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IWD Profile: Raffy Sgroi, Business Strategist/Founder Sage and Automotive Advocate/CEO, Car Mechanical Services

www.womengoingplaces.net How is life as a business coach? Being a business couch or strategist is incredibly fulfilling. I get to witness transformations not just in businesses, but in people. Every day brings new challenges and opportunities to help entrepreneurs unlock their potential. It’s gratifying to see my clients break through barriers they once thought were insurmountable. What gives you job satisfaction? Truly, seeing my clients achieve what they initially thought impossible. Whether it’s helping a woman-led business scale up or witnessing one of our female trainees at Car Mechanical Services master a new skill, these breakthrough moments are priceless. Achieving our 40 per cent female trainee rate in our auto repair centre is a testament to what’s possible when you commit to change. Women in business – and your encouraging role for other women? As a business strategist and automotive industry leader, I’ve made it my mission to create pathways for women in traditionally male-dominated spaces. I help women recognise their potential and unapologetically claim their seats at the table. It’s about building confidence, providing practical strategies, and creating supportive networks. What holds women back? Often, it’s a combination of systemic barriers and internalised limitations. I’ve seen brilliant women hesitate to take leadership roles or doubt their expertise despite clear evidence of their capabilities. Women often face a paradox. It’s known as the ‘Double Bind Dilemma’. If women are assertive and confident, they’re labelled ‘bossy’ or ‘aggressive,’ but if they’re soft-spoken, they’re dismissed as ‘weak’ or ‘indecisive.’ This dynamic is one of the most damaging barriers to female leadership in […]

International Women’s Day: Janice Tay, Founder and Clinical Director of Bridging the Gap

www.womengoingplaces.net Explain to readers about Bridging the Gap Bridging the Gap (BtG) is an integrated early intervention centre dedicated to supporting children with developmental needs aged 18 months to 7 years. We take a multidisciplinary approach, combining speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational therapy, and social skills development to ensure that each child receives holistic and personalised support. Our goal is to create a nurturing environment where children can build confidence, develop essential skills, and integrate with their peers, empowering them to reach their full potential. What challenges do you have with your son Emmanuel? Emmanuel was born prematurely at 32 weeks and faced multiple medical conditions, including apraxia and global developmental delay. His early years were spent in and out of hospitals, undergoing surgeries and battling infections. As he grew older, I noticed significant challenges in his ability to communicate and integrate socially. Despite my best efforts to place him in mainstream settings, he struggled with anxiety and was often isolated or misunderstood. Watching him experience frustration and exclusion was heartbreaking, and it reinforced my determination to find the right support for him. Earlier on, you found there was a large gap in support? Yes, I quickly realised that there was a lack of comprehensive, holistic early intervention services in Singapore. Many centres focused on only one aspect of therapy—such as speech or occupational therapy—without addressing the broader developmental needs of the child. Additionally, there was minimal collaboration between early intervention centres and preschools, making integration even more difficult. I found myself navigating a fragmented system, with long waiting […]

The Broken Rung

The broken rung: a phenomenon even more pervasive than the glass ceiling in holding women back from career success. This book explains it and gives you strategies for how to overcome it and fulfill your potential. Women around the world do extremely well when it comes to their education. They graduate at higher rates than men do and have higher average GPAs. But then a strange thing happens: Upon entering the workforce, they immediately lose their advantage. When the first promotions come around, the slide continues—for every 100 men who are promoted to manager, only 81 women get promoted. This is what McKinsey senior partners Kweilin Ellingrud, Lareina Yee, and María del Mar Martínez call “the broken rung,” and its effects compound throughout women’s careers, causing women to fall behind at the start and keeping them from catching up. In this groundbreaking book, the authors reveal the problem’s underlying cause: while about half of a person’s lifetime earnings come from education and half from experience, men get more value from their experience than women do. www.womengoingplaces.net As the authors show, it is also here, in one’s experience, that the solution lies: How can women build their “experience capital” to level the playing field and maximise their earning potential? Based on over a decade of research, conversations with more than 50 remarkable leaders, and their own experiences as senior partners and as the first three consecutive chief diversity and inclusion officers for McKinsey, the authors weave data on the potential pitfalls across a career with inspiring and instructive stories of women who have climbed over the broken rung by using strategies that increased their experience capital. Leaders and companies must do more to address structural gender inequalities in the workplace—but you don’t have to wait. The Broken Rung is your guide, right […]

