BTC women “Embrace Equity” at IWD Watch Party

BTC women “Embrace Equity” at IWD Watch Party

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — BTC, and its parent company, Liberty Latin America, hosted a “Watch Party” to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) last week that gave staff the opportunity to leave their workstations and tune in to several impactful seminars.

This year’s International Women’s Day was celebrated under the campaign theme of “Embrace Equity,” which called on individuals and organizations around the world to make gender equity a critical part of our society’s DNA.

BTC’s CEO Sameer Bhatti told staff that International Women’s Day was a day to reflect and recognize the many accomplishments and contributions of women to society and in the workplace.

“I’m proud of the strides that BTC has made to support and stand behind women,” Bhatti said.

“It is reflected in our population, with over 60 percent of our employee base being female, and the tide continues to shift as more than half of our senior leadership team comprises of women.”

Bhatti continued: “Our parent company was the first to launch an inclusive parental leave policy in the Caribbean. Through that policy, we’ve increased maternity leave from 13 to 16 weeks, and fathers and adoptive parents also receive 8 weeks of paid leave. This policy strengthens the family and provides a great deal of support.”

Host Cherrylee Pinder addresses the women of BTC at their recent International Women’s Day “Watch Party” held on March 8th at the Company’s Perpall Tract location.

An empowering keynote address was also given by Judge Asha Jackson of Atlanta, Georgia. She encouraged BTC women to pursue their passion, support each other in the workplace, and embrace equity. 

“Equity requires us all to dig a little deeper, to look a little closer, to stretch ourselves out of our comfort zone, to sacrifice, to advocate, and to invest,” Jackson said.

“Also be a woman who is authentic. It’s a daily practice of letting go of who we think we are supposed to be and embracing who we actually are.”

The Atlanta-based judge also encouraged BTC women to be a woman that other women can trust. She advised them to be the voice of reason in “stormy environments” and to give other women the support that they would need personally and professionally.

“We should all be able to look to another woman in our workspace or in our civic space for transparency. We should be a woman that other women can trust,” she said.

BTC’s Watch Party also featured several sessions hosted by its parent company, Liberty Latin America. The sessions included an LLA leadership roundtable and a Fireside Chat that focused on Embracing Equity in the next generation of women leaders. There was also a featured conversation with Akosua Dardaine Edwards – a Gender and Entrepreneurship specialist and Trinidad and Tobago’s social entrepreneur of the year. 

In addition to hosting a watch party, BTC also highlighted a number of its female staff on its social media sites. 

Last year, under the theme “Break the Bias,” BTC women learned about the role that they play in challenging gender bias, advocating against gender-based violence, and engaging in conversations about how they can create a more inclusive workplace.

According to a press release, BTC also took tangible actions to break the bias by supporting young women in the field of technology with its Future Tech Stars program. Through a partnership with the Society of Women Coders, more than 40 Bahamian teen girls were afforded the opportunity to learn more about the field of technology, specifically coding and web development, during a 20-week virtual program.