Brighton woman celebrated by colleagues during International Women's Day

The team at Amazon’s corporate office in London is shining a spotlight on one of their colleagues this week as part of Amazon’s UK-wide celebration of International Women’s Day 2023.

Whether it’s to share experiences of women supporting women at Amazon through mentorship, upskilling and affinity group connectivity, or to highlight high-flyers and leaders at the company, Amazon in the UK is celebrating the dynamic range of women working across its network.

Eugenie Teasley, from Brighton, is one of those women.

Eugenie works at Amazon in London as Head of Impact.

Throughout her career, Eugenie has had a deep passion for helping others. From her 15 years working as a teacher and founding a charity that helps young people secure jobs, to leading social impact work at a technology company, Eugenie has long been an advocate of helping others to shine.

Helping other people is something she’s still doing at Amazon today, thanks to her role as a mentor. Eugenie currently mentors Radhika Madlani, Amazon’s UK Public Policy Manager.

When asked about mentoring at Amazon, Eugenie said: “Whilst I have always enjoyed helping others, mentoring was not something I was actively seeking out, as I was getting to grips with all things Amazon in my first year.”

“I am so glad that mentoring fell into my lap at Amazon, as I have constantly worked to support people throughout their career, and I find such joy in being able to work and help others reach their full potential.”

She added: “Mentoring Radhika is extremely beneficial for us both as we are able to look at things differently, enabling us to have some unscripted time to discuss various topics and learn from one another.”

Radhika, who joined Amazon almost three years ago, has been mentored by Eugenie since late 2022.

Speaking about why she wanted to join the mentoring programme, Radhika said: “I was at a point in my career where I felt I could use some guidance on the direction I wanted to take and having those conversations with myself weren’t getting anywhere. My friend suggested getting a mentor and luckily, a colleague suggested Eugenie.”

She added: “Having a mentor has been really beneficial. It has enabled me to me to think differently and has provided an aspect of accountability. It has also cemented the fact that standing out is better than blending in. Being authentic and using your lived experiences will help you excel. Eugenie’s ability to make anyone feel welcome is so comforting and I know she is there to provide support whenever I need it – I am excited to see how I progress further during the rest of the programme.”

Speaking on why she feels International Women’s Day is important, Eugenie said: “There is an ongoing opportunity for women to enable others to rise up and feel supported and International Women’s Day is a representation of that.”

Radhika added: “It is so important to reflect on how far we have come in society as women but International Women’s Day highlights where more progress can be made.”

Ines van Gennip, Leader of Women@ Amazon UK, said: “We are proud to have Eugenie as part of the team at Amazon in London. She is an example to all of us of what true workplace connection and leadership looks like and we’re thankful to her for her efforts. International Women’s Day encourages us to celebrate stories like Eugenie’s, inspiring us to continuing embracing equity for the good of all Amazon employees in London and across the UK.”

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Amazon is hosting a series of events, activities and programmes designed to promote and support this year’s theme, which is #EmbraceEquity. Celebrations will take place throughout the month of March, kicking off on the 6th of March with Amazon’s annual International Women’s Day Festival.

The festival is led by the Women at Amazon affinity group and aims to raise awareness of the biases that women often face in the workplace and broader society, providing information and inspiration to help participants overcome challenges and obstacles.

Amazon’s celebrations include a wide range of programmes designed to inspire and empower women. Amazon employees are also being encouraged to use the hashtags #SheisAmazon and #DriveHerForward to shine a light on exceptional women at Amazon.