What does 'break the bias' mean to you and what do you hope this campaign will achieve?

Stereotypes and bias' are dangerous. They create a foundation from which an individual then has to shift and as we are talking about International Women's Day in the workplace, they result in a woman having to "prove" herself before she is really given an equal footing to compete with her male counter-parts. For me, it is the unconscious bias that exists in all of us, no matter how open minded we all are, that is the main limiting factor for women (in particular) and that bias is exhibited by both men and women – in fact often more so by women whether it be as a self-deprecating bias or a judgmental bias of other women. To me, "Breaking the Bias" means flipping those unconscious bias and ensuring that everyone, irrespective of their sex, background or colour are given an even footing to prove themselves and are judged by who they are, what they can do and how they do it, not by perceptions of who they are, what they can do and how they should do it.

What will you personally do to help 'break the bias'?

Everyone can do something and I commit to not pre-judging anyone and giving everyone a chance to prove themselves without being tainted by the little voice in my head. I will also commit not to listen to the little voice in my head which seeks to limit my beliefs in what I can do and who I can be - self belief is critical for women to break the bias, because if we don't believe in ourselves, how can we expect others to?

#IWD2022 #BreakTheBias