SheSparks 2025: Tackling workplace bias and championing women in leadership

To date, countless women still battle against biases and judgement in workplaces. But in order to break these barriers, companies need to be ready to have uncomfortable conversations and understand the impact of said biases in key decisions, believe industry leaders at SheSparks 2025.

In a panel discussion at SheSparks 2025 held in Shangri-La, Bengaluru, women leaders discussed the measures that need to be in place to counter such views in the workplace. One such measure, according to Ramya Parashar, Chief Operating Officer, MiQ Digital India, is the ready availability of good sponsors for women.

“One key challenge is whether they have genuine sponsors advocating for them. Sponsorship is crucial, especially when women are not in the room. We often talk about mentorship, but if we reflect, women tend to have more mentors than sponsors. This is a challenge men don’t typically face, as they network more, whereas women do not,” says Parashar.

Parashar calls on women to be curious and go beyond projects under their remit—not just to understand if an organisation is the right fit for them, but to also gain insights on how decisions are taken at the top and be sponsors for other women who are not in the room.

Meanwhile, Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Founder, Avtar Group, believes it is the responsibility of leaders, especially women, to self-reflect before decision-making processes. Avtar is a return-to-work, second career programme for women. It has helped over 2 lakh women get back into the workforce after a career break. 

“Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, it's there. It's there in the room when we walk in—we are judged. And that's human nature. We do it ourselves to men, and it happens vice versa as well,” says Anjana Chiramel, HR Director & DEI leader, Schneider Electric, highlighting that unconscious bias is a key barrier in increasing representation, especially in leadership positions. 

Companies are a different matter, as they involve an entire system of people who have absorbed many of these biases and have been very successful while doing so, explains Rajesh.

“For them, bias doesn’t come at a cost. These individuals include leaders, founders, and even all of us who have achieved success in their own ways, without bias ever seeming like a big issue. In this context, conscious de-biasing has to happen.” adds Rajesh. 

Asking uncomfortable questions, having difficult conversations, consciously taking note of inherent biases and understanding the impact of it in key decisions is crucial, especially for hiring and recruiting. 

“The positive side is, the moment you hold up a mirror and spend time having uncomfortable conversations with employees and leaders, change does happen," notes Chiramel.