People often ask me: “Why did you choose the colour pink for JUMP? It is not a colour that is typically associated with business and it gives a girlish image to your brand, which is dedicated to the professional lives of women!”

My reply is this. I deliberately chose pink because it is a strong colour that can symbolise both power and business! Colours always convey a certain message and produce an atmosphere, and pink is symbolic of femininity. It’s also a colour that a growing number of influential women and those heading for new horizons are very comfortable to identify with because it stands for female authenticity. We no longer have to hide our femininity and core values or adapt them to the dominant leadership style in order to progress in our careers. Women in today’s workplace, even those in top positions in old-style male-dominated environments, can now express their feminine values with pride.

As to gender stereotyping or the “pinkification of girlhood” as the Pinkstinks campaign puts it, I agree that aggressive marketing used to “colour code” our children is wrong and should be toned down. As you probably guessed, I don’t agree that pink stinks and I certainly don’t think we should discourage our children, girls or boys, from wearing colours of their choosing, pink or otherwise. The emphasis should be on providing little girls with enough self-belief and confidence that they can reach their full potential later on in life.

Daring to use pink for JUMP is daring to make a strong statement: pink can be a business colour too! By using pink we can be feminine and powerful at the same time! So be true to yourself and be proud to show off your femininity in every situation of your life, including at work!