Spain celebrated European Diversity Day for the second year with an event organized by Fundación Diversidad, together with the State Secretariat for Social Services and Equality.
Fundación Diversidad and the State Secretariat for Social Services and Equality celebrated European Diversity Day for the second consecutive year. The event took place this Wednesday, June 11, and featured various experts on diversity.
Raquel Santamaría, Director of Fundación Diversidad, opened the event together with Ignacio Sola, Deputy Director General for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination at the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. They highlighted the importance of celebrating this day and the value of diversity as a vital element for social and economic development.
Raquel Santamaría presented the "Selfie for Diversity" campaign created for this day, which invited people to upload "self-portraits" with their colleagues, family, friends, etc., thus demonstrating that diversity is everywhere.
This was followed by presentations on various European Union initiatives supporting diversity management by Juan González-Mellizo, Head of the Anti-Discrimination Policies Section at the Directorate for Equality, Directorate-General for Justice, European Commission, who pointed out that "there is still much to be done in the field of diversity, since society is largely unaware of the existence of organizations dedicated to assisting victims of discrimination and is also seriously misinformed about their rights."
Women, Solidarity and Destiny
Marta Williams, a renowned journalist and coach, analyzed the role of women in management positions and encouraged women to support one another.
Williams noted that, according to the GRANT THORNTON INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS REPORT 2013 study, "In Spain, women make up 45% of the workforce; however, the percentage of women in company management has declined in recent years. In 2011, 24% of women held management positions in Spanish companies with between 100 and 500 employees; in 2012, this fell to 22%, and in 2013 it stood at 21%. Only 16% of all CEOs of Spanish companies are women, while in the European Union the figure for women is 24%."
Citi and MetLife: Business Experiences in Diversity Management
Two companies that are partners of Fundación Diversidad, Citi and MetLife , presented the diversity management policies they apply in their companies and shared different perspectives with the audience.
Citi introduced its code of conduct and the many initiatives it has developed during its more than 10 years of work on diversity. Diversity is part of its DNA, and managing that diversity enables the company to pursue a future growth strategy and serve customers who are themselves very diverse. We also learned about Citi's organizational plans for employee development and advancement, which include training, leadership and talent management programs. One of its initiatives is the Women's Network, which it has been running for three years. It currently has 130 members, both men and women, and a sponsor who gives visibility to the committee within senior management. Ultimately, this network seeks to promote women at every level. Among the various events held to promote diversity throughout the organization, the company celebrates Diversity Week, which this year will take place during the last week of this month.
At MetLife, diversity management is also carried out through a distinct strategic line that advocates inclusion as everyone's responsibility. Employees are the ones who must propose the measures they need to feel included. The company has two local leaders, one in Spain and one in Portugal, who represent the employee voice in order to achieve the participatory approach sought by the company's strategic plan. The measures proposed by employees are subsequently validated by the General Manager for implementation. The company also has various mentoring and talent management programs to help employees advance and move into management positions.
At MetLife , work has begun on promoting women to senior management positions. In this context, the company recently launched WomNet (Women Network), whose mission is to support and foster professional development by identifying, attracting and retaining talented professional women within the company.
We also had a panel consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, and the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. They presented their lines of work relating to the promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility, business and human rights, and policies promoting equal opportunities in the workplace. These initiatives demonstrate the commitment of public administrations to diversity management and the implementation of equality policies.
It was thus highlighted that, in terms of women's representation in management positions, the proportion of women on the boards of directors of IBEX 35 companies rose from 11% in 2011 to 15% in 2013 during the same period (EU data), while internally compiled data show that it exceeded 18% in 2014. The same trend can be seen among women in senior management positions at IBEX 35 companies, rising from 7.8% to 12.9% in 2012.
Javier Benavente Barrón, President of Fundación Diversidad, and Carmen Plaza, Director General for Equality, jointly closed the event by announcing that this year they will launch the first awards recognizing diversity management in companies. The awards form part of the collaboration agreement signed between the Directorate General for Equal Opportunities and Fundación Diversidad.
