At Women on a Mission Summit 2019, Nicole Girard and Dana Kursh share their respective journeys to becoming diplomats

Both the Canadian and Israeli governments are committed towards bringing in an equal participation of men and women in their workforce. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to have a fair representation of both genders in the cabinet, while the Foreign Ministry in Israel has more number of women representatives than men.

And two women from these countries are proving to be changemakers in their nations’ march towards a feminist policy. Nicole Girard and Dana Kursh are the Consulate Generals of Canada and Israel respectively, in charge of South India.

At HerStory’s Women on a Mission Summit 2019 concluded recently, Nicole and Dana talked about their personal journeys, and the challenges faced on the road to becoming diplomats. They also pointed out the efforts taken by Israel and Canada to push women to the workforce.

Also read: A day of wonder, wit and wisdom: Women on a Mission makes an impression

The road to power

The journey to become diplomats was both distinct yet unconventional for Nicole and Dana. Nicole dropped out of college in Canada and opened a restaurant at the age of 20. But, she soon sold out the food business, and began working part time with the Canadian government.

Once she got married and became a mother, she decided to enroll in law school.

“Since my husband was very supportive of my decision, I managed to grab a degree in law, after which I was given an assignment in the Canadian government. Much later, in 2015, I got the opportunity to work in Beijing where I had to manage a team of 250 people across eight locations spread in four different countries,” Nicole recollected.

Dana, on the other hand, grew up in a farm in Israel and went on to join the armed forces of the country. She later became the Captain of the Israeli Army. “I was thrilled about the captaincy position. However, my turning point was when I had to accompany bereaved families of the martyred soldiers at funerals. I used to wear sunglasses to hide my tears. At that point I realised the importance of the qualities of strength and compassion,” Dana said.

Policies to boost participation of women in workforce

Both Israel and Canada are aiming for equal participation of men and women in their workforce by making several improvisations at the policy level.

Depending on the employment history, new mothers in Canada are eligible to a paid maternity leave of up to six months.

“Currently, the government is keen on increasing the eligibility cap to two years of paid maternity leave. As per the rule, employers are obliged to retain the position and the pay of women until they rejoin the organisation. Apart from this, the government has put down certain employee-friendly policies, including flexible work hours, to make it easy for women,” Nicole said.

Israel, on the other hand, allows for 14 weeks of paid maternity leave for working mothers, along with 14 weeks of unpaid leave. “The Indian government allows for 28 weeks of paid leave. So, I can say, we are halfway there,” Dana added.

Challenges along the way 

Dana and Nicole are two inspiring personalities who have managed to prove that women can excel in any field with just sheer determination. Both of them fought bravely despite all odds to get to where they are today.

Nicole used to be petrified of speaking in front of a large audience. “One fine day, I decided to overcome my ‘stage fear’ and joined a training programme to improve my public speaking skills,” she recalled.

Dana had a tough time being a single mother to her seven-year-old son. “I had to balance parenting and a full-time job. It was an extremely tough phase. But I made up my mind to cling on,” she said.

Also read: From the fields to the power corridor, Dana Kursh's journey as an Israeli diplomat in India

A big shout out to HerStory's Women on A Mission Summit sponsors: Co-Presenting Sponsor Microsoft, Sequoia Spark, Innovation Valley, NetApp Excellerator,Servify, ZOHO, Meesho, Arctic Fox, DROR, and Gifting Partners WoW, &Me.