On July 9th, we closed the #WomenZ Pro with a panel discussion dedicated to the transformation of companies to attract and retain young female talent.
The founder of the corporate communications agency Both People & Comms, Cristina Salvador, facilitated a panel with five top-level speakers, which are: Estíbaliz Vicente, Director of Corporate Recruitment at Grífols; Vanessa Berrido, Head of Talent Attraction at Danone; Georgina de Solà, Head of People at Hola Luz; Teresa Fernández, Director of Human Resources at Ibercaja, and Igone Bartomeu, Head of Corporate Communications at Coca-Cola European partners.
The keys to the necessary adaptation of companies to new talent are “to eliminate biases in hiring, empower young women to develop their full potential and foster their self-confidence and promote an inclusive culture – not just gender,” says Vanessa Berrido of Danone. “Young women and men prioritize flexibility, freedom, autonomy, informal communication, non-hierarchical environments, and being heard as a person… Diversity is no longer an option,” she adds.
Georgina de Solà de Hola Luz comments that “the new generations show a very high commitment and demand that organizations have a clear purpose, be flexible, authentic and encourage the development of talent from trust, by treating people as the responsible adults they are”. “Promoting parity in the most technical and technological positions – she adds – it’s still the pending subject”.
In Ibercaja, Teresa Fernández explains, they are committed to cultural change through the positive experience of the employee, inspiring leadership and in the case of young women, visibility, references and mentorship. “Companies aspire to transcendence”, the link with the purpose is key. “In Ibercaja we opt for a well-done plan: that has the commitment of the management, that has a measurable objective (40% women managers in 2022) and includes accompaniment”.
Igone Bartomeu of Coca-Cola Iberian Partners says that “we must promote reverse mentoring, continuous learning, pedagogy and empathy in companies, as well as making more female references visible in management positions in addition to our CEO Sol Daurella (as is the case with the recent appointment of the factory manager in Seville and the director of the eastern zone) to combat unconscious biases. Younger generations demand inclusion and diversity”.
“Today we must look for a company or project in which we fit as a person. The potential must be measured by commitment, aspiration and the ability to learn” – comments Estíbaliz Vicente de Grífols “COVID-19 has put the person with a capital P at the centre, the value of the person in all their dimensions also in the professional field”
All the speakers agree that the pandemic has made us discover confidence, has oriented us to results and not to tasks, has accelerated digitalization, has humanized organizations, has brought us closer to our colleagues and has challenged leadership to be more permeable and empathetic. Turning around the saying: There is no good that does not come from bad.
