Embracing Equity: International Women’s Day 2023

International Women’s Day (IWD) is recognized globally to uphold the achievements of women across the world while acknowledging the challenges that women still face. The 2023 IWD theme is #EmbraceEquity which focuses on actively supporting and embracing equity within our own spheres of influence. Equity means creating an inclusive world.

At Syneos Health, our Women’s Employee Resource Group has a mission to build an inclusive community to discuss and create awareness around issues women face in the workplace, provide tools and resources for women and help colleagues who work with women be better equipped to support them. Read as Syneos Health employees provide their personal and/or ally perspective on International Women’s Day and how they embrace equity.

Coming from a country that has a long way to go in gender equality, I feel very fortunate that my family, especially my father, motivated me to aim higher and I got all the opportunities to fulfill my dreams. This also helped me to break typical stereotypes. I consciously make efforts to apply the principles of gender equality by having a diverse team, by providing equal opportunities of growth to my team members based on their skills and thanking and appreciating our team members for their significant achievements. -Sachin, Senior Director of Quality Assurance, APAC

I lead by example in driving equality and not looking at gender or any other differences when dealing with issues, concerns, and making decisions. Gender equity should be a part of every society’s DNA as it adds up to our team members’ motivation and confidence that everyone can be challenged and be successful in our respective roles. As an ally, I admire and support women’s challenges, experiences, success, and how they become the best version of themselves. — TinTin, Manager of Project Team Admin Support Center (PTASC), APAC

During the 2022 World Cup, I was watching England play with my wife, my two young daughters and my elderly dad. After around 20 minutes of play, my eight-year-old daughter asked if she could play for England. My dad turned around and said, Well, of course you can. It’s in your blood. To which my wife and I promptly asked, ‘Well, what do you mean?’ He pulled a book from a shelf from 1917, featuring my great aunt Mary Dorian. She not only played for England in their first ever international match on Boxing Day 1917 against Ireland, but also scored the first ever international goal in women’s football history. I was astounded as I had no idea about this story, but more importantly, my daughter now thinks she can achieve anything and so she should, because she can and I’m going to help her. -Ian, President of Europe Communications

I play a critical role within my department here at Syneos Health to promote equity, particularly into more senior leadership type roles. I encourage a diverse application for such roles, make sure that everyone, regardless of their background has an opportunity to grow into a leadership role. I think it’s important that leaders support diverse employees and encourage them towards promotion and more senior positions. It goes without saying the best employee should always get the job, but everyone should be given an equal opportunity to grow into positions of leadership. I think that’s a critical role that a leader plays in ensuring we champion equity in the workplace. -Carol, Executive Vice President of Safety & Pharmacovigilance, EMEA

I strongly believe that gender equity should be a part of every society’s DNA, especially here at Syneos Health, because it’s only going to make us stronger. It will help us build creative solutions. It will help us understand and add perspectives before we arrive at decisions or build solutions as an organization or as a society. The first step towards building gender equity is raising our own awareness, I do this by reading books and articles on these topics, listening to podcasts, attending events and initiating a dialogue or a conversation with people who hold diverse perspectives or different opinions on the topic -Seema, Associate Director of Learning and Development, APAC

I recognize there is unconscious bias inherent in society. My role as an ally is to actively remind myself and those around me to consciously review their bias and develop action plans to address this.
We should be focused around creating more opportunities for women to help each other and for allies to learn how they can help and contribute wherever possible. -Sam, Senior VP & Head of APAC, Deployment Solutions

Many of my best mentors along my journey have been women, so I have been fortunate enough to work in organizations that foster environments of inclusivity within their ranks, and I strive to continue this pattern of having women leaders within any group of which I am a member. — Jonathan, Executive VP, Global Deal Management, NA

Syneos Health is committed to challenging gender stereotypes, calling out discrimination, and seeking out inclusion. Together, we can create change. Follow along with our Women’s ERG as they continue to drive forward their mission. https://www.syneoshealth.com/womens-employee-resource-group-erg