As part of its commitment to inspire, engage, and empower women to reach their full potential, Zedcrest Group, a new-age principal investing and financial solutions powerhouse in Africa, hosted a national webinar in celebration of International Women’s Day on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

Themed ‘Breaking the Bias’, this year’s International Women’s Day celebration is aimed at promoting gender equity across various sectors and spheres by celebrating women who have emerged pioneers in their respective fields.

While delivering the opening remark during the virtual event, Zedcrest’s Group Managing Director, Mr. Adedayo Amzat, said being a successful woman in a company or business entails not conforming to pre-determined standards and striving for excellence.

“At Zedcrest, we believe women play a significant role in the socio-economic and cultural development in every society. Advocacy campaigns and social discourses like this allow us to lead the conversation about creating a world free of gender bias and discrimination, a society where women can live, grow, and attain their full potential while also contributing positively to global development,” he said.

The virtual event had Dr. Laila St Matthew-Daniel, an Executive Coach & Behavioural Strategist, and Mrs. Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, a Social Justice Advocate and Social Worker, as guest speakers.

According to Mrs. Jonathan-Ichaver, “bias is prevalent in every aspect of our lives. Our brains are hardwired to categorize things we encounter to make sense of the complicated world around us. However, biases can cause us to form prejudices against others, which allows for egregious inequalities to form between different demographics”.

She noted that recent studies from Harvard Business Review and other research firms, have shown that inclusive teams make better business decisions, while teams with less diversity are more likely to make poor business decisions.

Women’s representation has increased across the pipeline since 2016. However, women — especially women of colour — remain significantly underrepresented in leadership.

“While there is a long road ahead to close the gender gap, creating a safe working environment, challenging stereotypes, offering equal opportunities for all genders, and being transparent about wages, are small steps in the right direction for gender equality in the workplace”, said Dr. Laila St Matthew-Daniel.

To ensure gender balance in the workplace, Mrs. Daniel said “Companies need to take bold steps to address burnout. They need to recognize and reward the women leaders who are driving progress. And they need to do the deep cultural work required to create a workplace where all women feel valued.”

In celebration of the 2022 International Women’s Day, female leaders at Zedcrest Group received a pen letter from the management team recognizing their leadership role and commitment to the organization’s goals.