Equality is the goal; equity is the means to get there.

March the 8th puts the spotlight on women. International Women's Day is devoted to celebrating the achievements of women and seeking gender equality.

This year's theme is #EmbraceEquity, and it focuses on equity as a way reach equality.

Creating an equitable culture

HFL's headcount has risen by 104% in the last three years, signifying a time of rapid growth for a business leading in the venture capital market both during and after the pandemic.

HFL has reacted quickly, creating a culture that recognises its employees as its most valuable asset and showing a real commitment to finding and retaining the best talent.

Much has already been said about how the pandemic highlighted the necessity to embrace new ways of working, with remote working and flexibility in working hours becoming not just the norm but the expectation.

Understanding that there is not a one size fits all approach when it comes to work-life balance has been critical to our success in enabling our employees' needs, regardless of gender.

#EmbraceEquity

Equity and equality are two related but distinct concepts.

Equality refers to treating everyone in the same way, without discrimination or preference. It means everyone has the same rights, opportunities, and access to resources. That's our goal.

Equity, on the other hand, refers to fairness and justice in distributing resources and opportunities. It recognises that different people have different needs, backgrounds, and circumstances, but that should not be a barrier to achieving equality.

In other words, equality is about sameness, while equity is about fairness, focusing on ensuring that everyone has what they need to succeed.

HFL is proud to celebrate this day in support of the 31 women we currently employ and champion their achievements.

62% of HFL's current workforce is female, with 82% operating in management positions and above.

Much of this evolution has been organic, we believe, not just because the buy-in to this initiative is implemented by our senior leadership team first, three out of five being female, but also because of the policies and culture that we have developed to help employees manage their busy lives around their work.

We also appreciate that to retain and attract good people, the opportunity for career development is equally important. So routes for learning and development are open to those seeking them, coupled with the support they need to achieve a rewarding career. That is equity in action.

Equity is about a level playing field. That concept led us to review our parental support, maternity and adoption leave policies. We believe that creating gender equity for parents is not mutually exclusive, breaks down societal norms and creates pathways for success for all, and that businesses like ours are the heart of the community and the values we hold break barriers to carving out gender equity for all.