Hosting this year’s Summit in Warsaw was deliberate. Poland stands at a pivotal moment, where social momentum meets new European equality directives such as “Women on Boards” and “Pay Transparency.” The event, presented by Ringier and Ringier Axel Springer Polska in cooperation with Vital Voices Poland, became a platform to turn visibility into leadership.
Leadership for change
The Summit opened with Marc Walder, Group CEO Ringier, Annabella Bassler, Group CFO Ringier and initiator of EqualVoice, and Aleksander Kutela, CEO Ringier Axel Springer Polska.
Annabella Bassler: “EqualVoice began with one conviction: visibility is power. The more equally we represent women and men, the fairer our societies become.”
Marc Walder: “EqualVoice is a wonderful and important initiative. It documents what happens when a media company moves from awareness to action. Gender equality must be measurable, transparent and real.”
Aleksander Kutela: “Poland has an opportunity to take a leading role in shaping equality across Europe with innovation. The Summit proves that when business, media and civil society work together, real change follows.”
EqualVoice Assistant – turning visibility into action
A key highlight was the presentation of the EqualVoice Assistant, an AI-powered tool developed by Ringier and Ringier Axel Springer Tech. It analyses gender representation in editorial content, helping journalists detect imbalance and make data-based decisions – without restricting creativity.
The tool has already been adopted in several newsrooms in Poland, Serbia, Hungary and Switzerland, earning multiple innovation awards for its measurable impact on gender balance in the media. For more information: www.equalvoice.ch/en/equalvoice-assistant-tool/
Equality as moral infrastructure
The closing keynote came from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman, who underlined the link between equality and democracy: “When women, men, and all people stand as equals, society rises. True progress comes when everyone is treated as equals.”
Hope for Europe – Zurich edition
At the same time, a parallel event took place in Zurich under the title “Hope for Europe: What kind of leadership is needed in times of global upheaval?”. Among the participants were Carolina Müller-Möhl, Swiss investor, philanthropist, founder and president of the Müller-Möhl Foundation and taskforce4women as well as EqualVoice board member; Silvana Koch-Mehrin, founder of Women Political Leaders and former Vice President of the European Parliament; and Ladina Heimgartner, CEO of Ringier Media Switzerland, Head Media International of the Ringier Group and President of the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). They discussed Europe’s diversity, leadership, and the role of the media in strengthening democratic resilience.
EqualVoice Summit Partners
The EqualVoice Summit 2025 in Poland was supported by BAT (Platinum Partner), Poland Drzazga Clinic (Main Partner), Totalizator Sportowy (Gold Partner), ORLEN, Medicover and Stock Polska (Partners).
Aleksander Kutela (CEO RASP), Katarzyna Debek (EiC Forbes Polska & Forbes Women Polska), Annabella Bassler (Ringier Group CFO & Initiator EqualVoice), Tawakkol Karman, Monika Remiszewska (Board Member of RASP), Marc Walder (Ringier Group CEO), Katarzyna Gawel (Head of DEI RASP)
Carolina Müller-Möhl (President Müller-Möhl Foundation), Silvana Koch-Mehrin (Founder Women Political Leaders), Ladina Heimgartner (CEO Ringier Media Switzerland, Head Media International Ringier Group, President WAN-IFRA)
About EqualVoice
The EqualVoice Initiative was launched in November 2019 by Annabella Bassler, CFO Ringier AG, and is chaired by publisher Michael Ringier and CEO Marc Walder. Its aim is to promote gender equality and increase the visibility of women in media. At its core lies the EqualVoice Factor, which measures women’s and men’s presence in editorial content. The initiative is now active across 32 media brands in seven countries, reaching more than 50 million users, and is supported by the EqualVoice United network of over 20 companies committed to equality. More information: www.equalvoice.ch