Today I learned that the world’s most visited International Women’s Day website is operated by a shadowy for-profit London-based marketing agency called Aurora run by an Australian woman accused of serious workplace bullying.
Each year Aurora suggests a banal but catchy hashtag/theme — this year #BreakTheBias — adopted by corporate breakfasts everywhere, overshadowing the UN proposed theme — this year to do with women and climate change.
There is genuine confusion over the role of Aurora in #IWD. Given the prominence of their site in google searches — I’m kind of in awe at how good they are at SEO — many assume they’re official. See this piece by @niltiac smh.com.au/lifestyle/life…
Amusingly, having basically hijacked #IWD, they brazenly claim on their website no one owns the day. 
The Aurora business model seems to be selling corporate partnerships leveraging their AstroTurf property. See this deal with LinkedIn thedrum.com/news/2022/02/2…
Aurora’s director was accused in 2009 of serious workplace bullying in an unfair dismissal hearing. I hate to link to The Daily Mail but they do a number in the story. Suffice to say, it doesn’t seem to be a particularly bias-free or inclusive workplace. dailymail.co.uk/femail/article…
The actual theme this year — though I guess you could argue the UN has also appropriated #IWD from activists — is “gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, which highlights #changingclimates as a feminist issue.
smh.com.au/environment/cl…
smh.com.au/environment/cl…
Thank you to @kymtje for sending me down this rabbit hole.
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