IWD 2023 - Inspirational female Aon colleagues

International Women’s Day is all about gender diversity. It has a dual purpose: it’s a day to celebrate women across the globe as well as a call to recognize women as equals. International Women’s Day aims to push us towards a gender equal world free of bias, stereotypes, and discriminations. This is something that we all achieve together.

The IWD 2023 theme #EmbraceEquity, seeks to get the world talking about why "equal opportunities are no longer enough" - and can in fact be exclusionary, rather than inclusive.

To celebrate IWD we are showcasing some of our inspirational female Aon colleagues from across the globe. 

Today, we hear from Asmita Ranade, Senior Director and Executive Committee Member for the Women's International Network(WIN) at Aon in Singapore.

What does Embracing Equity mean to you?

Embracing equity is about breaking down barriers for anyone wanting to follow a path that has been created to promote equality. It is identifying and addressing needs that might stop someone from attaining goals meant to provide equal opportunities. It is creating inclusive environments that value diversity and promote equal opportunities and outcomes for all individuals. At Aon, we have several initiatives that aim to address this, for example our Leading Inclusively course which helps managers to build inclusive leadership skills or The Inclusive Hire Program which equips hiring managers with the tools and skills to address their biases and embed inclusive recruitment practices. We encourage colleagues to build their awareness of the notion of equity.

Why is it important to celebrate international woman's day?

I find it rather unfortunate that we have to celebrate such days as I see it as an acknowledgement of the enormous disparity between gender roles when it comes to rights, pay parity, gender bias in education, inequal access to healthcare and many more. This day is a reminder of such unfortunate circumstances which need fixing. At the same time, the day is recognition that women are the greatest contributor to societal change in every role they play in their lifetime. In the corporate world, presence of women on management teams has a positive influence on the social motivations and achievements of organizations. This day also raises awareness and recognizes the contribution of women to bring about policy changes to remove these social constructs. At Aon, we have the WIN (Women’s International Network) Business Resource Group helping to raise awareness and build advocacy for IWD.

Have you ever encountered a barrier in your career as a female? If so, how did you overcome it?

There have been many barriers, societal, personal, workplace biases. Frankly I distill them down to one – fear. It is your fears that hold you back. Fear of getting out of your comfort zone, fear of speaking up, fear of asking for a raise and fear of how one is being perceived. I sought out mentors at the workplace. I tried to understand their experiences and how they overcame barriers they faced. There are some very strong women in our organization who have risen despite the barriers they faced and some men who are strong allies and want to remove gender bias from the workplace. I find learning from their experience to be the most powerful way to overcome your own barriers.

Why do you think diversity in the workplace is so important? 

A diverse workforce brings together individuals with different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds which lead to creative solutions, innovative ideas and new approaches to problem solving. When there is a diverse group of people involved in decision making, they are more likely to consider a wider range of perspectives and make informed decisions that take into account the needs and interests of all stakeholders which leads to equity. 

 

Find out more about Life at Aon here or search for open opportunities on our careers page .

Want to hear more from our colleagues on IWD? Take a look at our interview with Sabrina Pyneeandy.