Massy calls for real action on women’s leadership at IWD summit

Massy’s Integrated Retail Portfolio is stepping up its push on gender equality, using its International Women’s Day Summit to challenge corporate leaders to move beyond talk and deliver real change.

The Group’s second IWD Summit, held at the Massy Distribution Training Facility in Montrose, Guyana, brought together business and civic leaders under the 2026 theme “Give to Gain,” zeroing in on power, purpose, and progress.

The panel featured Guyana’s Local Government Minister Priya Manickchand, Julie Pace of The Associated Press, Massy Group CEO James McLetchie, and Teisha Milner, with discussions centred on practical steps to advance women into leadership.

Manickchand pushed for a shift in corporate thinking, making it clear that the burden should not fall solely on women to advance.

Companies, she argued, must recognise and actively use the value women already bring to the workplace.

Pace, who travelled from New York, drew on her experience leading the 180-year-old Associated Press, pointing to authenticity and institutional support as critical to women rising into senior roles.

“Over time, I realised that the thing that made me effective wasn’t how well I could imitate someone else. It was how well I could be myself. And there’s real power in that.”

McLetchie sharpened the conversation, drawing a line between mentorship and sponsorship, and making it clear which one drives results.

“Leaders must use their political capacity to actively open doors and create opportunities for women.”

The session was moderated by Candace Ali of Massy Stores Trinidad and formed part of a wider internal and regional push by the Group to embed diversity and inclusion across its operations.

Senior executives from across the Massy network were in attendance, including IRP head Ambikah Mongroo, IRP Guyana lead Troy Beharry, and People and Culture SVP Nadia McCarthy, alongside teams from Massy Stores, Distribution, Gas, and Motors and Machines.

The message from the summit was direct advancing women in business will require more than mentorship and messaging. It will take deliberate action, leadership accountability, and systems that create real access to opportunity.