International Women’s Day 8 March: Bhawna Bareja on building a supportive future in automation

www.womengoingplaces.net Accelerating equality Swisslog Senior Software Testing Engineer, Bhawna Bareja, credits a feeling of gender equality in the workplace to a supportive environment, and encourages everyone – especially in typically male-dominated industries like automation – to continue to take positive action to support their peers. The 2025 International Women’s Day theme is “accelerate action on gender equality” and Bhawna believes she has seen firsthand what an impact this can make. “From the outside, there may be a difference in numbers between male and female staff, but working here I feel like I am treated equally with everyone else. I’ve received outstanding support from my manager, and other colleagues, and have been encouraged to learn new skills, try new things, and expand my capabilities,” she says. Bhawna has worked for warehousing and intralogistics leader, Swisslog, for more than two years, and in similar industries for the past decade. Her role as Senior Software Testing Engineer spans the entire project lifecycle, from quoting, to feature testing, to functional acceptance testing, to on-site testing, and ramp-up. “It’s a big task, but it’s also a fun one. My favourite part is the on-site testing when I get to visit the customer site and see everything come together. It’s the culmination of hard work from many different teams, so it’s satisfying when it all clicks into place,” she says. Women in STEM As part of last year’s International Women’s Day, an Australian Government event “Let’s Talk Women in STEM” revealed that just 27% of women are represented in the Australian STEM ecosystem. “The positive side of this statistic is that it leaves great potential for our […]

Bringing people back to real world connections

Kae Porter, founder of Amicii Sydney-based Kae Porter thrives on connecting people. So, it’s no surprise that this former legal industry marketer and award-winning PR agency owner has become a passionate tech entrepreneur. As the founder of Amicii, Australia’s first social experience marketplace, she is on a mission to put hospitality back at the heart of human connections. Amicii is not another social networking platform, it’s designed to bring people together in real life. By blending digital innovation with our innate desire for face-to-face interactions, Amicii fosters meaningful social connections over shared dining experiences, while also supporting local hospitality businesses. “Put simply, this is not a dating app,” Kae explains. “It’s an authentic way to meet new people, create friendships, and socialise. Hence the name, which is derived from the Italian word for friends.” The idea for Amicii was born from Kae’s own experiences. When her adult children moved out, she found herself eager to rediscover Sydney’s vibrant dining scene but often lacked the right company. “For probably the last two decades, people have gone deeper into the online world, and we are told we are more connected than ever before,” she says. “But in reality, we’ve systematically removed so many of the natural opportunities for serendipitous connections that used to happen in everyday social life.” Life transitions, whether becoming an empty nester, relocating for work, or simply experiencing shifts in social circles, can leave people feeling disconnected. Rather than accept this as the new normal, Kae saw an opportunity to bridge that gap and solve her own problem of how to meet new people. “We all go through changes that disrupt our social networks,” she says. “And we’re left asking ourselves, ‘What do I do now?’ I realised that enjoying great hospitality venues shouldn’t depend on whether you have […]

Beatrice Toh, Founder, HeyDoodle

Beatrice Toh, Founder of HeyDoodle is a a mum of three who left a long career in architecture to turn her side-hustle into her now full-time gig. Beatrice founded the multi-award-winning HeyDoodle range of eco-friendly silicone playmats and creative play products in 2019, after recognising a gap in the market for products that combine education, fun and sustainability. “I was constantly on the hunt for ways to keep my kids entertained while encouraging their development and eco-consciousness. As any parent will attest, engaging young children in ways that aren’t screen-based especially when out and about can be very trying. So HeyDoodle is effectively my personal solution turned full-time business,” explains Beatrice. Today, HeyDoodle sells online and is stocked via more than 800 Australian retailers and trading in more than 25 countries and growing rapidly. Here’s a QandA with Beatrice which you’re welcome to quote. Otherwise, I can easily arrange for Beatrice to answer other Qs if you’d like to just shoot through to me… How did you decide to start your business? What inspired you? In a nutshell, a gap in the market. My eureka moment came amid experiencing the onset of the construction industry slump at the same time as my early years of parenthood in 2018-19. I am a Master of Architecture graduate and a registered architect. I’d been working as a full-time architect for many years and my husband runs an architecture firm. The slump hit us hard and it was quite an uneasy time for us – as for many in our field. In addition to all the professional pressures at the time and like most mums, I was constantly on the hunt for ways to keep my kids entertained while encouraging their development and eco-consciousness. As a parent looking for a convenient, affordable and […]

Women Going Places: Marsya Ruzana Aw, First Principals Education, Singapore

Marsya Ruzana Aw is the Head of Study Skills at First Principles Education, Singapore’s study skills education technology company. Marsya’s journey from a struggling Nanyang Technological University (NTU) student to spearheading transformative educational innovations offers a compelling narrative of perseverance, empowerment, and innovation. Marsya’s path with First Principles Education began during her undergraduate years at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where she struggled academically and realised the limitations of traditional education methods. Lacking effective study strategies, she crossed paths with Emil Lim, CEO and Founder of First Principles Education, who became her mentor. Under his guidance, Marsya not only improved her academic results but discovered her passion for mentoring others, leading her to pursue a Master’s Degree in the Science of Learning from NTU. Her postgraduate studies deepened her understanding of neuroscience, educational theories, and practical applications of study skills, all of which she now applies to empower students. As Head of Study Skills, Marsya spearheads innovative programmes designed to transform how students approach learning. Grounded in neuroscience and tailored to individual needs, her methods are practical, student-centred, and focus on equipping learners with lifelong skills. Marsya’s leadership has also driven the development of an A.I.-powered tool, a groundbreaking initiative to help students identify and learn from their mistakes, ensuring they do not repeat them. Her vision is to empower students to become independent learners, confident in their ability to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. Marsya’s leadership style is collaborative and community-focused. Inspired by insights gained during her Master’s studies alongside school leaders, she has created a nurturing environment where mentors act as elder siblings to students. This approach is reflected in initiatives like weekly refresher clinics at First Principles Education, which help students remain engaged, reinforce their study skills, and stay accountable for applying these techniques to their schoolwork. […]

