BII’s Gender Equity Network

Advancing the role of women at BII is an essential part of our conversation, and we’ve expanded our lens to the evolving dialogue around a variety of gender related topics, including the importance of male allyship and the growing social focus on non-binary views toward gender.

• Employee mobilisation: engaging with our colleagues to understand the most important gender-related issues that the network should continue to address on behalf of the people at BII today.
• Organisational engagement: engaging with gender equity issues across BII's policies, including continuing to address the gender pay gap.
• Gender Equity NetworkEvents: hosting and supporting events that inform and inspire on our network's key topics of interest. Recent event highlights include panel discussions on family leave, awareness sessions on menopause, and a fun run for International Women’s Day!
• Women in Leadership: organising a series of various networking and professional development opportunities for BII employees to meet and interact with inspiring senior women, both from within BII and beyond. Recent guests include our two new Investment Committee members, Lisa Thomas and Catherine Kimaryo. Both with decades of experience navigating complex markets, they shared their valuable insights on the evolving investment landscape, leadership lessons, and the power of diverse perspectives.

• Ask for what you want: One of the biggest hindrances for women’s progression in organisations is women not asking for what they want- whether that be a pay rise, promotion, or an opportunity to lead on a deal, change to project. Women will often put other considerations above their own needs which leads to them not putting themselves forward for opportunities, whilst men in similar situations will be advocating for themselves.
• Find an advocate: Women should employ the same networking strategies that men use including leveraging their network or senior stakeholders to vouch for them.
• Embrace discomfort: Women need to consider strategies that may seem uncomfortable like taking full credit for a piece of work, especially if this doesn’t come naturally to you. One should remain true to oneself but also look to others who are doing things differently and ask what can be learnt from them?
• Tackle imposter syndrome: Embrace it, if you feel out of your depth, this could be because you’re out of your comfort zone and in a place where you are learning.

As we continue to grow and evolve, our networks across the organisation are essential for creating an inclusive and supportive culture throughout BII, so that all employees can participate and fulfil their potential in an environment where they are valued and respected. By working together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone can thrive.