By the time the cava and canapés came out in Barcelona, the formal part of the evening was over. But according to one of the event speakers, that was when some of the best conversations actually started.
A few days after ESADE and Forté Foundation hosted their International Women’s Day Symposium in Barcelona, panelist Elena Liquete wrote on LinkedIn that she was still thinking about the energy in the room. Not just during the panel discussion, but afterward, when women from different industries, career stages, and countries kept talking. She suggested recreating that same energy back at work: start a women’s lunch group, bring together people across departments and levels, and “see what unfolds.”
That feels like a fitting description of the event itself.
Because what unfolded in Barcelona was not just another conversation about women’s leadership. It was a reminder that careers are rarely built through qualifications alone. They are built through networks, visibility, encouragement, advocacy, and sometimes through one person deciding to speak your name in a room you are not in yet.
It was a reminder that careers are rarely built through qualifications alone. They are built through networks, visibility, encouragement, advocacy, and sometimes through one person deciding to speak your name in a room you are not in yet."
Before the event, in a pre-event interview, Forté CEO Elissa Sangster talked about the difference between mentorship and sponsorship. Mentors give advice. Sponsors do something harder and often more important: they advocate for you when opportunities arise. They know your work, they understand how organizations operate, and they speak up for you when decisions are being made. Sangster argued that too many women are told to keep their heads down, do great work, and trust that it will speak for itself. But without visibility and connection, work alone is often not enough.
For Nathália Astolfi Nucci da Silva, an ESADE MBA student, Forté Fellow, and President of the Women in Business and Allies Club, that message landed because she has lived it. She came to the event knowing what it feels like to be one of the only women in the room.
Working in finance, she said, there were many times when she hesitated to speak up or questioned whether she was ready for the next step. What made the difference was not simply having someone to advise her. It was having women around her who pushed her forward, helped her build confidence, and showed her that self-doubt is often a sign of growth, not a reason to stay quiet.
That is why the sponsorship conversation stayed with her.
“We often talk about having mentors,” she said, “but sponsorship goes a step further.” Sponsors create space. They amplify voices that might otherwise be overlooked. They challenge bias when it appears. And unlike mentorship, which often happens privately, sponsorship tends to show up publicly — in promotions, stretch assignments, introductions, and opportunities.
unlike mentorship, which often happens privately, sponsorship tends to show up publicly — in promotions, stretch assignments, introductions, and opportunities."
That distinction seemed to echo throughout the event.
ESADE Dean Lisa Hehenberger later reflected that what resonated most was the honesty of the discussion. Careers, she wrote, are shaped by choices, turning points, and “very often” by the people who support, challenge, and believe in us along the way. Education matters, but so do the networks and communities that help translate potential into opportunity. Which is why events like this matter long after the room empties.
In many MBA programs, gender parity can make it easy to believe the hardest work is already done. But as Nathália pointed out, the gap widens over time. That is why events like this matter. They make invisible dynamics more visible. They help women understand not only what they are up against, but also what they can do for each other. They give people language for things that are often felt but not discussed: confidence, hesitation, bias, sponsorship, belonging. And they invite allies into the conversation too.
For Sangster, that broader responsibility is part of leadership itself. She spoke about how women often leave organizations not because they lack ambition, but because no one has shown them what comes next. No one has sat down to map out a path, talk through the next role, or explain how to build toward it. When that happens, women often assume the opportunity must exist somewhere else.
That is part of what Forté has been trying to change for more than two decades: not simply helping women access opportunities, but helping them see themselves in them.
For Nathália, being a Forté Fellow carries that same sense of responsibility. She described it as a lifelong commitment to advocacy — not just opening doors for yourself, but making sure others walk through them too. It is one reason she chose to lead ESADE’s Women in Business and Allies Club. “We must step up, take ownership, and drive impact,” she said.
In the end, that may have been the real story of the evening.
Not simply that women gathered in Barcelona to talk about leadership.
But that leadership, at its best, is not only about getting through the door. It is about making sure it does not close behind you.
leadership, at its best, is not only about getting through the door. It is about making sure it does not close behind you."
A pre-event conversation with Elissa Sangster that touches on many of the same themes that came up during our International Women’s Day event in Barcelona: sponsorship, visibility, networks, and the people who help open doors.
