Celebrating International Women’s Day: #InspireInclusion Through Conversations with Inspirational Women in Commercial Interiors – Anna King

This International Women’s Day, Design Insider is proud to embrace the 2024 campaign theme: #InspireInclusion. We are delighted to present a series of interviews with some of the most inspirational women in the commercial interiors community—each playing a pivotal role in shaping the industry.

Inclusion is a pathway to innovation, creativity, and empowerment. When we inspire inclusion, we not only celebrate diversity but also harness the rich perspectives and ideas that drive our industry forward. This year, we’re highlighting the voices of Inspirational Women who aren’t just participating in the commercial interiors sector but are actively shaping its future to be more inclusive, vibrant, and dynamic.

Anna King, CEO and Founder of Informare, is one of our Inspirational Women. In our conversation, we delve into how Anna interprets #InspireInclusion within the context of her work and the broader commercial interiors sector. We explore her personal experiences, the success stories that have marked her journey, and the collective strides we can make toward a more inclusive industry. Moreover, we discover the women who have inspired her and how she, in turn, serves as a beacon of inspiration for others.

Join us as we celebrate Anna’s achievements, insights, and stories, and let’s continue to #InspireInclusion every day in every way.

Anna King, CEO and Founder of Informare

Please could you introduce yourself and your role?

Anna King, CEO and Founder of Informare, a PR, communications and branding consultancy.

How do you interpret #inspireinclusion and what needs to happen to achieve this within the commercial interiors sector?

I am an optimist and I believe that actions speak louder than words. We can spend time restating a problem or we can actively be inclusive – and I choose the latter.

Big changes in culture never happen overnight and there are decades of effort by strong and courageous women before my tenure that have paved the path for women like me, so all I have to do is keep the momentum in place. The best thing to do is keep showing up, undeterred by the doubters.

The good people far outweigh the bad in all walks of life and the trick is to fill your world with good and positive influences and remove negativity.

Are there any success stories of inclusion you would like to highlight?

I think the fact that we ask the question around inclusivity and diversity is a success story in itself, the conversation has started and it can’t be put back in the box.

As a comms company, every perspective has to be considered and that is a good thing, whether that is a balanced panel session or an opinion led article. It’s an awareness that your voice isn’t the only one.

We make progress by debating different viewpoints, we don’t need agreement but conflict doesn’t have to be aggressive and reduced to “I’m right therefore you are wrong” , it can be a creative force for good to reach the best outcome.

There is no point in poor competition – we only get better by being challenged, if you accept that then nothing will faze you because you can embrace the possibility of losing.

What does it feel like to be inspired by, and inspire, people around you?

Courageous people inspire me – there is something incredible about individuals fighting for what is right without personal gain.

It has a lot to do with appreciating the realities of others, a small hurdle for one person can be giant leap for another.

I hope I can be inspiring to others, but only if that means encouraging and supporting them to fulfil their own objectives – I believe in hard work, consistency and resilience – even the most talented individual will not achieve without those attributes.

Which inspirational women do you celebrate?

I admire the survivors, from our sector and beyond. Within our sector, I absolutely would celebrate our non-exec Chair Gill Parker, she is one of the women who has overcome some battles in the boardroom so my generation no longer have to have these conversations around gender.

But I’d like to shift International women’s day to focus on women who are still fighting for the right to be educated, vote, control their own fertility and earn their own money.

I have been lucky, my challenges are nothing compared to those.

Thank you for reading this conversation. Discover more empowering stories from Inspirational Women in commercial interiors by clicking HERE to continue our #InspireInclusion series.

Join us in celebrating and learning from these influential voices!