time, my understanding of finding my voice has evolved. It is now more about bringing what I learned during previous experiences into my current role, getting to know and learning from new people, and understanding where my skills, knowledge and interests can add the most value. I have also been developing more technical skills like data analysis, working with AI tools and building reports, which has helped me contribute in new ways. 

What I have realised is that finding my voice didn't happen in just one moment. Different experiences bring out different sides of it, and I’m sure I’ll continue discovering new versions of my voice as I keep learning and growing in my career. 

Were there moments where you felt hesitant to speak up - and what helped you push past that? 

Definitely. There have been moments where I’ve been more conscious of speaking up, whether that’s adjusting to communicating in English, as it is my second language, or being one of the only women in the room, like when I joined the Investment Society at my university. 

What helped me move past that was intentionally pushing myself outside my comfort zone. Activities like debate and Model United Nations gave me tools to structure my thinking and communicate ideas clearly. I also learned the value of listening, understanding what was happening in the room, and identifying where I could contribute meaningfully. 

Learning from others has also been really important. Seeing how colleagues and mentors express their ideas, structure their arguments, and communicate with confidence is helping me develop my own approach. 

Preparation has also played a big role. When I take the time to understand a topic well and come prepared with ideas or insights, it gives me the confidence to speak up because I know I have something valuable to add to the conversation.  

How do you balance building confidence with still feeling like you’re learning and finding your feet in a grad role? 

For me, confidence comes from focusing on what I can control and accepting I am still early in my career and there is a lot to learn. But, that is also one of the most exciting parts of being in a grad role! 

I have always enjoyed learning new things, and it is incredibly rewarding when you can take something you have learned in the past and apply it in a new environment. For example, there have been many opportunities to bring knowledge from my placement year into my current role, and that really helps build confidence because you realise you can contribute. 

Asking questions and learning from people around me has also been really important. Understanding how processes work and how different teams collaborate has helped me build confidence in how I approach my work. 

Looking back, university was a similar experience. At the time it sometimes felt challenging, but in retrospect it was a period where I tried to make the most of every opportunity and built my confidence along the way. I think the early stages of a career can feel the same way.  

What small actions from managers or teammates have made the biggest difference in helping you feel heard and valued? 

Something that makes a big difference is when teams are open to ideas, even from people who are early in their careers. 

For example, once I became more familiar with my role, I started suggesting new ways of working and building reports that could help the team. Seeing my team adopt those suggestions and build on them made me feel that my contributions were valued. 

Another thing that has meant a lot is when managers and teammates trusted me with new responsibilities or asked for my help with something they were working on. Those small moments have helped me feel like my perspective is valued and my abilities trusted, even while still learning. 

Having those opportunities to contribute, collaborate, and take ownership of certain tasks have helped me build confidence and feel like a valued member of my team. 

For other grads who want to be more visible but don’t feel ready yet, what advice would you give them? 

I think it’s more about being curious, taking initiative, and getting involved in things you genuinely care about. 

For example, during my university placement year, I had a strong interest in sustainability, so I decided to get involved in the Green Team. What started as simply wanting to contribute eventually led to me leading a recycling initiative that brought together people from different parts of the business. It was really rewarding to see it later replicated internationally in the Bangkok office. At the time, I was still a placement student, so it reminded me that you don’t need to wait until you feel completely ready to contribute ideas.  

Now at THG, I’ve tried to take a similar approach. I started by connecting with the Women in Business network because it aligned with my previous experiences and my motivation to help build spaces and opportunities for women. That then led to me being invited to become a contributor for the International Women’s Day roundtables they organised, even while still being a grad. Alongside that, I began looking at ways to improve some of the processes within my team, such as automating certain tasks and reports using AI, which has gradually led to me becoming a point of contact for some of those areas. 

These experiences have helped me realise that visibility often comes from raising your hand, sharing a passion, or being willing to reach out to someone and take ownership of something that matters to you or connects to a business objective in an area you are keen to learn more about. 

So, my advice (which I’m still following myself!) would be to start small, stay curious, and look for opportunities where your interests align with what the team or organisation is trying to achieve. Visibility can then follow naturally when you are contributing with passion and in a meaningful way.