Scotiabank hosted an International Women’s Day luncheon on 20 March to celebrate successful Caymanian women and inspire the next generation.
Held at the Grand Old House, the lunchtime event welcomed young ladies from the Girls’ Brigade, Inspire Cayman, John Gray High School and St. Ignatius High School.
The highlight of the afternoon was a panel discussion with Cayman Airways pilot Gisela Ebanks, Caribbean Utilities CFO Letitia Lawrence, aspiring lawyer and St Ignatius sixth-former Jade Allen, and Scotiabank country manager Sarah Hobbs.
International Women’s Month has been celebrated across the islands in a variety of ways, but Ebanks, the first female pilot to fly for Cayman Airways, warned the young audience against complacency.
“Never rely on the fact that you’re a female to get you through,” said Ebanks. “Sure, wear the fact that you’re female, but also strive to be excellent.”
Ebanks, who said she is one of only three women in an overall pool of 40 pilots for the airline, gave a direct example from her own career, saying, “I made sure I knew everything about the plane, instrument flow and manoeuvres, so that male colleagues don’t think ‘she’s here because she’s a chick’”.
Lawrence agreed. “It’s not about riding on anything about being female. Make sure you are prepared when you walk into the room,” she said.
Lawrence recalled the challenge of being an early female leader in an energy industry that was traditionally dominated by men.
“Sometimes you can be dismissed as not knowing as much as the men because it’s not a sector where you typically see that many women,” she said. “At the beginning that tempted me to be louder as I tried to emulate my male colleagues,” said Lawrence. “But over time I pulled back from that because I realised you don’t need to be the loudest person in the room. I leaned into my femininity and became a better leader because I was being authoritative.”
Give to gain
The theme of International Women’s Day 2026 is ‘Give to Gain’. Allen, who is involved in a wide range of community programmes, shared her perspective as a young Caymanian woman looking to enter the workplace.
“I want to be a lawyer because I am motivated by the fact that my voice can make a difference,” she said.
Allen highlighted the need for women to support each other.
“We shouldn’t see other women as competition because our superpower is when we come together to support each other,” she said.
Lawrence agreed, and from her vantage point as a senior manager at a publicly listed company, gave tips on how to help women in the workforce.
“When you are in a leadership position, you need to open doors for new women,” Lawrence said.
She highlighted that supporting women could come in different ways. For example, she noted that CUC, where 20% of the workforce is women, didn’t have ladies’ bathrooms in the power plant, so Lawrence made it a priority.
Another example she shared was encouraging younger women to speak in meetings. “As a senior figure in the room, I will always make the point of encouraging more junior women to speak,” she said.
Hobbs was optimistic that the event would be an example of giving to gain, by inspiring the young ladies present to be the next generation of successful Caymanians.
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