BIAZA hosts first International Women's Day conference

BIAZA was delighted to be joined by a plethora of inspirational women from across the zoo and aquarium sector in our first ever International Women’s Day Conference on 8th March. Over the course of the day, the conference saw scores of speakers take on everything from the barriers they have faced as individuals in their line of work, to encouraging new female talent to join and climb the ranks in the industry.  

The conference had many exceptional women from a range of roles talk about how they had come to achieve their success and build their career paths. This included vets, horticulturalists, keepers, conservationists and more.  

The day also featured panel discussions on female leadership – including discussions and conversations with many of the inspirational female CEOs from BIAZA zoos and aquariums, male allies, conservation educators and advice from HR departments on how to support women in the workplace.  

Conference organiser Frankie Lawrence-Thompson said: “I was so pleased so many people could join in and take part in our conference. I am proud to work for BIAZA, a progressive organisation that is passionate about improving conditions for everyone across the zoo sector, and an organisation that does not shy away from acknowledging and addressing the challenges facing women.” 

All profile talks and panel discussions from the conference will be uploaded to the BIAZA Youtube channel over the coming week for those who wish to catch up on missed sessions. 

As an organisation BIAZA is committed to ensuring that member zoos and aquariums are diverse and positive places to work for all, and that as a sector we are fully inclusive. BIAZA is proud to be a female-led organisation, having had strong female CEOs at the helm for over 20 years.