IB Woman
Issue No. 21 - February/March 2005
The only ceiling life has is the one you give it
Katina Jones
"Women think differently, act differently and have different sets of skills," asserts Katina Jones, Managing Director of Equals International, "but when like-minded people get together they can facilitate needs very easily."
Katina speaks from direct and extensive experience gained even before she launched Equals International in 1991. Recognising the need for a development and training centre that focused on the skills required for a sustainable future, Equals International also started as a development and training centre for women. At the time, a consultancy run wholly by women and for women was a rarity in South Australia. The objective was to teach women how to empower themselves toward achieving individual fulfilment.
"My experience taught me that people often focus on ‘what’s wrong’ rather than ‘what’s right’ and I wanted to create a business that helped people to envision the future and carry forth that vision in ways which successfully translated images of possibilities into reality," she says. "My business is values-based and mission-focussed, and I have learned to take notice of my intuition when making decisions and to ensure I am flexible in the face of adversity."
Early in 1991, Katina was contracting to deliver a management program to a large organisation and was waiting for the Board to endorse her proposal. The Board were stereotypical executives who couldn’t conceive of a woman contributing in any major way to the development of their business. She didn’t win the contract and was told later that the Board thought Equals was "..a bunch of lesbians".
"So much has changed since those days," she says. "But women still need support and they still need mentors. Women need encouragement and interaction at all levels."
Equals International reflects Katina’s way of life. As a Rotary International District Governor, United Nations representative and follower of the Bahá’í fait...
