International Women’s Day 2015Photographs courtesy of Thomson Reuters

A granny takes a penalty during a training session in Nkowankowa Township, outside Tzaneen in the Limpopo province, about 600 km (372 miles) outside Johannesburg October 8, 2009. World Cup fever has spread to South African grannies, with hundreds of poor, elderly women in aprons and skirts fighting for the ball in township games. Twice a week they swap domestic chores for football, donning soccer boots instead of their usual rubber sandals to play in local matches. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

Vanessa Ilka RodriguezOffice AdministratorWhat are you most proud of at CCS?“When I first started working at CCS I had two main goals for myself. One was to help CCS become involved in more charity work, and for me as the office administrator to provide more opportunities for them to do so.

The second goal was to make people feel joyful, appreciated and comfortable with me.  I was quite nervous because I knew I had big shoes to fill for my position. Everyone was so used to Bob’s way, that I worried that my way of doing things would make people feel disappointed. But I have always been one to believe that you have to be yourself no matter where you go, or who you meet. I am quite proud of myself for working towards achieving both of these goals every day, in every way I can, and I think CCS will really see this in full effect in 2015.”

Karen Giral, 20, works at her booth selling Avon products at a Grameen America open house at St. John's University in New York April 18, 2009. Originally begun in Bangladesh, the nonprofit microfinance organization has 600 borrowers in Queens, all women, with average loans of $2,200 with a repayment rate of 99.6 percent. REUTERS/Eric Thayer

Jeni HinesProject Manager

What are you most proud of at CCS?“I am most proud of my contributions toward maintaining the speed and efficiency with which the production team completes contracted work.”

Revelers dance during the annual block party known as the "Suvaco do Cristo" (Armpit of Christ), one of the many pre-carnival parties to take place in the neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. February 3, 2013. REUTERS/ Ricardo Moraes

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Anytime I pass [Ray Muneton] in the office, she stops to ask how I am or at the very least smiles to acknowledge my presence – she is warm and caring and I think that’s a unique quality to have in the workplace. Ray is also an inspiration to women because she is in a field – Engineering and the Consumer Electronic space - where it is predominantly men. Ray is a great role model for the working woman as well as she seems to seamlessly balance her profession and family life – with her husband and 2 children.

U.S. Carli Lloyd (L) fights for the ball with Norway's Solveig Gulbrandsen during their Algarve Women's Soccer Cup match in Olhao February 26, 2010. REUTERS/Jose Manuel Ribeiro

Annie ZupanHuman Resources Generalist

What are you most proud of at CCS?“I am most proud of the fact that I have a position at CCS where I am able to provide guidance, support and advice to the company’s most valued resource, its employees.”

U.S. Army soldier SSG Norma Gonzales of 426 Civil Affairs Battalion reads a magazine next to fellow soldiers while waiting to be ferried by a helicopter to different U.S. military bases in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. October 11, 2012. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

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I admire Jessica Melnick. She does an incredible job balancing both career and family priorities, and she does it all so well!

Afghan girls work at the first Internet cafe for women in Kabul. March 8, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

Allison HolmesClient Partnership ManagerWhat are you most proud of at CCS?“I am proud of my tenacious ability to quickly learn the business, identify key players in the industry, develop my professional career path and follow through with the goals that I set forth coming into this new company. From the moment I set foot on company ground in mid-November, I knew there was client transitioning that was being assorted and assigned and I would have about 1.5 months without being fully dedicated to accounts. I used that time to build relationships, understand the business and most importantly see how I could fill a gap and contribute to company growth and success. The gap that I set out to fill was to partner with the BD team to ramp up our CES strategy for mining for prospects. Working in lock step with the BD team not only helped me get hands on with the business and accelerated my learning curve, but also proved to the CCS team of my dedication to the company and my passion for being a team player.”

