Think, Act, Report: Gemalto
Connected Women Network
Gemalto has a firm commitment to equality and diversity. Our corporate HR strategy is structured around 8 activity pillars which implement the tools required to support management and employees’ overall development and satisfaction. The formation of a Connected Women Network is in line with our ‘diversity pillar’.
This is a grassroots initiative formed by pioneers amongst the organisation representing various business areas, functions and seniority. In H1 2014 we held our first global networking event to gather representatives from each country, share experiences, and start to define a more formal network for Gemalto.
As a digital security company, technology is the centre of our success. In the UK, females represent 11% of our technical team and 29% of our supervisory and managerial team. With the overall UK headcount at 39% female, it is sensible for us to monitor and give consideration to these statistics.
The organisation has delivered on its aggressive growth by acquisition strategy, and as a result we have several business units operating independently. This has also given rise to a number of employees working remotely from their UK and global colleagues.
It is recognised that pro-activity around this subject could strengthen our diversity angle. The networks facilitate information sharing, access to people/information that you may not necessarily come across in day-to-day work, and provide a good group of delegates for common coaching/training sessions.
The formation of a Gemalto Connected Women (GCW) network has complimented other initiatives assisting the harmonisation and integration of not only the new businesses, but also the inclusion of our remote workers.
It has opened up networking and inter-company business opportunities.
Going forward
The biggest challenge for our network is sustainability. It is clear that our members see the value in having a network and want it to continue. Our focus will be around increased membership, to include males, and longer term the formation of a mentoring programme.
The GCW initiative has the support of our CEO, COO, EVP HR and General Counsel which is a great encouragement to continue.