Gagandeep K. Bhullar - Founder & CEO - The SuperHuman Race Private Limited - India/USA

We have 10 years to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. What are you doing to champion the Global Goals in your business?

At the SuperHuman Race, we are continuously building capacity across our ecosystem of partners to enable them to measure their progress against the 17 SDGs using data and technology. These partners include governments, multilateral organizations, companies, nonprofits, or individuals. Our platform continuously and automatically tracks progress against the SDGs. It also measures 360-degree sustainability by deploying 100+ analytics across various thematic, environmental, economic and social metrics for each one of these partners individually. It then, aggregates the impact, as appropriate across groups of partners.

Our vision is to have 1 billion individuals educated on the SDGs while also, performing individual actions for achievement of the SDGs in the next 5 years.

What motivates you to keep fighting for the issues you care about?

I derive motivation from the data available today on the Lack of equity in the world we Live in. I believe that in order for the human endeavor to continue being meaningful, it is important that we empower people from all walks of Life, genders, ethnic groups, etc. It is important for me, personally, to play a part in mainstreaming the participation and Leadership of women in business.

Can you share one obstacle that you had to overcome to achieve a successful career in business?

While being a woman in business is hard enough, being a young(er) woman in business is harder. Till this day I continue to struggle with preconceived notions regarding my seniority or competence because I do not fit into the standard profile of a senior Leader, since I am a young(er) woman of color. Over the years, I have studiously incorporated relentless polite assertions in order to overcome this barrier. While also employing various soft tactics of powerplay, usually incorporated by male Leaders, to create a Level playing field for myself.

Can you share one barrier to women's economic empowerment that you think is overlooked or not adequately prioritized? In your opinion, what needs to happen to accelerate the pace of change?

I think the stories that surround us have a deep impact on the evolution of society and these stories usually do not set women up for success in the business world. From fairytales, to anecdotal stories of success in the real world, modesty, sacrifice and empathy are virtues that are celebrated in women Leaders. These values are at dissonance with the typical attributes of Leadership Like assertion (even aggression in some cultures), justice, etc. We'll need to change our stories to change our reality.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with fellow women that are aiming to shatter the glass ceiling in the business world?

Build resilience by learning from and mentoring with both male and female leaders. I have found that the expectations from women leaders far exceed those from their male counterparts and there is little or no margin for error that is offered to women when they make decisions as leaders. In my experience, while competence

certainly plays a part in helping shatter the glass ceiling, it is essential to cultivate resilience and expect nothing less than 'due respect' at work.

What is one piece of advice that you would like to share with male leaders?

I'd advise that male leaders consciously and continuously reverse mentor with women leaders to understand the landscape from the latter's perspective. Additionally, I'd also recommend that for job promotions, trainings or other opportunities at work, gender-adjusted or gender-neutral processes for competency mapping be established based on objective criteria. Lastly, I've found that when even male leaders interview the same number of equally qualified, male and female applicants for a role, the chances of finding a good fit as well as women getting hired increases.