STANDARD Chartered Bank CEO Lynette V. Ortiz believes inclusive leadership is crucial in supporting women employees and promoting a gender-inclusive workplace.
“Working in an environment that fosters inclusivity and advocates for empowerment is the first step,” Ortiz said during a recent webinar organized by the Makati Business Club and the EU-UN Women programme “WeEmpowerAsia.” “At the end of the day, every woman should be purposeful and strategic in driving her career. Know your stuff, work hard, and assert yourself,” she purportedly said during the webinar. “Do not hesitate to speak your mind, render an opinion and make sure that your voice is hear.”
The statement said during the webinar, Ortiz talked about Standard Chartered Bank’s advocacy and the progress it has made since it signed a statement of support for the UN Women Empowerment Principles (WEP) in 2018 including efforts to address gender pay gaps and increase its female representation in senior leadership roles.
She shared that SCB’s percentage of women in leadership position has increased to 30 percent and aims to further increase to 35 percent by 2025.
Fourteen of its markets have female CEOs at the helm, including China, Hong Kong, India, UAE and the Philippines, with herself as its first Filipina CEO since 2016. More than half of its country management team members in the Philippines are women.
“Inclusive leadership is critical to encourage participation towards closing the gender gap, but Ortiz also highlighted that promoting gender inclusion and women empowerment is everyone’s responsibility,” the statement said.
According to the statement, the webinar series aimed “to inform and educate the participants on the different women’s empowerment principles and their application in the workplace.”
CEOs and top executives from different companies were invited to share their WEP-aligned best practices to inspire the attendees to take concrete steps in initiating gender-inclusive programs in their own companies and organizations.