July 22, 2021
How do we make sure everyone in an organization feels included and nurtured, regardless of age, sex, race, sexual orientation, disability, among others?
This was a key question asked at
WomenBizPH webinar series entitled “I AM Woman: I Am A Leader – Inclusive Leadership” with
DTI Philippines ,
Philippine Commission on Women and UN Women Philippines.
The speakers shared that, in hindsight, the core values of integrity, empathy, honesty, accountability, competency, humility and inclusivity, were of utmost importance in carrying out their work as chief decision-makers in their companies.
Rosario Cajucom -Bradbury said she started her career at a company that valued integrity as much as she did, and that would later become the place where she had built her professional life for the past 30 years. Through exposure and direct experience, she developed deeper empathy for her colleagues, especially to mothers when she too, became one. Eventually, when she was appointed CEO of SGS Philippines, she initiated a lactation room called “the mother’s working room” which later became “the parents’ working room” to reflect equal parenting roles of both female and male employees. She said the initiative was just one way to turn empathy into action and create the change you want to see in the workplace.
Tonichi Achurra -Parekh shared her belief of fairness: “If we lived in a world where everything was fair, we would not see gender bias. If actions were grounded in facts and not opinions, we would act on identified needs and not biases.” As an advocate for better representation of women in the workforce, she recalled that she had once found herself as the only woman board member of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines. Since then, she took it upon herself as a responsibility to promote women’s participation in the workplace to ensure the glass ceiling could be broken.
Maricelle Narciso, the first Filipino Country General Manager of Pepsi Co. in the Philippines, presented the idea of “Gender Judo Style of Leadership (Mama Bear),” a balanced-approach between tenacity and compassion that increases leadership effectiveness and resilience. She also drew upon the mantra of former Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi promoting leadership commitment in diversity and transparency of corporate responsibility, which could be used to increase parity in the organization: “What does not get measured, does not get done.”
“When we embrace our best versions as women in whatever role we take, we continue to raise the bar in what women can do for humanity,” added the Chair of St. Peter Mildred Vitangcol, underscoring the importance of promoting opportunities for women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community.
I Am A Woman is a webinar series organized by WomenBiz with the EU-funded WeEmpowerAsia programme of UN Women, DTI and PCW. WeEmpowerAsia Philippines Programme Manager Rosalyn Mesina opened the session with her remarks. The first panel was moderated by WomenBiz Chair Monette Hamlin, and the second panel by WomenBiz President Mylene Abiva.