The return of 90s culture echoes a backlash to feminism that we’ve seen throughout history

Julie Whiteman -Julie Whiteman, Lecturer in Marketing, University of Birmingham I came of age in the 1990s and lived through the heavily gendered pop culture of Spice Girls and All Saints, Oasis and Blur, of lads and ladettes outdoing each other in heavy drinking and sexual exploits. Now in my 40s, I thought this brash and overtly sexist culture had faded out. It appeared to have been replaced by a socially progressive and inclusive generation focused on body and sex positivity, gender and sexual fluidity. And so I was surprised to see my generation Z research participants romanticise the 1990s as a belle epoque. First it was Sex and the City, then lad’s mag Loaded and now Oasis. Popular culture from the 1990s is having a moment in the mid-2020s. The 90s have been a stylistic and cultural influence on youth culture for the best part of a decade, with large amounts of money invested in big-name reboots and reunions. I began researching young adults’ sexual politics and their relationship to popular culture back in 2016. It was clear from my observations of the clothing, social media and references back then that the 90s were a major cultural influence. I remember being surprised by the popularity of the TV shows like Friends and musicians including Shaggy, Oasis and Suede from my own youth. Every generation has a romanticised nostalgia for the fashion, music and attitudes of the previous. When I was a teenager, my friends and I held a romanticised nostalgia for the music, fashion and sense of freedom we believed characterised the 60s and 70s. This view, however, did not align with my parents’ and their peers’ recollections of that time. What is most interesting here is the apparent contradiction in values. The objectification of women at the heart of 90s pop culture does not gel […]

HeForShe marks ten years with a movement of 2 million gender equality advocates

Since 2014, HeForShe has bolstered a global movement, engaging more than 2 million men and individuals of all genders in championing gender equality. This unique initiative, led by UN Women, has driven 3 billion conversations on topics ranging from closing the pay gap to combating violence against women, reaching more than 36 million people in 2023 alone, including those in crisis-affected areas. In 2023 alone, HeForShe engaged more than 300,000 employees across multiple member organisations, putting gender equality at the center of the conversations at workplaces, with at least USD 5.7 million in direct investments towards gender equality. To ensure the HeForShe movement continues pushing for gender equality over the next ten years, UN Women is announcing the addition of four new global leaders who have committed to making advancements within their respective sectors. They are Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain; Hugh Evans, CEO and Co-Founder of Global Citizen; Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank; and Michelle Terry, CEO of Movember. The new HeForShe Champions will join a growing and diverse cohort of leaders dedicated to transforming their institutions and setting new benchmarks for equality, ensuring that women and girls have equal opportunities in social, economic, and political spheres worldwide. Each of these Champions has committed to making gender equality an institutional priority, with bold targets and a commitment to annual monitoring and accountability. The new HeForShe Alliance Members’ respective commitments are as follows: H.E. Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain: The Government of Spain commits to promote gender rotation in the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly and equal access to decision-making positions, including at the multilateral level; to continue supporting and strengthening the work of UN Women by increasing its funding; to promote gender parity and equality in Spain, the EU, and […]

Progress is not parity

Over the past decade, women’s representation has increased at every level of corporate management. Most notably, women today make up 29 percent of C-suite positions, compared with just 17 percent in 2015. But progress has been much slower earlier in the pipeline, at the entry and manager levels. However, the corporate pipeline is not as healthy as the numbers suggest. Women remain underrepresented across the pipeline, a gender gap that persists regardless of race and ethnicity. Simply put, men outnumber women at every level. What’s more, women continue to face barriers at the beginning of the pipeline. They remain less likely than men to be hired into entry-level roles, which leaves them underrepresented from the start. Then, women are far less likely than men to attain their very first promotion to a manager role—a situation that’s not improving. In 2018, for every 100 men who received their first promotion to manager in 2018, 79 women were promoted; this year, just 81 women were. Because of this “broken rung” in the corporate ladder, men significantly outnumber women at the manager level, making it incredibly difficult for companies to support sustained progress at more senior levels. This phenomenon is even worse for women of colour, who represent only 7 percent of current C-suite positions—just a four-percentage-point increase since 2017. The ‘broken rung’ remains a significant barrier to women’s advancement, especially for women of colour. For every 100 men promoted to manager, 89 White women were promoted in 2024. Asian women have experienced the greatest improvements in the broken rung but encounter significant hurdles later in the pipeline. Women have made modest but meaningful gains at the vice president and senior-vice-president levels since 2018, but their progress is more fragile than it appears. The main driver of women’s increased representation was a reduction […]

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