Graduates from Columbia University's School of Journalism cheer during the university's commencement ceremony in New York May 16, 2012. REUTERS/Keith Bedford

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Monica Martinez and I were hired around the same time. Over the years we have developed a great friendship. I respect Monica as she demonstrates daily our CCS’s values.

Dorothy De Low, 99, from Australia participates in table tennis practice at the World Masters Games at Sydney Olympic Park October 15, 2009. REUTERS/World Masters Games/Craig Golding/Handout

Nina GallagherRegional Manager, FMS ASR

A voter checks her name before casting her vote during voting in Egypt's presidential election, at a polling station in Giza, south of Cairo. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

Amy WolpaSr. Client Partnership Manager

What are you most proud of at CCS?“I’m most proud of my growth as a sales person within this company. Being able to dive in to conversations with clients, listen to their pain-points/business objectives, and recommend programs from our full suite of expertise that can help to solve those needs.”

Lyubov Valiyeva, a member of the "Cryophil" winter swimming club, plays with the snow by the bank of the Yenisei River with the air temperature at minus 25 degrees Celsius (minus 13 degrees Farenheit) in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, December 26, 2012. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

Candace PenleySr. Client Partnership Manager

What are you most proud of at CCS?“My most significant accomplishments involve strategically applying field, account/people management, and training/operations expertise, coupled with the many learnings over the years at CCS, to the various roles I’ve had within the company.  I’m particularly proud of my work on the Samsung team and with the dedicated field programs.”

An actress from the Dseu Renaissance de Pikine theater group wearing traditional Toukouleur make-up and chewing a stick toothbrush waits for rehearsal to begin at a local community center at the slum neighbourhood of Pikine in Senegal's capital Dakar, November 7, 2009. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

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I admire Jeni Hines. She’s a hard worker, is focused, dedicated and very supportive!

Members of Brazil's Kaiapo nation compete in a tug of war during the Indigenous Nations' Games in Pagagominas, north Brazil November 3, 2009. Some 600 Brazilian Indians from 29 ethnic groups will compete in sporting events for the tenth edition of the games. REUTERS/Paulo Santos

Bertha GonzalezCoordinator, Accounts Payable

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I admire Debbie Stampfli for her keen ability to maintain positive client relationships by thoroughly, efficiently and effectively managing multiple, high-touch projects from start to finish. She exudes integrity in her work and maintains composure in stressful situations. She is truly an asset to CCS.

Women try to enter the ladies' compartment of a crowded train heading towards Delhi at Noli Railway Station in Utter Pradesh November 10, 2012. In India some train compartments, or sometimes whole trains, are reserved specifically for female passengers in an effort to make their travel easier and more secure. November 10, 2012. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Competitors work to pull a woman up an obstacle where competitors must jump to the top of a half pipe during the Tough Mudder endurance event at Mt. Snow in West Dover, Vermont. July 15, 2012. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

Jessica MelnickGroup Account Director

What are you most proud of at CCS?“The strong relationships I have forged with my clients and my coworkers.”

Lyvonne Lightfoot (R), mother of U.S. Army SPC Anthony M. Lightfoot of Riverdale, Ga., looks up as she holds the folded flag that draped her 20-year-old son's casket after it was presented to her during his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia August 4, 2009. He was killed while in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. REUTERS/Larry Downing

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I admire Sandy Lau because she is always willing to do whatever it takes to ensure our Part Time field candidates are On Boarded in a timely manner. She is a great support to me in my role and I wouldn’t be able to succeed without her and her hard work. I am sure going to miss her over the next few months.

A woman shouts slogans as she protests about violence against women, at the close of the National Meeting of Rural Women, in Brasilia. February 21, 2013. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

Katie TruongProduction Coordinator

What are you most proud of at CCS?“My ability to take on new projects while juggling regularly assigned tasks.”

