Elevating female voices in tech & beyond

The 8th of March is International Women’s Day (IWD). At Chief Nation, we are committed to being a force for change, eliminating any bias that may exist within our organisation, and elevating the voices of women. Hear from the women who make us who we are today.

International Women’s Day is about affirming the work that’s being done year-round to create a world free from bias and discrimination. It’s a day that gives us all a platform to empower and elevate female voices and create a legacy that inspires the next generation to continue the journey to equality.

IWD 2022 takes on special significance because the pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on women. The World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report for 2021 added a further 36.1 years to their projection on when women can expect to have 100% parity with their male counterparts. That figure now stands at a staggering 135.6 years.

This highlights the importance to make changes wherever possible, being conscious of our environments to #BreakTheBias. Those 135.6 years are based on trends, patterns that have emerged globally, and so it is up to industries to accelerate its trajectory to 0.

At Chief Nation, we are doing everything we can to be a force for change and a force for good, which is backed up by our workforce statistics: 63% female.

This Tuesday the 8th, our Wellbeing Team has also arranged a movie night in the office to celebrate the stories of phenomenal women throughout history. To kick the evening off, all participants have been invited to share a short story about a woman in their life who inspires them.

The entire Chief Nation has also been recommending books to each other and the world at large, with favourites such as Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison being referred along with a few author’s whose names have recently shone, like Dawn O’Porter, Yaa Gyasi, and Nicole Dennis-Benn among others.

"Being in the tech industry, females still have a journey ahead of us of making sure we are not only in the room but seen and heard.The work we do here matters and with each step we take, it is a step towards ensuring and empowering the female voice in the tech world.I am proud to work for such organisation and I am so excited to see our plans unfold and the impact we continue to make."

— Ammina Ouangar, Events Manager

The CEO.digital Show

On our flagship podcast, our intention is to provide a platform for leaders in the Tech industry, and we’ve done a great job of breaking the bias to promote female voices in a male-dominated industry.

Since the podcast aired its first episode in October 2020, 37.5% of all guests we’ve had have been female, including industry titans like Dax Grant, Mary Edwards, and Aparna Rayasam to name a few. This is compared to a UK average of 19% female representation in the tech workforce, while that number rises to 26.7% in the US.

We are not at 50% yet, but we are moving in the right direction and are committed to being a place for female voices to inspire the next generation of tech leadership.

#BreakTheBias

Since The CEO.digital aired its first episode in October 2020, 37.5% of all guests we’ve had, compared to a UK average of 19% female representation in the tech workforce

LISTEN TO OUR PODCASTS

"It's great to be part of an organisation where championing equality isn't just a tick-box-exercise. Chief Nation are breaking the bias and I hope our actions inspire others to do the same.”

— Kate Sylvester, Marketing & Event Manager

"It's so refreshing being around a team of other women who all build each other up. It's such a strong culture of support that I'm glad to be part of!”

— Rosie Sanderson, Digital Team Leader

#BreakTheBias

At Chief Wine Officer, most of our wine speakers are female and we champion women within the sector – where they are traditionally underrepresented. Just 151 women hold the Master of Wine title, compared to 268 men (at time of writing).

DISCOVER OUR WINE EXPERTS

Chief Wine Officer

Our exclusive networking events are open to all in the C-suite, bringing together the best minds in tech to build connections and find solutions to their most pressing business needs.

These events are hosted by industry leaders and punctuated by wine tastings guided by world-renowned wine experts and Masters of Wine; a title held by only 420 people in the world.

We host over 200 networking events a year, with each featuring an expert wine speaker. Breaking the bias, most of our wine speakers are female and we champion within the sector, which is traditionally unequal when it comes to gender. For instance, of the (currently) 420 Masters of Wine in the world, 268 are men and 151 are women. But at CWO, we’re proud to have flipped this trend, and it’s something we’ll continue to do going forward.

"At Chief Nation we are proud break the bias, not only within our own team, but throughout our network of clients, suppliers and our much-loved Chief Wine Officer & CEO.digital community.I’m extremely proud to be one of the MDs here at Chief Nation - helping to lead and champion each member of the team is an absolute privilege. We will always be committed to our humans and committed to equality.”

— Laura Porter, Managing Director

This International Women’s Day let’s all do more to ensure our immediate environments are as welcoming and free from bias as they can be. Individually we may not be able to rectify the inequalities affecting women around the world, but collectively we are capable of far more than we realise. Use your voice to encourage, empower, and support as much and as often as you can.

While you’re here:

If you’d like to know more about International Women’s Day and how you and your organisation can #BreakTheBias, visit www.internationalwomensday.com

Read the full 2021 Global Gender Gap Report

Some recommended authors by the Women of Chief Nation to help us all #BreakTheBias:

Virginia Woolf  |  Dawn O’Porter  | Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie  |  Octavia E. Butler  |  Nicole Dennis-Benn  |  Yaa Gyasi  |  Sylvia Plath  |  Maya Angelou  |  Toni Morrison  |  Alice Walker  |  Jane Austen  |  Margaret Atwood  |  Ursula K. Le Guin