The Women's Forum of Stanbic Bank Ghana, Blue Fusion, marked this year's International Women’s Day celebration with a panel discussion under the theme 'Fostering Inclusion at the Workplace: How do you get a Seat at the Table?'.

The event was held at the Asokwa Branch of the bank in Kumasi and showcased insights from leaders and experts from the bank.

The discussion was moderated by Miriam Amissah, Head of Client Experience at Stanbic Investment Management Services who led the panelists to deliberate the topic and discuss keys to ensuring that women secure their seats at the table.

Doreen Iliasu, Head of Legal and Governance and the Executive Sponsor of the Stanbic Ladies’ Forum (Blue Fusion) encouraged her female counterparts in the bank to not relent in their efforts to rise to the top.

She said, “The fight to secure a place at the top will be fruitless if our women do not prepare themselves to occupy those positions. As women, we need to go the extra mile and ensure that we are adequately prepared to seize opportunities when they come our way.

"Pay no heed to underhanded comments from male colleagues nor even ourselves. Keep your eyes on the goal, be professional at all times and you could equally achieve great things just as other women have done in the past’’.

Head of People and Culture at Stanbic Bank, Sammy Teye, also shared a few nuggets of wisdom as a panellist and urged women in top positions to support the younger ones to break barriers.

He said, “At Stanbic Bank, we believe in changing lives. Admittedly women go through things that men can never understand.  The playing field is certainly uneven but we must all contribute to leveling it.

"I am always proud when I see women occupying top positions. It is a sign to other women that indeed it is possible. Reach out to the others and mentor them so that they do not face the same hardships you faced and they will be empowered to go for gold.”

Regional Manager for Ashanti-Bono, Anthony Asare, also encouraged women to take advantage of opportunities that come their way.

Stressing that “As a woman, it's important to embrace ambition; the traditional patriarchal narrative is slowly evolving. To seize opportunities as they arise, it's essential to be well-prepared and assertive. Don't hold back in the name of being 'ladylike'; speak up!

"Your confidence and ambition are key to securing and retaining a seat at the table. Embrace boldness so that when the right opportunity presents itself, you'll be fully prepared to achieve remarkable things.”

The Stanbic Ladies Forum; Blue Fusion is an initiative aimed at fostering growth, development, and leadership among women in the bank. 

It was created to pave the way for a brighter and more inclusive future for women in the bank to promote gender equality and empowerment.

The group also launched the Blue Fusion Mentorship Program aimed at guiding and empowering women within the bank in their careers, at the same event.

Akorfa Takal, Head of Learning and Development at Stanbic Bank, shared that the program was in line with the bank's belief in creating an environment of inclusion for all to thrive.

She said that the management of Stanbic Bank believes that men and women are equally capable of doing great things. That is why they have several women occupying top management positions, and they are working to increase the number.

“As a bank, we strongly believe in creating a levelled playing field for women to be empowered to achieve great things without any restrictions. We are proud to have some of the smartest and brightest women in the industry as part of the blue family’’, she said.