International Women’s Day is an opportunity for us to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and to reflect upon and discuss the challenges women still face globally.
This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias. We are all individuals who perceive the world through different lenses. Step one is to acknowledge this. Once we identify bias, we can take action to prevent ourselves from making calls and decisions based on these biased viewpoints.
Our Mazarians #BreakTheBias
To mark International Women’s Day, we asked our team members Mazarians what they pledge to do to help forge a gender-equal world.
We are taking part in various events and discussions across the country, including:
Hosting a live panel discussion in partnership with HSBC in our Birmingham office, ‘Celebrating Women in STEM’ The panel will discuss gender parity and leadership in STEM and explore how we can all play our part to promote change.
A panel discussion hosted by our Balance network on their personal reflections on IWD, including what the day and breaking the bias means to them.
Through PepTalk, joining Hannah Cockroft OBE, seven-time Paralympic champion to hear about her incredible journey and how she broke the bias to reach her goals
Local office seminars across the firm to celebrate the social, economic and cultural achievements of women
Tipi Bhogal, Deputy General Counsel at Mazars, will speak at an event held at law firm, Keller Lenker. She will discuss her work, and the ways in which she has overcome challenges, biases, and how she has succeeded in her career so far.
“At Mazars and at home, I see, on a daily basis, that being a great mum is no barrier to being an integral member of the team, who is highly valued by colleagues and each of whom are key to various important client / other relationships they have developed throughout their careers. This further highlights the importance for us as a firm (and a society) to ensure we find ways to support and continue to develop all team members as they progress through their careers and at the various stages of the family lifecycle.”
Chris Hodge – Director
"Unconscious bias is something ingrained in us, that develops since birth by our circumstances, surroundings and influences. I am aware that I am unconsciously biased at times, and I believe that all of us, if we reflected on ourselves, our thoughts and our actions would admit to some level of unconscious bias as well throughout our lives. I believe an important first step is to become self-aware about these biases, and then have that internal self-check before communicating, or acting in a certain way, to think about whether you have been impacted by this bias and if you remove it, will you say the same thing?
This is not easy to do, and sometimes we do act incorrectly and realise it later however, we shouldn’t be disheartened about that, as it shows that we have a level of empathy and realisation of the issues. Starting to take small steps in this space, means what is ingrained within you can change, and you will become self-aware of it next time."
Leanne Finch - Partner
“Unconscious bias is something every single person needs to be aware of and we all need to be switched on to this to ensure we make the best decisions possible. I find it is really important when making decisions, to stand back and challenge myself to make sure those decisions I do make are the best for every individual involved but also from a business perspective. We won’t stop unconscious bias overnight, but by challenging each other, in a supportive way, and openly discussing it, will make everyone more aware and help break down barriers and stereotypes.”
Chloe Ellis - Partner
Discover how Chris Hodge will #BreakTheBias or meet our #WomenInTech team and discover their stories this IWD:
Interested in a career in technology? Our Tech Balance team share stories and advice for working within the technology industry as a female, what attracted our team members to the Technology and Digital (T&D) team at Mazars, and why this could be the right career pathway for you.
On Tuesday 8 March we are pleased to host, in partnership with HSBC, a panel discussion celebrating women in STEM and what actions need to be taken to continue the progress towards gender parity.
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