International Women's Day is helps to forge a gender equal world. By celebrating women's achievements and increasing visibility, we wanted to share with you some of the women that inspire us. And hopefully, they can inspire you too!
We have asked women from across the industry to share advice that can not only help us to have a successful career but to also #BreakTheBias
Valerie Badcock - Global Operations, Project Management Group, Guy Carpenter
"#BreakTheBias to me means taking the opportunity to make change, educate and to inspire the next generation to continue to challenge for a more equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace and society."
Caroline Bedford - CEO, EDII
"Can older people be innovators? They can.
Can young people be wise? Definitely.
Can women be logical? Of course.
Can men be compassionate? Absolutely.
Are people judged by their exterior? They are.
Does that limit our success? It does.
Should we strive to #BreaktheBias? We should. All day. Every day."
Jaya Handa - Privacy Director, Liberty
“Seek out opportunities and when those opportunities aren’t immediately apparent then go out, create your own and bring others along with you!”
Kirat Kaur Nandra MICM - Chubb CGM Credit Control Manager. Creator & Founder of The InSight Programme.
"Let knowledge & education be passport for success, opening doors leading to confidence & self-belief. Embracing challenges, fostering resilience equals success."
Karen Keyland - Chief Operating Officer of Latin American Region, Guy Carpenter
#Breakthebias to me means changing the perception of strength, having a workplace that recognises and values differences and is taking action now to level the playing field for an equal future that allows everyone to grow and contribute.
Ailsa King – Chief Client Officer and CEO of Risk Management Marsh
“Be heard, be bold and be there for each other”
These three themes for me sum up what has made most difference to my career.
1. Make sure your voice is heard, have an opinion and share best practice on business wins.
2. Bringing new thinking to the table and making a difference to clients with thought leadership gets you noticed.
3. And finally and probably the most important in the insurance community is the power of teamwork, supporting colleagues and developing your personal network and encouraging the talent you can make a difference to whilst having fun too!
Liz Lister - Head of Strategy and Chief of Staff, International, WTW
"Be fearless. Look for ways to push yourself outside your comfort zone. Seek out stretched projects and roles. If you aren’t scared going into your next role it probably isn’t stretched enough for you. Look in unusual places for the opportunities, a great sidewise move can build your experience, skill set and network to propel you forward. Your career is in your hands. Build a plan, keep revisiting and amending it. Drive what you want to achieve."
Kishan Mangat - Senior Associate, DWF Law and Co-Chair, iCAN
"The squeaky wheel gets the oil. It’s a West Indian saying that my mum always says to me. By that she means do not be afraid to ask for what you want because sure enough if you ask enough times you’ll usually get an answer. I think women all too often put in a position where they are expected to be satisfied with what they are given, when actually we should all be speaking up and asking for what we truly want and not being scared to do so. Ask for the pay rise, or the new job title or the promotion! Do not be afraid to speak up because I bet you a man wouldn’t be."
Siobhan O’Brien – Managing Director, Cyber Centre of Excellence Leader, Guy Carpenter
"#Breakthebias means having a workplace which allows everyone to bring their whole-self to work, every day, giving us a workforce which represents the society we live in and offers equal opportunity to all to grow and develop in their careers."
Hélène Stanway - Strategic Advisor, r10 Consulting and Non-Executive Director, EDII
"Give yourself options. Learn what you can, say yes to the stuff that scares you, read, read, read, actively build your network, go to events and talks, ask to meet people for coffee. You’re your biggest asset. And… You’re already better than you think you are."
Caroline Wagstaff - CEO London Market Group
"Attention to detail. From first impressions to effective execution, the devil is in the detail. Get that right and success will follow."
Paula Wilson - Head of Marketing, Liberty Specialty Markets
"Biases - gender or otherwise - cloud our judgement. Consciously addressing them, therefore, leads to better decision-making and higher performance for us all. #BreakTheBias"
Irem Yerdelen – Corporate Client Engagement Lead, Climate and Resilience Hub, WTW
"A recent survey by WTW found that emphasis on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) has been a key pressure point for the past two years during pandemic. I am supporting this year’s #IWD theme #BreakTheBias, because I saw that asking help from others whilst struggling, being open about your needs at the workplace to promote equity and generating an environment where you and others can flourish really works!"