Boasting a gender balance that is exactly 50/50 – rare for both tech and property, Locale discusses why we must #ChooseToChallenge for International Women’s Day 2021 to continue to forge change for women in the world.
In the tech industry, it can be easy to celebrate the leaps and strides we make in innovation, technological advancement, and transformation. Yet we consistently overlook the lack of movement in breaking down the barriers obstructing women from leadership roles and opportunities within business and technology. To unlock the full potential of gender diversity, it is critical to individually and collectively challenge what we see in workplaces, processes, and biases to ensure ongoing positive change.
Toni Delli-Compagni, Chief Operating Officer at Locale, shares her experience of the ever-evolving changes she has seen in the opportunities and attitudes afforded to women in education and work, she says, “For me, high school encouraged women towards roles that were seen as typically more female, and there were roles we were told were exclusively for men. This carried through to the workplace when I started working in hotels in 1999, where I worked for an all-male senior management team. Today, we are told to be whatever we want and pursue roles of all interests, industries and backgrounds.”
She continues, “I see International Women’s Day as a platform to honour those who bucked the trend, allowing future generations to pursue their goals and highlight the value women have brought and continue to bring to businesses across the globe.”
International Women’s Day is a global call to action to celebrate female achievement, recognise female contribution, and rally for equal gender opportunities. Despite its meteoric rise in recent years and collective celebration, there are still many outdated perspectives and beliefs on gender roles. This is echoed by Locale Account Manager Anna Abramova who says “In my home country of Russia, International Women’s Day has long been considered a national holiday, and is the only day of the year dedicated to celebrating women of all ages, social statuses and occupations.
She continues “The irony is not lost on me that Russia was one of the first countries to implement this day despite their lasting conservative views of gender roles. It was because of these views that the “true” history behind International Women’s Day only became known to me at a later stage of life, with education and international travel supporting my evolving views of the world as well as what it means to be a woman in it. The world is constantly evolving as well as our understanding of it, and we must continue to challenge the perception of what it means to be a woman to truly make long lasting change across the globe.”
At Locale, every department has female representation as well as equal leadership, from the boardroom, to development, to sales, to client services. We believe true innovation and inspiration happens when every voice is present. Laura Burson, Manager of Locale Life, the Complete Tenant Experience Solution, says, “I am proud to work for a company with women in leadership roles, that looks to promote equal opportunities and truly listens to different voices. For #IWD2021, I choose to challenge gender stereotypes and bias, call out inequality, and do what I can to make a positive difference for women.”
