How the Women at Bespoke #EmbraceEquity
International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 each year to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across the globe. It honours the work that has been done in the women’s rights movement while bringing awareness to the inequalities that still exist. This year’s theme, #EmbraceEquity draws attention to “Why equal opportunities aren’t enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action.”
To celebrate, we asked the women at Bespoke Audio Visual why IWD is important to them and how they #EmbraceEquity.
Brinda Mohan | HR Manager
Why is International Women’s Day important to you?
International Women’s Day gives us the opportunity to pause and appreciate the impact that women have on our daily lives, professionally, personally and everything in between. I’m thankful to participate in a society that empowers women and their choices and to work for a company that champions women.
What does equity mean to you?
To me, equity is recognizing that everyone has unique qualities and contributions to offer. Embracing equity can be aligning support to allow those to thrive at what they do best.
Alaina Perttula Anderson | Director of Production
Why is International Women’s Day important to you?
International Women’s Day is important to me because it is an opportunity for us in the predominantly male AV Industry, to reflect on how far women have come in the last few decades and how important it is for us all to continue to strive for equity. At my first full time AV job in 2007, I worked at a company that had around 150 full time staff. I was one of only 3 technical team members who were female; the other 5 women who worked there were in administrative roles. I was very lucky to have been mentored by some amazing women, but we still had to constantly hustle to prove ourselves. I look forward to the day that we can move through our careers and be referenced by our titles instead of having the word “female” preceding it.
How do you #EmbraceEquity?
I approach my work with a big focus on how to support my team’s success. Without being healthy, happy humans, we can’t perform at our best. Recognizing that people approach their work with different experiences, backgrounds and skillsets is important. There will never be a one-size-fits all approach that works in my opinion. We need to be openminded to creative solutions, embrace individuality, and assist our team members in finding the resources they need to succeed.
Eva Cherney | Production Coordinator
Why is International Women’s Day important to you?
It’s a chance to recognize the meaningful contributions made by women and to celebrate the work that has been done to get us to where we are now. The reason we have International Women’s Day is because there is so much more work to do!
What does equity mean to you?
Equity means fairness to me, in all aspects of life. Everyone should have the same chance to achieve their goals, live in our society, and be heard, no matter who they are.
How can the audiovisual industry better #EmbraceEquity?
The audiovisual industry has had one particular vanguard for a long time, but now more and more women and BIPOC are breaking through. It’s important that the audiovisual industry recognizes how important it is to bring those people up into leadership roles. Not only is it wonderful to see fresh faces, but it means we all get to learn a different way of doing things that the industry hasn’t seen before.
How do you #EmbraceEquity?
Embracing equity is not always easy; so many of us have been taught about equality only. I strive to listen to everyone, to get a clearer picture of what those around me need to achieve equity.