Ria Karim’s gender equity drive, leadership

BAVINA SOOKDEO

In celebration of International Women's Day (IWD) which was observed on March 8, we continue to highlight the stories of women who have broken barriers and paved the way. Ria Karim is one such trailblazer who exemplifies resilience, determination, and a commitment to empowering women in various spheres of life.

Forty-five-year-old Karim is a seasoned executive with a wealth of experience in strategic planning, branding, marketing and communications, organisational growth and development and executive management in private and public organisations in the US and the Caribbean. She has a keen perspective on the administration of organisations, strategic alignment, market development and consumer loyalty in a host of sectors including fashion, film, music, entertainment, information technology, manufacturing and energy.

She grew up in Carapichaima, surrounded by a family of educators and strong women, and Karim’s upbringing laid the foundation for her belief in the limitless potential of women.

“In my own home, the example I saw before me every day was of a strong woman taking care of her family, working while having lofty ambitions that were pursued with the support of a very strong man. My mother was firm in her faith and quickly became a leader in her church, founding her own ministry and leading many initiatives over the years, supported at every step by my dad – a pioneer and leader in education and public service.

"She later started her own, highly-successful business which she continues to run today, while serving as the pastor of a church.”

Thanks to this upbringing, Karim developed an audacious spirit to pursue her dreams, regardless of societal expectations based on gender or background.

As an alumna of St Augustine Girls’ High School, Karim’s higher education marked a significant milestone. Despite financial constraints and the absence of a family precedent, she decided to study abroad, winning an open scholarship at A-levels and subsequently attended Georgetown University, Washington, DC, where she graduated cum laude. This not only shaped her academic and professional trajectory but also instilled in her independence, resilience and adaptability.

"Being away from my home and family proved much more difficult than I expected, but it was extremely formative and character-building for me."

Karim later earned an MBA with distinction from Arthur Lok Jack GSB.

She explained that she can look back at the example set by her parents and see that “instilled in us were critical elements for the progress of women: the opportunity to dream your own dreams; have a lofty vision for your life and a sense that you could do anything you want to do regardless of gender, ethnicity or difficulty, failure and criticism and get back up to try again, or try differently, while never giving up; faith – in God, in your family, in yourself; and the support of the male leaders and figures who encouraged all of the above without imposing gender specific conditions or restrictions.”

Throughout her career, Karim encountered challenges and obstacles, particularly as a working mother in a demanding professional environment. Despite facing biases and rigid expectations, she remained steadfast in her commitment to balancing her career aspirations with her role as a single mother.

“My own path as a career woman was not easy. I was a working wife and mom at the start of my career, in the US (where she eventually moved), when many of my counterparts were neither married nor parents.

"It was immediately clear to me that this was seen as a disadvantage on my part, as I could not dedicate similarly long hours to work, nor could I travel as necessary for my job. My son was a baby at the time.

"I remember having female managers who were extremely rigid and inflexible with me and reminded me that having a family was my choice, but this is the job that needed to be done. Most of them did not have children themselves and did not feel it necessary to provide the necessary support to create equitable working conditions for those with families.”

This, explained Karim is a critical point.

“There are many women who claim to be women’s-rights advocates and bandy around terms like 'women supporting women,' yet are the first to pull down another woman or use her family commitments against her, especially when it comes to career advancement. I have seen many women pushed out of workplaces by harsh and unbending policies or attitudes by those higher up – including women in leadership positions.”

Reflecting on her experience, she acknowledged the pivotal role played by forward-thinking male leaders who provided her with the flexibility and trust she needed to balance her career aspirations with her responsibilities as a single mother.

"I have been fortunate, as my career progressed, to have worked under some truly forward-thinking and supportive male managers, bosses, and mentors. I could never have achieved all that I did while remaining present in my son’s life without the trust they placed in me to manage my time so that I could fulfil my work responsibilities and obligations."

She emphasised the need for societal policies and conversations to reflect a genuine commitment to gender equality. She highlights the disparities in how men and women are discussed in public discourse, noting that women often face scrutiny of their personal lives and journeys to success, while men are evaluated based on their professional achievements and competence.

"If we want to say, as a society, that we provide equal access for men and women, that we support gender equality and we are inclusive, we must understand the needs of women and ensure that our policies cater to women’s needs and protect us at all levels from discrimination."

Karim calls for a shift in societal norms and standards to ensure women are judged based on their merit and contributions.

Her own resilience and determination propelled her forward. One accomplishment is the creation of the D'Junction App, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at providing women with a safe and reliable platform to navigate Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival festivities.

"It was a project that was near and dear to my heart because it was about the protection of women during Carnival and ensuring that women had a system they could check and rely on to help them navigate safely," she explained.

After she developed the app in 2016, it spread like wildfire and Karim has since been pushing the app, improving it every year by implementing more features such as emergency features, an event hub, the band tracker and a partnership with LimeTT.

“We have even expanded into Barbados Crop Over and Jamaica’s Carnival.”

And there are plans to expand even further.

Creating the app marked a turning point in Karim's journey, representing her inaugural foray into entrepreneurship in the tech industry.

"What was interesting was seeing how few women were operating in our technological space."

Since then, Karim has been actively engaged in sharing her expertise and experiences at numerous tech-centric forums and events. She has delivered speeches at gatherings including some hosted by the TT Intellectual Property Office and the World Intellectual Property Office in Switzerland.

Additionally, she has contributed to initiatives such as Girls in ICT, a project led by TSTT, which she found a rewarding experience, and TechYouth, hosted by bmobile. Karim has been a feature speaker at various IWD events, advocating for greater inclusion and representation of women in the tech sector.

Beyond her entrepreneurial ventures, Karim is dedicated to mentoring and empowering women in the workplace and beyond. She has lectured at UWI at the undergraduate level in modules on business planning, and at the Arthur Lok Jack GSB in mobile app strategy. She also serves as a mentor to startups with George Washington University and hopes to expand her reach by doing similar work with startups, especially women-founded businesses, in TT and the Caribbean.

Through her work as a business-strategy consultant and lecturer, Karim strives to create supportive conditions for women to succeed and thrive.

"I'm passionate about sharing my expertise and experience with female professionals. I believe that this is one way that we can meaningfully contribute to a more gender-inclusive and equitable workplace."

Karim is a vocal advocate for women's rights and gender equity, particularly in traditionally male-dominated industries such as the Carnival sector. Recognising the disparity in leadership and ownership in the Carnival industry, she is leading efforts to create greater transparency, representation and equity.

“What I am working towards creating is an association or a guild of service providers for the Carnival sector,” she explained. “This initiative aims to create transparency in compensation models, formalise contracts, and establish a representative body to address infractions and grievances."

Although Karim has dedicated herself to academic and professional endeavours, her greatest source of pride is her 21-year-old son.

Ria Karim's journey is a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and advocacy in advancing women's rights and gender equality.