Inge Natoli, 90, (R) who emigrated to Michigan from Germany and has lived in Sun City for 29 years practices synchronized swimming with Barbara Miller, 77, in Sun City, Arizona, January 9, 2013. Sun City was built in 1959 by entrepreneur Del Webb as America's first active retirement community for the over-55's. January 9, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Debbie StampfliProduction Management Coordinator

Astronaut Nicole Stott, STS-128 mission specialist waves as she pauses during the mission's first spacewalk with the International Space Station's solar panels as a backdrop as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station in this NASA handout photo taken September 1, 2009. REUTERS/NASA/Handout

Rachel GreenburgAssistant to the CEOWhat are you most proud of at CCS?

“When I started at CCS in January of 2009, I was the only assistant at the company (and still am!). I came into uncharted waters and feel that I quickly started looking for ways to make myself valuable to not only our CEO, but to the company as a whole. I immediately began looking for ways that I could contribute up and above my job description. Many of these duties are now are part of my day-to-day job description.

I would say that my proudest accomplishment was singlehandedly researching, planning and coordinating our annual “Build Day” with Habitat for Humanity. One of CCS “Values” is to give back to our clients and community and this accomplishments surely matches our values. We have had three build days thus far. It’s a huge undertaking with all of the planning and each year the participation has grown. It’s been a wonderful opportunity for employees to team build while giving back to our community.”

A woman shouts slogans through a megaphone during a march to mark the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women in Lima November 25, 2009. REUTERS/Enrique Castro-Mendivil

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I admire Elise Pajarillo. It’s not easy being the HR Manager. Elise has to constantly prepare for the apocalypse and every day is a never-ending battle but she is always able to do it with style and grace.

Fanta Diallo, 22, a member of an anti-drug youth network poses for a picture in Bamako, Mali. September 18, 2012. REUTERS/Joe Penney

WOMENare now most of the talent . . .

of global graduates are now female

60%

Women:

POWER

FINANCIAL

66%

Companies with more women board directors experience higher financial performance by 66%

25%

The additional productive power of women entering the US workforce since 1970 accounts for 1/4 the current GDP

LEADERS+55%

Companies in top-quartile representation of women in exec committees perform far better than those with none

WEALTH66%

Over the next decade, women will control two thirds of consumer wealth in the United States

Hava Hershkovitz, 79, (2nd R), a Holocaust survivor and winner of a beauty contest for survivors of the Nazi genocide, during a contest in Haifa, Israel. The beauty contest stirred deep emotions, with organizers hailing it an affirmation of life and detractors calling it a macabre spectacle. June 28, 2012. REUTERS/Avishag Shar-Yashuv

Heather LoeperDirector of Business Development

What are you most proud of at CCS?“I am most proud of driving the LG RFP process and creating a new approach and template of how we respond to other RFPs going forward.  Being able to streamline the process and content development, has created time efficiencies and quicker turnaround timeframes as well as helps us go into pitch meetings more competitively.”

Instructor Tiefenthaler demonstrates a pose during her Yogaqua class, which combines yoga and paddleboarding, in Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles January 28, 2012. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Megan WaltonPhoto Specialty Rep

A physically disabled woman in her wheelchair clashes with riot police in the center of La Paz. Hundreds of physically disabled people marched some 1600 km over a hundred days to demand increased support from the Bolivian government. February 23, 2012. REUTERS/David Mercado

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From the second [Allison Holmes] walked through the door she took the time to introduce herself to me. She not only took the time to acknowledge me, but also made me feel appreciated. I know that if CCS hired her, it’s because of her brilliant and creative mind. CCS has a knack for hiring only this type of woman. But for me, her willingness to connect with me as a person, on a daily basis, no matter how crazy busy she gets or how stressed she may feel, is something I admire about her.

Maria Delgado (C) who lost 3 children, all victims of violence, poses next to volunteers holding a picture of her in front of their faces, during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela. The protest is part of a project called "Esperanza" (hope) that makes a call for peace though art. July 28, 2012. REUTERS/Marco Bello

Vida RoozenSVP of Clients & Operations

What are you most proud of at CCS?“I guess my stories. I feel like the experiences I’ve had with clients, in retail, in solutions are very applicable so I’m proud I’m able to not only learn from them myself, but help others apply the learnings to things they are dealing with.”

