Women in Business: Use Bias as Fuel, Not Identity

Since it is March, the month when we celebrate International Women’s Day, I wanted to share a somewhat controversial perspective about women in business and how we navigate bias in the workplace.

When I started my career in the early 2000s in Eastern Europe and Central Asia we were still far away from the conversations that are common today — diversity and inclusion programs, women’s networks, gender equality initiatives, or movements like #MeToo.

Back then, these conversations simply did not exist in most companies. I began my career as a young, ambitious, and — as many people liked to point out — good-looking woman in my early twenties, navigating the world of male-dominated consulting and B2B information industries.

Over the next twenty years, I was fortunate to build a very successful international career. I worked with incredible leaders and had managers — both women and men — who supported my growth and believed in my potential.

But during those years, working with large organisations around the world, did I encounter bias? Of course I did.

Did I hear controversial jokes or borderline comments? Yes.

Did people sometimes underestimate me because I was young — and because I was a woman? Absolutely.

Were there moments when comments about my appearance made me uncomfortable? Yes, they did.

But here is the important question: Did those moments define my career? Did they stop me from progressing? Did they prevent me from building the career I wanted? No.

And that leads to a question I often reflect on: How do women not only survive — but thrive — in environments that were not originally designed for them?

One of the most important lessons I learned over those twenty years is this:

Use bias as fuel — but never as your identity.

Bias exists. Ignoring it doesn’t make it disappear. But allowing it to define you can quietly limit your confidence and your ambitions. Instead, I learned to focus on what I could control.

Preparation.

Competence.

Presence.

Results.

And yes — I also learned to use every asset I had.

There were many moments early in my career when I walked into meetings rooms in Central Asia or Eastern Europe filled with middle-aged men who clearly underestimated the young woman sitting across the table. I could see the assumptions, and sometimes even heard the question. So instead of fighting that perception directly, I focused on something else.

I would walk into the room well prepared, professionally dressed, confident, ready and a step ahead.

Becuase while some people might initially be distracted by the appearance of a young woman sitting in front of them, the conversation very quickly shifted to something much more important: competence and results.

Because in the end, nothing changes perceptions faster than consistently delivering outcomes.

Fast forward twenty years, and many things have changed. Today we see far more women in senior leadership roles, on executive teams, and on corporate boards. Conversations about diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities are now part of how organisations think about leadership and culture. Men are more aware of the role women play in business, and many actively support and welcome this progress.

But does bias still exist? Do inappropriate comments or uncomfortable questions still appear from time to time? Of course they do.

Because at the end of the day, we are still humans — learning how to operate in a constantly evolving professional and social environment. What matters most is how we respond to it.

So today, I want to celebrate every woman who is building a career, leading teams, negotiating deals, and shaping organizations.

Women who have faced bias.

Women who have faced challenges.

Women who have had moments of doubt.

And who nevertheless continue to show up, deliver results, and move forward — without allowing bias to determine who they are.

Because progress is not only built through policies and programs. It is built every day by people who choose competence, confidence, and perseverance.