Giving to gain through mentorship and action on International Women’s Day 2026 

There is a well-known proverb: If you want to go far, go together. It speaks to a simple truth: Long-term progress is built through collaboration, shared knowledge, and collective effort. That spirit is reflected in this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026 theme, “Give to Gain,” which encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration to advance gender equality. 

Celebrated annually, IWD marks a global call to action for gender equality. This year, IWD—which takes place on March 8—reaches an extraordinary milestone: 115 years of collective advocacy and progress. To recognize this moment, we are spotlighting the continued impact of the mentorship program between Arm and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team as part of our landmark multiyear partnership. The program is grounded in shared learning, leadership development, and opportunity, with Arm and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team committed to championing equity and inclusivity in STEM and motorsport. 

Mentorship in motion: Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team x Arm 

Launched last year, the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team and Arm Accelerate Women Mentor Program was created to foster a cross-company community where mentors and mentees connect regularly, exchange perspectives, and support one another through ongoing check-ins. 

The program brings together participants from both organizations for open conversations around leadership, career progression, and shared experiences, particularly for women in STEM fields. 

Kim Sedgwick, Global Co-Chair of Women@Arm, said: “The mentoring partnership between Arm and Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team reflects our shared commitment to retaining and advancing women by creating tangible opportunities for career growth.” 

Mentorship is not a one-time interaction. It is an investment of time, experience, and insight. In return, it builds confidence, strengthens networks, and accelerates professional growth. By connecting colleagues across two high-performance organizations, the program creates space for practical learning and meaningful support. 

“One of the most important aspects of the mentor program is having a sounding board,” said Kim Willingham, inclusion and outreach lead at Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team. “You have someone you can talk to, bring ideas to, share inner thoughts with, and that can really champion you when you’re not feeling great about yourself.” 

Giving what you know, gaining who you become 

This year’s IWD theme, “Give to Gain,” aligns closely with how we approach mentorship and allyship at Arm. Sharing knowledge does more than support others—it shapes the kind of leaders we become. 

“Being fairly new to a team leader role, it’s really helped me learn to deal with different situations and how to best manage my team,” said Lynette Speller, lead electronics engineer at Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team. “It’s made me gain a lot more confidence in myself and what I’ve been doing.”  

After months of virtual engagement, mentors and mentees recently gathered in person, marking a significant milestone in the partnership. 

On March 4, Arm and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team hosted a joint event at the AMR Technology Campus (AMRTC) in Silverstone, UK. Titled “Driving Change,” the event brought together corporate and community participants to explore how knowledge-sharing can translate into measurable action. 

The fireside discussion included leaders and allies from both organizations, including Andy Howard, Charlotte Eaton and Tamika Curry Smith from Arm, and Janet Wessels and Rob Bloom from Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team, alongside Nike Folayan, founder of AFBE which inspires diversity in engineering. 

Rather than focusing only on celebration, the event emphasized practical outcomes: toolkits, skills development, actionable behaviors, and follow-up sessions designed to ensure momentum continues beyond the day itself. By creating space for collaboration and shared accountability, the initiative reflects a belief that high performance and inclusion go hand in hand. 

Arm’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion 

At Arm, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are fundamental to achieving our strategic ambitions and strengthening our global community. When everyone thrives, businesses thrive. Diverse teams foster stronger innovation, creativity, and collective problem-solving. Giving knowledge and opportunity strengthens both individuals and organizations. 

Ellie Bramer, engineering manager at Arm, said: “As a woman in engineering, I’ve never had a female mentor or senior women in leadership to look up to. So now it’s a passion of mine to support young women in male-dominated work environments and show them that there are paths for them.”  

Our mentorship program with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team is one example of how these values are put into action. By investing time in leadership development and cross-company collaboration, we are working toward meaningful, sustained progress.  

A shared journey toward equality 

The partnership between Arm and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team bridges the worlds of sport, engineering, and advanced compute—industries where innovation and performance are critical. Together, we share a belief that progress requires collaboration, and that empowering future leaders strengthens both business and community. 

“It has highlighted how two very different industries face many of the same challenges in supporting progression—and how much stronger we are when we address them together,” said Sedgwick. 

This year’s IWD theme reflects the mindset behind our work. Investing time to build more inclusive, efficient, and high-performing teams creates the capacity to give back to colleagues, partners, and the next generation of engineers and leaders. 

As we mark 115 years of International Women’s Day, we recognize that progress is built one action at a time. One of those actions is expanding the success of the mentorship program into the year ahead.  

“We’ve still got a few more months until the program concludes,” Willingham said, “but it’s awesome to see the feedback we’ve received in just the first year. We look forward to taking this program even further next year and inviting more women to join as this has been a huge success so far.” 

Learn more about the Arm and Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team partnership.