GEODIS aims for 25% of its leadership positions to be held by women by 2023
While the roles held in 2017 were at 13 per cent, it increased to 18 per cent in 2020 and the company is now looking to also increase to recruit more women in the 'male-dominated' industry.
GEODIS is holding its annual GEODIS Women’s Network (GWN) summit today. This is dedicated to giving both its male and female employees opportunities to express themselves, make suggestions, initiate or support actions that contribute positively to gender equality and that help increase the number of women in leadership positions. The network is also intended to improve the reputation of the logistics and transport industry, a field traditionally dominated by men, to one with an image of greater equality and attractive to women.
“We want to continue the action we have already initiated and give women the means to access key positions. Our goal is to increase the number of women in managerial positions,” says Mario Ceccon, executive vice president human resources for GEODIS group. He adds, “At 13 per cent in 2017, women now hold 18 per cent of leadership positions. We are aiming for 25 per cent by 2023.”
The GWN is a worldwide network open to all employees, supported by senior management, and energised by an active steering committee made up of women and men from various countries in which the group is active (France, Germany, Denmark, Singapore, the USA, etc.), and representative of various functions such as: Human Resources, Operations and the Group Management Board. The GWN acts to promote inclusion, reduce professional disparities between men and women, improve the balance between work and private life and provide equal career prospects. “With a woman as CEO, GEODIS is already signaling loud and clear that women have access to leadership positions” says Ceccon.
Over the next three years, the GWN will concentrate its actions on objectives which include studying and harmonising possible wage disparities, establishing a program aimed at placing more women in leadership positions and increasing the recruitment of women and women’s representation in the transport and logistics industry as a whole.
Attracting more women to the logistics and transport sector
The network’s other objective is to re-align the sector’s image by promoting actions that encourage women to make a career choice to join a logistics and transport organisation. “We encourage women to access positions offered in the transport and logistics industry. Our program will help to change an outdated, male dominated image of our sector,“ concludes Ceccon.
