Post by Standard Chartered

The link between sport and opportunity is clear. Girls who stay in sport are more likely to build confidence, stay in education and go on to leadership roles - yet by age 14, they are dropping out at twice the rate of boys. This is not an awareness issue. It’s a systems issue. This was a central theme in discussions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where our Group Chief Operating Officer Tanuj Kapilashrami joined partners from UN Women, Liverpool Football Club, the IWG Women & Sport and F1 ACADEMY, including Susie Wolff. The discussion also featured Formula 1 presenter Naomi Schiff. As we look at this challenge across our markets, the global insight is consistent: girls are not choosing to leave sport - they are being pushed out by systems that are not designed for them to stay. Barriers range from access and safety to social norms and practical constraints. Campaigns can raise awareness, but lasting change requires sustained action - with businesses, sporting organisations, policymakers and communities working together to remove structural barriers. At Standard Chartered, this belief underpins our approach. Through initiatives such as our Goal Accelerator Programme, Play On with Liverpool Football Club and our partnership with F1 ACADEMY, we are focused on creating access, building confidence and opening pathways to opportunity. We see a significant opportunity to build on this through a partnership with UN Women - bringing together complementary expertise to accelerate progress in keeping girls in sport and unlocking wider outcomes. Because the challenge - and the opportunity - is the same across sport and work: designing systems that enable people to succeed. If we are serious about change, the focus must shift from awareness to action, and from short-term campaigns to long-term commitment. #CannesLions26 #PlayOn