Creating Success Stories for Women Globally
Coming from a long lineage of women who paved the way for the next generations, it was natural for Ciara Banerji to do the same for others.
Years ago, Ciara’s grandmother lost her job as a Doctor because a man moved into the area and she had to retrain as a Psychiatrist as that had more jobs for women. Her mother and father too were successful people in their chosen careers, and taught Ciara the power of the mind and helped her excel in music, sports and academia.
“I appreciate the importance of learning from a range of perspectives and beliefs, being Irish born, Australian by upbringing, and having lived in India and now London. The world is small but experiences and belief systems are vast. Everyone deserves to be heard and outcomes are often better where diversity exists. I have been around successful people but I have also seen the darker side of work pressure and I strive to help people remove the badge of burnout from the corporate jacket and choose to thrive instead.”
In 2015, Ciara first faced the barriers of being a woman in the corporate world at child bearing age. She’d landed the role of ‘Partner’ at a headhunting company in London and was due to start in a week’s time. But then she found out she was a few weeks pregnant and was subsequently encouraged not to start.
That led her to start the business she runs today and become passionate about helping women navigate their barriers for success. In February 2016, Ciara established the Liston Ferry Partnership to provide premium coaching to senior professionals to help them reach peak performance, as well as assist women to thrive and rise to Leadership positions in their corporate careers.
The World Economic forum’s Global Gender Gap report shows that gender parity is still 132 years away. As an award-winning Career Coach, Ciara’s mission is to see more women at the top and she has devised powerful Accelerator Programmes to support future looking corporations to retain and develop the best female talent particularly in male dominated industries.
Most recently, she has merged the content and learnings from her flagship Peak Performance and Thrive programme into The Break Career Barriers programme for 2023. It is an incredibly powerful 16 week transformation for professional women who want to break the barriers that are in the way of their next big promotion, salary increase, or the legacy they want to leave.
“I am so passionate about helping women thrive at work and at home as I want my daughters to be able to navigate the barriers that have held women back and have the equal opportunities of success when it is their time to enter the workforce. I want my company to accelerate this goal. Women deserve the same opportunities as men.”
As a working mother, it took Ciara a while to find the right balance. Her biggest challenge came a couple of years back when she lost her daughter, Indie, the day she was born, and then Covid hit. “That is when I chose to pivot to specifically helping women thrive as I was surprised to find that men had less blocks to signing up and getting the help they needed. This was a journey to navigate through.”
Ciara’s goal now is to ensure that women across the globe get an equal seat at the senior table and learn how to thrive personally and professionally. Her inspiration comes in the form of her family – Devraj, her hardworking, loving and committed husband. And all of her children including her guiding light, daughter Indie, who Ciara knows is still with her in spirit.
A Keynote Speaker and Executive Contributor to Brainz Magazine, Ciara was listed in the CREA Global Awards for 2021 and 2022 in recognition of her adaptability in business and contribution to mental health. Leaving us with an important message, she says: “I would like to express how important this moment in your life is right now. Learning to make great choices for yourself in each moment of your day can catapult you towards your goals so much faster than you realise. It has been said many times, but we really do only get one life, so use each day well, find courage where you need to, to say yes to yourself so you can fulfill your potential. If you want someone on your side as you do that, I am here for you.”