DIVERSITY IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY
Spain celebrated European Diversity Day for the second year with an event organized by Fundación Diversidad, together with the State Secretariat for Social Services and Equality.
Fundación Diversidad and the State Secretariat for Social Services and Equality celebrated European Diversity Day for the second consecutive year. The event took place this Wednesday, June 11, and featured various experts on diversity.
Raquel Santamaría, Director of Fundación Diversidad, opened the event together with Ignacio Sola, Deputy Director General for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination at the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. They highlighted the importance of celebrating this day and the value of diversity as a vital element for social and economic development.
Raquel Santamaría presented the "Selfie for Diversity" campaign created for this day, which invited people to upload "self-portraits" with their colleagues, family, friends, etc., thus demonstrating that diversity is everywhere.
This was followed by presentations on various European Union initiatives supporting diversity management by Juan González-Mellizo, Head of the Anti-Discrimination Policies Section at the Directorate for Equality, Directorate-General for Justice, European Commission, who pointed out that "there is still much to be done in the field of diversity, since society is largely unaware of the existence of organizations dedicated to assisting victims of discrimination and is also seriously misinformed about their rights."
Women, Solidarity and Destiny
Marta Williams, a renowned journalist and coach, analyzed the role of women in management positions and encouraged women to support one another.
Williams noted that, according to the GRANT THORNTON INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS REPORT 2013 study, "In Spain, women make up 45% of the workforce; however, the percentage of women in company management has declined in recent years. In 2011, 24% of women held management positions in Spanish companies with between 100 and 500 employees; in 2012, this fell to 22%, and in 2013 it stood at 21%. Only 16% of all CEOs of Spanish companies are women, while in the European Union the figure for women is 24%."
Citi and MetLife: Business Experiences in Diversity Management
Two companies that are partners of Fundación Diversidad, Citi and MetLife , presented the diversity management policies they apply in their companies and shared different perspectives with the audience.
Citi introduced its code of conduct and the many initiatives it has developed during its more than 10 years of work on diversity. Diversity is part of its DNA, and managing that diversity enables the company to pursue a future growth strategy and serve customers who are themselves very diverse. We also learned about Citi's organizational plans for employee development and advancement, which include training, leadership and talent management programs. One of its initiatives is the Women's Network, which it has been running for three years. It currently has 130 members, both men and women, and a sponsor who gives visibility to the committee within senior management. Ultimately, this network seeks to promote women at every level. Among the various events held to promote diversity throughout the organization, the company celebrates Diversity Week, which this year will take place during the last week of this month.
At MetLife, diversity management is also carried out through a distinct strategic line that advocates inclusion as everyone's responsibility. Employees are the ones who must propose the measures they need to feel included. The company has two local leaders, one in Spain and one in Portugal, who represent the employee voice in order to achieve the participatory approach sought by the company's strategic plan. The measures proposed by employees are subsequently validated by the General Manager for implementation. The company also has various mentoring and talent management programs to help employees advance and move into management positions.
At MetLife , work has begun on promoting women to senior management positions. In this context, the company recently launched WomNet (Women Network), whose mission is to support and foster professional development by identifying, attracting and retaining talented professional women within the company.
We also had a panel consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, and the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. They presented their lines of work relating to the promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility, business and human rights, and policies promoting equal opportunities in the workplace. These initiatives demonstrate the commitment of public administrations to diversity management and the implementation of equality policies.
It was thus highlighted that, in terms of women's representation in management positions, the proportion of women on the boards of directors of IBEX 35 companies rose from 11% in 2011 to 15% in 2013 during the same period (EU data), while internally compiled data show that it exceeded 18% in 2014. The same trend can be seen among women in senior management positions at IBEX 35 companies, rising from 7.8% to 12.9% in 2012.
Javier Benavente Barrón, President of Fundación Diversidad, and Carmen Plaza, Director General for Equality, jointly closed the event by announcing that this year they will launch the first awards recognizing diversity management in companies. The awards form part of the collaboration agreement signed between the Directorate General for Equal Opportunities and Fundación Diversidad.
