International Woman’s Day is a day we dedicate to celebrating woman’s achievements and increasing visibility. It’s all about creating a gender-equal world where difference is valued and celebrated by all.

This year’s theme #BreakTheBias focuses on calling out gender bias, discrimination, and stereotyping. Bias occurs in every aspect of life, in our communities, our schools, and universities, and also our workplaces.

We want to take this opportunity to celebrate some of the women we are lucky enough to have as leaders at eric.

Andrea Sulda – General Manager, People and Culture

What do you love most about your job and the company?

I love the people, flexibility, and support. A growing organisation comes with great opportunity and being able to support others in their long-term professional plan is incredibly rewarding.  I have been with eric for almost 7 years now and in that time have watched it transform into a great organisation, one that I am proud to be apart of.

Tips you wish you knew when you started your career

Know your worth and stand up for yourself if you believe your input is valuable. Learn from others and take the opportunity to get your hands dirty across different roles as it will help you strategically.

What does #BreakTheBias mean to you?

Giving everyone the opportunity to speak their truth. Having a safe environment for all to participate and to be inclusive of different opinions and beliefs regardless of gender.

Brooke Lloyd – Head of Insurance Operations

What do you love most about your job and the company?

My role presents me with a variety of tasks that allow me to think in different ways, challenge myself and my teams, engage with many different people, and work on different projects. eric as a company is one that has afforded me lots of opportunities to learn and grow, as well as give me the flexibility to manage my world, knowing that I love juggling the many different hats I wear with work. Not every employer is as generous with their flexibility and understanding.

Tips you wish you knew when you started your career

Whilst you always need to have respect for hierarchy, you should never be afraid to use your voice and ask questions.

What does #BreakTheBias mean to you?

To me, #BreakTheBias means that the employers believe that regardless of the number of “hats” a woman has to wear, she can have it and do it all with the same performance outcomes as anyone else. You don’t have to be just one thing; you can be many and all at the same time.

Bridge Blades Fearn – Contact Centre Manager

What do you love most about your job and the company?

eric creates a supportive environment for all of its employees and has many career opportunities. I love being challenged and looking for innovative ways that we can use to help our customers and our teams to enhance the overall experience and bring our customer promise to life.

Tips you wish you knew when you started your career

Get a mentor early in your career. It can help you to learn and share experiences but it also helps you to become a good leader and mentor others in the future.

What does #BreakTheBias mean to you?

Calling out inequality and preconceived notions.

Belinda Donaldson – Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary

What do you love most about your job and the company?

 Financial Services as an industry has experienced a real shake-up over the last few years which provides for a super dynamic and interesting context to work within. It is super satisfying being part of an organisation that clearly understands its purpose, underlying values and has a social conscious that is customer-centric. Decisions made with the customer firmly embedded in the middle of them make it so much easier to create products and services that people want and need.

eric is a safe, supportive and collaborative place to work – there are some seriously talented, capable, and smart people that I work with every day, and enjoy being inspired learning from them. Being able to work in a hybrid manner, part of the time in the office, part of the time at home has really enhanced my life balance and enabled me to continue working at a productive level, whilst still enjoying the activities and lifestyle that I love outside of work.

Tips you wish you knew when you started your career

As a young adult, it is super important to have an idea as to the type of life and the professional role you would like to have down the track, set up all the stepping stones, and meet all the people that may be able to assist that journey.  Every person in the room, every contact you make, every transaction you work on, every conference, seminar, or opportunity you are given (or that you create) form part of the journey to where you want to go.  Reading the news, staying aware of what is happening in your industry, reading as much as you can, listening to podcasts whilst walking, reaching out to contacts, or having a coffee are all easy opportunities for professional growth.  Gently and professionally parting ways with people and organisations is also a real skill.  Always try to stay in touch with people you’ve worked with.

What does #BreakTheBias mean to you?

I hope one day, in the workplace, gender becomes an irrelevant concept – we are all humans, going about our life, our journey, our day, contributing to organisations, and connecting with other humans.  I also hope that we get to a point where we do have a healthy natural gender balance in boardrooms, senior management teams, and all teams throughout all organisations.  All humans have something different to offer to a role and rather than there be a ‘boys club’ or a ‘women’s lunch’, we celebrate the human within us all and connect more deeply than just based on gender lines.

Breaking the bias to me is creating workplaces across the country that are safe, respectful, inclusive, collaborative, consistent, supportive, and that makes you feel good.  That every day you go to work you feel good about the contribution you are making to the organisation.  I’m grateful to feel that.

Lheianne Ku – Brand, Marketing and Campaign Manager

What do you love most about your job and the company?

 I love how diverse my role at eric and in the general profession can be. If you speak to any marketer, no one day is the same. I’ve always found marketing and brand fascinating. There is so much more strategy and psychology behind great campaigns and advertisements than people think.

Tips you wish you knew when you started your career

Getting some experience related to your chosen career path or just experiencing corporate life and culture during university is really helpful. It helps prepare you for entering full-time corporate work by dispelling some myths and reducing the anxiety and adjustment period. It’s also really helpful if you find a good mentor or coach either within your workplace or outside of your workplace so that they can help guide you in your career development as well as support the growth of your soft skills.

What does #BreakTheBias mean to you?

To me breaking the bias means getting rid of those lingering stereotypes in life, whether that be age, gender, orientation, race, or even having certain opinions. At the end of the day, everyone is human and we’re all just trying to live our lives to the best of our abilities.