Top CEOs in Davos – Barclays, eBay, Cisco, Marriott, UBS, Mercer – Say “Men Matter” in Driving Gender Diversity
January 20 2016 - 4:07PM
Business Wire
- Preview of Global When Women Thrive
Report highlights need for leadership
- Mercer launches When Women Thrive 2020
Challenge asking companies to share innovations advancing
women
Some of the world’s most notable in business – CEOs from
Barclays, eBay, Cisco, Marriott, Mercer, and UBS – gathered in a
powerful kick-off breakfast to the World Economic Forum Annual
Meeting in Davos with a single message about one of the greatest
opportunities for global economic development and corporate growth:
Women.
The event – “The Role of Men: Leading the Charge Together”
hosted by Mercer’s When Women Thrive global initiative for action –
was intentionally designed to focus on just that: Men’s roles in
increasing gender diversity in the workplace.
“Men have a unique opportunity in this as we still make up 80%
of the executive ranks and even more than that at the CEO level,”
said Julio A. Portalatin, Mercer President & CEO. “We have a
unique obligation to be out in front on growing women in the
workforce. It’s not a ‘women’s’ issue. This is a workforce
issue.”
“There is no room for excuses in this regard,” said Jűrg
Zeltner, CEO of UBS Wealth Management, regarding the lack of
women’s representation. “I don’t think we should sit in board rooms
without women.”
He pointed out that half the wealth managed by UBS is held by
female clients with an average client relationship of 47 years,
equal to three generations. “We lose women exactly when we’ve
trained them and they’re at their best.”
eBay’s Devin Wenig, whose company has 170 million active
customers, one-half of which are women, said: “We could employ all
guys in Silicon Valley, but that’s not going to help us understand
our customer.”
“Three years ago we made a commitment to publish our data,” he
added. “And the only thing worse than avoiding the issue is talking
about it and not doing anything about it. So when we
created transparency, people really started being held
accountable.”
Cisco’s Chuck Robbins said one move he’s made around pay equity
is to put data into the review process – part of a US$2+ million
investment in the framework and analytics for pay parity.
“If we’re serious about the problem, let’s be transparent,”
Robbins said. “If we review sales numbers, let’s also review the
people numbers, and let's invest in the capabilities to ensure
all employees are compensated fairly and equitably.”
Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson said of the hospitality industry,
“We’re in a business about welcoming and caring for people, areas
that have long been strengths of women. How do we make sure these
women can become GMs (general managers) and, ultimately, executives
of the hotel?”
In previewing the January 27 release of the When Women Thrive
Global Report, Mercer’s Pat Milligan highlighted new data on
leadership engagement, or lack thereof – saying engagement of men
in diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts has dropped from 49%
to 38%, more than 10 points, since 2014.
“We all want to change this,” said Ms. Milligan. “And the good
news is, we can. Join these leaders in taking Mercer’s When Women
Thrive 2020 survey (here) and sharing how you are helping women
thrive in your organization.”
Barclays Investment Bank CEO John Winter shared some of his own
key findings, saying 47% of the Bank’s female entrepreneur
customers want to start another business within the next three
years, while only 17% of men do. On average, however, the women's
businesses are more profitable.
Hanzade Dogan Boyner focused on her commitment to change the
culture at her Internet companies in Turkey. “Why do women give up
at some point?” she asked. “Because it's very difficult
to rise to the CEO level and raise two kids. So we
need to change the culture.”
The When Women Thrive report, the most comprehensive of its kind
focused on women in the workplace, will feature 10-year forecasts,
rankings, and insights into a host of key factors and how companies
stand on issues ranging from leadership and pay equity to flexible
leave, financial wellness, and health programs. To participate in
the global launch and briefing with experts, register here.
For more information about Mercer’s When Women Thrive
initiative, visit www.WhenWomenThrive.net.
About Mercer
Mercer is a global consulting leader in talent, health,
retirement and investments. Mercer helps clients around the world
advance the health, wealth and performance of their most vital
asset – their people. Mercer’s more than 20,000 employees are based
in 43 countries and the firm operates in over 140 countries. Mercer
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies
(NYSE:MMC), a global professional services firm offering clients
advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people.
With 57,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue exceeding $13
billion, Marsh & McLennan Companies is also the parent company
of Marsh, a leader in insurance broking and risk management; Guy
Carpenter, a leader in providing risk and reinsurance intermediary
services; and Oliver Wyman, a leader in management consulting. For
more information, visit www.mercer.com. Follow Mercer on Twitter
@Mercer.
About Marsh & McLennan Companies
MARSH & McLENNAN COMPANIES (NYSE:MMC) is a global
professional services firm offering clients advice and solutions in
the areas of risk, strategy and people. Marsh is a leader in
insurance broking and risk management; Guy Carpenter is a leader in
providing risk and reinsurance intermediary services; Mercer is a
leader in talent, health, retirement and investment consulting; and
Oliver Wyman is a leader in management consulting. With annual
revenue of $13 billion and approximately 60,000 colleagues
worldwide, Marsh & McLennan Companies provides analysis, advice
and transactional capabilities to clients in more than 130
countries. The Company is committed to being a responsible
corporate citizen and making a positive impact in the communities
in which it operates. Visit www.mmc.com for more information and
follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @MMC_Global.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160120006427/en/
MercerStacy Bronstein,
+1-215-982-8025stacy.bronstein@mercer.comorJennifer
Openshaw, +1-347-244-5008jennifer.openshaw@mercer.com
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