On Tuesday 10 March 2025, the NATO Command and Control Centre of Excellence hosted an International Women’s Day event in Utrecht.
We welcomed more than 20 inspiring female leaders to our offices, shared lunch together, and exchanged experiences and perspectives. We were especially honored by the presence of the Turkish Ambassador to the Netherlands, Her Excellency Ms Fatma Ceren Yazgan, who joined the discussion and shared her experience.
International Women’s Day is a global moment to recognise the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It is also an opportunity to reflect on how inclusive leadership strengthens organisations that operate across institutional, cultural, and, in our case, very important military boundaries. In complex, multi-domain environments, diverse perspectives are not only valuable, they are essential for effective decision-making.
As Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Founder of the Republic of Türkiye, once said:
“If a society is satisfied with only one gender acquiring the requirements of modern life, it remains weak by more than half.”
Thank you to all participants for contributing to a meaningful and inspiring conversation.