Orthodox Christian nuns sit during a ceremony at the baptismal site known as Qasr el-Yahud on the banks of the Jordan River near the West Bank city of Jericho. January 18, 2013. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

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I admire Shana Orth because of her incredible commitment to her clients, and her unwavering positivity!

A member of a hunt takes a drink before the traditional boxing day meet a near Loughborough, central England, December 26, 2012. A ban imposed states that foxes can be killed by a bird of prey or shot but not hunted by dogs. Hunts continue nowadays with pursuers chasing down a pre-laid scented trail. REUTERS/Darren Staples

Sandy LauHuman Resources Representative

What are you most proud of at CCS?“Being able to support the employees of the company.”

A Sahrawi refugee pours tea inside her tent at a camp in Tindouf, south of Algiers, December 19, 2009. REUTERS/Louafi Larbi

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[Rachel Greenberg] is a go to person with a team player attitude that helps anytime asked even with last minute notice and always with a smile. I want to be more like her when I grow up!

Local residents practice yoga after a snowfall at a park in Wuhan, Hubei province January 6, 2010. REUTERS/Stringer

Ray MunetonSr. Javascript Developer

An elderly woman holding a branch stands in the middle of a street during a forest fire in Grammatiko village, northeast of Athens, August 22, 2009. REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis

Jo RogersProject ManagerWhat are you most proud of at CCS?“Over the course my eight years here at CCS I have worked on approximately 30 - 32 promo cards however, one of my most memorable contributions and project that hit home for me was project managing the Casio field program in 2007. It was my first field program with CCS. I struggled with the newness of field. The first phase of the project was to organize National Training Meeting with which was held in Atlanta. The goal of this meeting was for the 33 Casio reps to meet our client and spend a few days learning about Casio’s products and brand.  One of my tasks during that time was to build out call reports and create content for the Casio modules. As I sat there in the audience at the NTM I realized that the tools I had been working on over the past few months would truly help the reps during their visits. They were excited to use the tools. I felt like I had contributed to helping the new Casio reps start a new job and giving them the support aids they needed to succeed.”

A worker cleans shellfish at a popular fish market on the outskirts of Lima February 11, 2010. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

Dina GinsbergSr. Client Partnership Manager

What are you most proud of at CCS?“Successfully covering Shana’s book of business while she was out on maternity leave while picking up nearly 80% of Tracie’s business when she quickly left CCS for other opportunities. I successfully secured all of the renewals that were slated to occur while she was out, while learning and retaining those I acquired from Tracie’s book of business. Shana returned to 100% of her financial goal achievement, and I feel proud to have helped support those efforts.”

Nenets women pose for a picture on the Yamal peninsula, north of the polar circle, August 4, 2009. The Nenets tribespeople of Russia's frozen Yamal peninsula have survived the age of the Tsars, the Bolshevik revolution and the chaotic 1990s, but now confront their biggest challenge -- under their fur-bundled feet is enough gas to heat the world for five years. REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov

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[Shana Orth] is an achiever, always available to her accounts and her team, a true partner. And then she goes home to her family, and they enjoy what makes her special in their lives. I am comforted to know I can count on her to be there for me when I need her; While at the same time, appreciating that there is an end to most days and value in experiencing time outside of work. It motivates me to show up every day and really work hard as I know when the day is over, my life is available to me without compromise.

