Owning The Desk: Celebrating International Women’s Day at Mercedes-Benz.io

At first glance, a desk is just a piece of furniture. But for many of us, it’s where our worlds meet: work and home, ambition and identity, memories and dreams.

For this year’s International Women’s Day, MB.ioneers Daniela Santos, Ângela Gonçalves and Diana Neves gave us the opportunity to look closer. Not at job titles, not at roles, but at the stories beyond the desk.

Welcome to “The Desk – your seat, beyond the office”, Mercedes-Benz.io’s 2026 campaign celebrating women who are so much more than the roles they’re often reduced to.

From “A Seat at the Table” to “The Desk”

Last year, our International Women’s Day campaign “A Seat at the Table” explored a hard truth: despite progress, many women still struggle to claim their place in key conversations and decision-making spaces.

This year, we’re continuing that story with a shift in perspective. The desk becomes a stage, a mirror, and a manifesto:

• It is owned, not simply occupied.
• It is personal, not just functional.
• It is full of meaning, not just full of office supplies.

Rather than focusing on who women need to become to be accepted at the table, “The Desk” honours who they already are. More than a mum, more than an employee, more than an athlete, more than a set of labels. First and foremost: a woman.

“The Desk”: Objects that Tell a Story

For this campaign, three MB.ioneers brought their worlds to their desks: Diana Neves, Ângela Gonçalves and Daniela Santos.

Each of them chose objects that give them value, tell their story, and express what matters to them, beyond performance reviews, meeting invites and job descriptions. The result is three very different desks, three very personal universes, one shared message: a woman’s value cannot be reduced to a role.

Diana’s Desk: Art, Roots and Rhythm

Diana’s desk is where creativity and identity sit side by side. She brought art supplies, photos from Brazil, a guitar, and much more.

When you see Diana at her desk, you don’t just see “an employee”. You see an artist, a musician, a storyteller, a woman who connects worlds.

My seat beyond the office is everything that shapes the way I think and create. Writing, painting, playing music, and staying curious about people and stories all influence how I approach my work. They help me see connections, stay open to new ideas, and bring creativity into problem-solving. For me, innovation often starts with curiosity.

A defining moment in my career was leaving academia to move into the corporate world. That transition taught me that starting something new doesn’t mean starting from zero. Every experience adds perspective. Over time, I realized the most valuable skill is learning how to learn. Today, that mindset helps me navigate complexity and bring different perspectives into product and data work.

You don’t have to fit into a single definition of who you are. You can work in technology and still be creative. You can lead and still be learning. Having many interests and perspectives doesn’t weaken your voice, it makes it stronger.

The more of ourselves we bring to the table, the more powerful our contribution becomes.

Ângela’s Desk: Curiosity, Play and Precision

Ângela’s desk tells the story of someone who thinks in systems, loves detail, and never stopped being curious. She brought her headphones, her own Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 LEGO car with her LEGO figure guiding it, mugs, books, photos and much more.

To me, ‘your seat, beyond the office’ represents everything that shapes who I am when I show up at work. My desk carries pieces of what makes me genuinely happy: my friends and family, my hobbies, and reminders of my accomplishments. These are the everyday things that ground me, motivate me, and help me grow both personally and professionally. They remind me that I bring my whole self to my role.

One of the defining moments in my career was learning to navigate challenges with confidence and resilience, especially when stepping into responsibilities that initially felt outside my comfort zone. That experience taught me to trust myself, ask for help when needed, and value progress over perfection. Today, it shapes the way I show up: more grounded, more self-aware, and more willing to take on challenges with a positive mindset.

I hope to remind other women that who we are outside the office matters just as much as what we do inside it. Our passions, our struggles, our wins, and the people who support us all contribute to the strength we bring to our roles. I want every woman to feel empowered to take up space, to celebrate her journey, and to know that her seat is valuable and deserving.

Ângela’s desk is a celebration of the fact that serious work and playful curiosity can absolutely coexist.

Daniela’s Desk: Stories, Friendship and Legacy

Daniela’s desk feels like a place where stories live. She brought objects from the TV show “Friends”, drawings from her children, and books she wrote.

To me, ‘my seat beyond the office’ represents responsibility and influence that go far beyond the physical desk where I work. At Mercedes-Benz.io, my seat is about enabling teams, creating clarity in complex environments, and helping people grow into their potential. But beyond the office, that seat continues in other parts of my life — as a mother, a writer, and someone who believes deeply in shaping the future with intention.

My daughters see me working, leading teams, writing books, and building ideas. And in many ways, that is the most important seat I hold — because the way I show up today shapes how they will see their own possibilities tomorrow. For me, that seat is ultimately about impact. Not only delivering outcomes, but creating space for others to grow, question, and lead.

One experience that deeply shaped the way I show up at my desk today happened earlier in my career, when I was working at a startup and suddenly became responsible for the operations in Portugal. In a startup environment, structures are not always clearly defined, and things move fast. I found myself needing to step up quickly — aligning the team, supporting the business, and helping guide both the organization and its stakeholders toward the right direction. That experience taught me that leadership is not about having a title, but about taking responsibility when the moment requires it. It also taught me the importance of clarity, communication, and staying calm while navigating uncertainty. Since then, I approach my work with a strong sense of ownership and accountability, always trying to create direction, support people, and move things forward.

If there is one message I hope to share, it is that you do not need to choose between being ambitious and being yourself. For many women, the path in leadership still comes with invisible expectations — to prove more, adapt more, or fit into existing molds. But real progress happens when we bring our full perspectives into the room. Whether you are an engineer, a leader, a mother, or just at the beginning of your career, your voice matters and your perspective matters. And sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is simply take our seat — and make space for others to do the same.

Daniela’s desk reminds us that women are constantly weaving different roles – parent, colleague, friend, leader, creator. None of these cancel the others out.

More Than Roles, More Than Labels

“The Desk – your seat, beyond the office” is our reminder that women are never defined by the narrow roles often placed on them. They are not just “the only woman in the room”, “the one who organises things”, “the mum on the team”, or “the one who brings empathy”. They are creators, engineers, artists, writers, friends, leaders, dreamers and so much more.

By visually owning their desks, Daniela, Ângela and Diana show the strength and authenticity that emerges when women are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. Each object they chose reflects a story, a passion, a journey. Together, they form a portrait of identity that goes far beyond job titles.

International Women’s Day is more than a single moment of celebration; it’s about sustained visibility, equity and recognition. Through “The Desk”, we aim to highlight real women instead of abstractions, bring forward depth instead of stereotypes, and spark conversations about how workplace cultures can embrace women as full human beings. And while the fight for a true seat at the table continues, we can, and should, celebrate the richness of women’s worlds today.

At Mercedes-Benz.io, we believe that diverse desks make for better thinking, better teams and better products. When women can be fully themselves – in the office, at the desk, and beyond – everyone wins: colleagues, communities, customers, and the company as a whole.

Impact doesn’t start in a meeting room. It starts here. Check the campaign’s video below.