Our commitment on Women’s Day

On March 8, International Women’s Day, let us take the opportunity to look around and thank the incredible women that continue to inspire us. We are proud of their accomplishments and dedication. We are also extremely grateful to our male colleagues who continue to support and empower women every single day. My team and I commit to a few action items —not just on International Women’s Day but every single day — to make a difference. Here a few:

1. Be more self aware: As we lead and work in teams, it is important for us to remove any gender bias that we might have. We need to overcome the gender stereotypes clash and must increase our awareness about any biases that we may hold within ourselves. Do take a moment to recognize, acknowledge and address these biases as we make our decisions, especially around hiring and promotion. If you are keen to know your level of bias, try taking this free Harvard University's Implicit Association Test .

2. Study leaders in your organization: Over the years, I have interacted with various leaders who continue to inspire me. Whenever I receive feedback from a team member (that am unsure of) or have some constructive feedback for a team member where I suspect a bias, I connect with one of these leaders for guidance. It is always good to reflect and ask ourselves if a bias is holding us back - a honest conversation is very helpful. Remember, these leaders need not have formal titles and can be anyone who are well respected and considered fair.

3. Find a mentor who can share different perspectives : One of the ways I have actively managed my career is to find mentors who can share different perspectives. I read this article some time ago and agree with it. As the article describes, just as women benefit from male mentors, men also gain from the mentorship, leadership, and sponsorship of women. I will always be grateful to Michelle Gronning who has provided her perspectives and observations to develop me as a leader.

4. Encourage Women in Tech: As a team driving tech advisory work, my team and I will strive to develop a pipeline of female tech talent by encouraging girls and young women to study STEM subjects at school. It is important that we attract, retain and develop diverse professionals. Our commitment is job descriptions will be gender-neutral and recruitment teams stay gender-balanced. Where applicable, we will set targets for the number of women in our FS Tech Strategy and Transformation team and at the firm.  

Lastly, I encourage you (and get your team) to read The Collective Wisdom of High-Performing Women.

A couple of years ago, I got a chance to attend the book launch and was thoroughly impressed by the book reading that took place in Toronto. In the book, various Canadian business women share their advice and guidance for young women on how they can move up in their career while remaining true to themselves and their organization.

At the book launch, I heard Maria Theofilaktidis share here "My Father's Daughter" inspiring story of humility and compassion. My team still talks about the story - here is a scanned version of the story.

My team and I are keen to incorporate more ideas in our everyday behaviours. If you have thoughts for us, please do leave a comment. Thank you and Happy Women's Day.