Jordanian women from the civil defense department take part in a routine intervention to provide first aid to citizens in Zarqa city, 25 km (16 miles) east of Amman January 27, 2010. Since 2007, the Jordanian civil defense started working to integrate the female component of its work within the official crew. So far, 81 women have graduated in first aid from the Faculty of Civil Defense. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

Loran MattisRecruiter

Britain's Queen Elizabeth boards a scheduled train at the Kings Cross station in London to go to Kings Lynn in Norfolk, December 17, 2009. REUTERS/Stefan Rousseau/Pool

Shop owner Gong Chui Zhen, 47, fixes trousers at the entrance to her shop in an old quarter of Shanghai August 12, 2009. REUTERS/Nir Elias

Shana OrthGroup Account Director

What are you most proud of at CCS?“My 15 amazing years with CCS!”

A Haitian woman prays during a prayer vigil in the street in Port-au-Prince February 2, 2010. REUTERS/Eliana Aponte

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Having worked with Vida Roozen the longest, I have been privy to see many of her admirable qualities, including: tenacity to work and push through very complex issues, passion for clients and CCS success, her ability to clairvoyantly understand people and bridge communication gaps. She’s the messaging queen when it comes how to position anything to anyone, is incredibly smart, and can sing a mean karaoke tune. ;)

A trader watches a monitor displaying stocks on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange February 4, 2010. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Lani McGeeProduct Sales Specialist

An illegal immigrant from Myanmar feeds her children at a rubbish dump site near Mae Sot December 22, 2009. Despite terrible living conditions and the fear of being sent back to their country, several hundred illegal immigrants from Myanmar live and earn an average of $1 per day collecting plastic at the rubbish dump near the border town of Mae Sot. Myanmar's long-standing political crisis has forced millions of people to cross the border for a better and safer life. The first refugees arrived and set up camps in the Myanmar-Thailand border in 1984. Now, there are over 140,000 refugees in nine official camps along Thailand's western border. Many more are expected to be in unofficial settlements. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Heidi MacDonaldTalent Acquisition Coordinator

What are you most proud of at CCS?“I pride myself on making sure the Part Time Field Staffing Documents for all programs are accurate and current at all times.  This allows us to  know what Markets are filled, what Markets are open, and where candidates are in the On Boarding process.”

A local woman on a crutch shouts at Chinese paramilitary police wearing riot gear as a crowd of angry locals confront security forces on a street in the city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region July 7, 2009. REUTERS/David Gray

Elise PajarilloSr. Manager, Talent ManagementWhat are you most proud of at CCS?

“The accomplishment that I am proudest of at CCS is being able to lead a great group of individuals in Talent Management. 

When I was first told that I would be overseeing the Talent Management Department, I wasn’t confident that the department would survive my leadership skills (or lack thereof J).  The department was able to come together and work through department changes, numerous field programs (big and small),  and making complex compliance regulations work with CCS’ unique needs.  Through lots of trial and error and largely due to the team’s infinite patience and support, I’ve been able to grow into the manager that I am today.  While I still have a long way to go, I’m proud that I can confidently say that I can lead a department.”

Sri Rosyati (R) and Sri Irianingsih (L), known as Bu Kembar (twin) walk to Kartini Emergency School at a slum area in north Jakarta February 26, 2009. The Kartini Emergency School is run by twins Sri Irianingsih and Sri Rosyati since 1996. Despite coming from a typical middle-class background in Jakarta, the twins, better known simply as Rossy and Rian, have been the driving force behind the free education of more than 2,000 poor children from a slum in northern Jakarta. Uniforms, textbooks, school equipment and everything else needed to teach the children the necessary skills to make their own living are paid for from Rossy and Rian's pockets. The twins also helped open similar schools in 64 areas of the country. REUTERS/Beawiharta

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I admire many of the women at CCS for a variety of reasons so it’s hard to pick one. If I have to, I’d say Monica Martinez. Her ability to take the complex and simplify it, her willingness to partner in any scenario and actively problem solve for the betterment of her co-works and for the CCS brand, and her seemingly endless supply of patience and grace.

Italy's Member of the European Parliament Licia Ronzulli (C) takes part with her daughter Victoria in a voting session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. October 23, 2012. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler