Inside marie claire’s International Women’s Day Lunch

The marie claire International Women’s Day lunch, presented by L’Oréal Paris and supported by FIGUR, with drinks courtesy of Tread Softly and Bollinger, was filled with the kind of women who make you want to be braver — advocates, athletes, survivors, founders, and storytellers who understand that speaking up is not just a choice, but a responsibility.

Set amongst Sydney’s iconic harbour backdrop, the event was opened by Editor Georgie McCourt who first spoke about a woman she had interviewed just the day before, Danielle Bensky.

At 17 years old, desperate to cover her mother’s cancer treatment costs, she was lured into the world of Jeffrey Epstein. It was not just a story of abuse, Georgie noted. It was a story of institutional silence: Epstein had been investigated five years before Danielle encountered him, and still, no one had protected her.

“When we talk about women’s rights, about systems, about power — this is what we mean,” Georgie told the room. “Power without accountability, and silence that enables harm.”

She also reflected on a recent conversation with Governor-General Sam Mostyn, who spoke movingly about the radical act of care. — that to truly care for someone means you notice when systems are failing, and you don’t look away. It was a thread that would run through the entire afternoon.

As lunch began, four inspiring women took to the stage for conversations spanning survival and advocacy, femicide and remembrance, what it means to be the greatest athlete of your generation, and the kind of radical honesty that turns a bedroom recording into a global phenomenon.

First to take the stage was Amy Shark, one of Australia’s most distinctive musical voices. Amy turned vulnerability into a superpower with her breakthrough hit ‘Adore’ and has never looked back — with a new single, a forthcoming album, a hosting role on Australian Idol, and a debut film appearance alongside Russell Crowe all on the horizon.

Next came Noor Azizah, a proud Rohingya woman and survivor of persecution in Myanmar, is the co-founder of the Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network and a fierce advocate for human rights, education, and justice for Rohingya communities worldwide. Follwing Noor was journalist, activist, and founder of The RED HEART Movement and Australian Femicide Watch, Sherele Moody. Sherele has spent nearly a decade documenting the lives of every known Australian woman and child killed by violence — more than 3,000 to date — ensuring they are never reduced to forgotten headlines.

Rounding out the speakers was Jess Fox, the most successful paddler in the history of canoe slalom. The L’Oreal ambassador claimed double gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics and remains a testament to what discipline, determination, and an absolute refusal to accept limits can achieve.