International Women’s Day 2026
Jess is now taking keynote and event bookings for IWD 2026, aligned with the theme Balance the Scales. If your organisation is planning a powerful, future-focused event on leadership, equity and empowerment, she would be delighted to support your audience with a keynote designed for impact.
International Women’s Day 2026 Theme: “Balance the Scales”
UN Women Australia announces “Balance the Scales” as the official theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, highlighting the urgent need to ensure fair, inclusive, and accessible justice for every woman and girl.
Despite decades of progress, barriers to justice remain deeply entrenched. One in three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime – yet most will never seek formal help or justice.
UN Women Australia CEO Simone Clarke said: “Balance the Scales is a promise for every woman and girl to be safe, heard, and free to shape her own future. In 2026, unjust laws, policies, and ingrained barriers still stand in the way of fair and inclusive communities. This International Women’s Day, we are calling on Australians to join a movement for real action – to transform our justice systems, amplify marginalised voices, and ensure equality is not the exception, but the rule.”
Achieving justice demands transformation – so that systems are survivor-centred and responsive to the needs of every woman and girl.
Why Jess Wilson for your IWD event?
The UN Women 2026 theme, “Balance the Scales,” calls on us to reimagine justice - to create systems that work for women, not against them. Few speakers embody this message more powerfully than Jess Wilson.
Jess Wilson is one of Australia’s leading women’s speakers and a global tech entrepreneur with over a decade of lived experience building businesses, driving innovation and championing women in leadership. Her IWD 2026 keynote - aligned with the theme Balance the Scales - blends real-world storytelling, future-focused insights and practical strategies that inspire action.
Having spoken to more than 20,000 audience members and partnered with world-leading brands, Jess brings a powerful combination of credibility, relatability and impact. She understands the challenges women face inside modern organisations, and she knows how to engage corporate teams in conversations around equity, empowerment, leadership and the future of work.
She’s shared the stage with icons including Tony Robbins, Tom Bilyeu, Sir Richard Branson, Deepak Chopra, Robert Kiyosaki, and Dan Carter, and has delivered keynotes for brands such as Google, KPMG, Airbnb, TikTok, Lenovo, McKinsey, Commonwealth Bank, and Forbes Australia, Domain, Law Institute of Victoria (LIV), Caresales.com and Workato to name a few.
Jess’s IWD 2026 Keynote Overview
Jess fearlessly shares her own journey through the justice system — from fighting and winning her lawsuit, to transforming that hard-won experience into purpose. It became the catalyst for Women Making Waves, a movement that has since partnered with global innovators like Google, Airbnb, and TikTok.
In her IWD2026 talk, Jess takes audiences on a powerful journey through the history of law and gender equality - from the time when women couldn’t vote, to the landmark legislative change in 1988 that finally allowed women to attain their own business loans without a male relative co-signer. (Women’s Business Ownership Act of 1988 (also known as H.R. 5050)
Some of these stories will surprise you. Others will move you. All will challenge you to think differently about justice and equality today. Jess shines a light on the law reformers shaping modern Australia - and how companies, communities, and individuals can play an active role in balancing the scales.
"I highly recommend Jessica as an expert in women leadership, innovation and tech"
- Michael Lane, Forbes Australia
“Jess was excellent. She was warm, engaging and inspiring with so many great takeaways! We would thoroughly recommend her"
- Sunshine Coast IWD Breakfast
“We are incredibly grateful for the energy and wisdom Jess brought to our conference and look forward to the extraordinary changes she will continue to inspire in the world. Look forward to working with her again”
- Debra Cerasa, Chair Jobs Australia
