Navigating the dynamics in the corporate world can be challenging. This is especially true for women. From the wage gap to the social expectations gearing women for a domestic life rather than a career-driven one, it can be an uphill battle to succeed in the boardroom. In the fields of venture capital and private equity (PE/VC) in the Southeast Asian region and across the continent, this is reflected in four key areas: culture, recruitment, advancement, and leadership.

The dichotomy between staying at home and caring for one’s family versus excelling in their chosen profession is primarily what forces women to choose between one or the other, making them settle for background roles or leave their careers behind completely. Difficulty in securing maternity leaves and the lack of flexible work hours further aggravate the challenges women face — and this is true for most sectors, not only in the corporate world. 

However, Southeast Asia has been shifting towards shrinking the gender gap in recent years, and many are taking advantage of the positive change. Despite the expected slow turnaround of complete gender parity, women are taking the region by storm, especially in the tech industry. Of course, none of these welcome changes is happening by mere coincidence. There are real hardworking people actively trying to change the status quo and ultimately build a better, fairer future for women.

Overcoming barriers when it comes to opportunities for women

Erika Dianasari Go, value creation partner at Alpha JWC is one of the women turning the gender gap on its head in the region. Go’s role in the venture capital firm is to grow firm capacity, as well as advise startups on how to scale up their capabilities. In an interview with e27, Go shares that getting to where she is now was no easy feat. Growing up in a home environment that didn’t encourage women empowerment, Go pursued higher education to land a job in a firm that valued women’s voices.

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“I joined a private equity operating firm company which is a very male-dominated industry,” Go explained. From there, she secured another position in the automotive industry, which was more male-dominated than her last job. However, instead of deterring her, Go used the experience to gain new insights and perspectives on her position as a woman in the corporate world. In fact, she was able to maximise her unique viewpoints as a woman to help improve company culture. “I realised, being a female role in a very male-dominated environment is good because it helps provide a different overview and influence when the firm is willing to listen and learn,” Go shared.

In 2015, Go began to take notice of the growing startup industry in Indonesia and found her passion in helping grow these up-and-coming companies. It was also around this time that an opportunity to join Alpha JWC came. She believed that the firm’s values of guiding entrepreneurs towards upscaling their businesses aligned with her own vision — improving businesses and helping empower people. The rest is history.

Empowering women to lead

Despite the challenging road ahead for women from entry-level to the C-suite, Go understands the potential for the industry to foster inclusivity and minimise the gender gap. A quick overview of the corporate blueprint of a majority of startups across Southeast Asia would show that the entrepreneurial landscape is still largely dominated by men. Go believes this is due to the challenges women face in the workplace, particularly in terms of balancing home life and work — especially in the case of working mothers. In order to solve this, Go believes that women are more empowered to take on larger roles when workplace cultures and environments become more conducive for women, and therefore, for working mothers.

Go understands these nuances as a mother herself. Coming from a place of understanding women’s experiences through her own life story, she is able to help uplift other women within her industry and outside it. The rest of the Alpha JWC executives hold similar values as family-oriented leaders, as seen in the strong pro-family culture within the company.

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However, despite corporate prospects for women, there are fewer women at the forefront of the industry. In addition, although women don’t feel the pay gap in startups and VCs compared to other workplaces, there is still a need to have more women lead teams in different fields. At Alpha JWC, women aren’t just given flexibility, they’re also given the chance to lead. The company achieves this by fostering both male and female employees’ abilities to match their skills with the position they’re best suited for.

Such a move is necessary not just at the firm level, but also on a systematic scale. Similar to her own experiences, Go pointed out that women need to be more actively involved in their own empowerment by providing a platform or community that allows them to build meaningful connections with each other. It is in this show of solidarity that women can draw the strength to empower themselves, and more importantly, empower other women.

Male counterparts can also help amplify women’s voices in the VC industry and beyond by being supportive of the needs of their women colleagues, such as the desire for genuine work-life balance, as well as being understanding of the specific and complex experiences that shape how they work.

Alpha JWC and filling in the gender gap

Go also mentioned that in Alpha JWC, the company fosters a culture of empowerment for all, providing co-equal team support — both for men and women on the team. Banking on the concept of “WE culture,” the firm levels off everyone on common goals and objectives to enable them to reach their full potential, as well as maximise the team’s capacity. In addition, the company fosters a communicative environment where everyone’s input is heard and given equal importance. 

On their end, the senior management of the company doesn’t put any pressure on staff to work past office hours, ensuring the work-life balance that many women look for to thrive in their careers without sacrificing their home life. New mothers are also encouraged and supported should they want to take extended maternity leave, and they can do so without feeling as though their careers will be impacted as the partners regularly have 1-on-1 catchups with everyone to chart and discuss their professional and personal development.

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Alpha JWC provides support to startups, both financially and in terms of portfolio management, taking on several approaches including finding the most suitable talents, brand building, and addressing strategic issues. Despite its progress, Alpha JWC believes in continuously improving its role in promoting gender parity in the industry and in the region, and is currently taking the steps to empower its employees to do the same. The company believes that while we as a society have made tremendous strides in creating a more inclusive corporate landscape, so much more can be done.

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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by Alpha JWC

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The post Breaking barriers and bias: How this VC empowers women to take the lead appeared first on e27.