“As women, we have been conditioned to expect that those across from us are going to judge us unfairly and be biased toward us because of our gender. We live life with our guard up and hide our authentic selves because we fear we aren’t good enough. While bias is a systemic issue with multiple layers to unravel, that should not be an excuse to live with the status quo. Women need to ditch the expectation of bias, and instead lead with confidence in what we know we are capable of. Only once we start to break the power that bias has over us can we begin meaningful dialogue on the path forward.“
A special IWD message from Arlene Dickinson Share on X
Arlene Dickinson
CEO at Venturepark
Arlene Dickinson is a serial entrepreneur and General Partner of District Ventures Capital, a venture capital fund focused on helping market, fund and grow entrepreneurs and their companies, in the food and health space.
She is a three-time best-selling author, podcaster and accomplished public speaker. Dickinson is widely recognized for her role as a Dragon/Venture Capitalist for over 12 seasons on the multi-award-winning CBC television series, Dragons Den.
Ms. Dickinson’s leadership has been recognized many times, including Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame, the Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, as well as PROFIT and Chatelaine’s Top 100 Women Business Owners. She is a Marketing Hall of Legends inductee and a proud recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award. Dickinson has served for many years as an Honourary Captain in the Royal Canadian Navy.
She sits on several public and private boards and is actively involved in supporting the community and country.