Five ways CEOs can Inspire Inclusion in the workplac

In recognition of International Women’s Day 2024, we are excited to launch our content series, Inspired. The series will spotlight female leaders from around the world, sharing their journeys and how they aim to inspire the next generation of female leaders.

Kicking us off is our very own CEO of EMEA, Sophia Malik, who is sharing her top five ways CEOs can Inspire Inclusion in the workplace.

'This year’s focus for International Women’s Day is Inspiring Inclusion – but what does inclusion truly mean, and how can we lead by example from the C-suite, to impact all of our team members across the business? For me, inspiring inclusion means working to nurture a culture of belonging and empowerment for everyone, including breaking down barriers that women face in the workplace.

As CEO of EMEA for a global marketing execution partner, adm Group, here are five ways I am Inspiring Inclusion:'

Creating an inclusive working environment.

Within our hybrid working model, we provide our team members with lots of flexibility, allowing them to manage their work and personal lives in ways that work best for them. As a result, we see our teams performing better and demonstrating high levels of engagement, proactivity, innovation and passion for our business and our clients.

We are also striving to Inspire Inclusion by nurturing accessible communication across adm EMEA. This started within our region-wide meetings where we made a commitment to use clear, direct communication which is easy to understand and can be made available in multiple formats.

Advocating for promotions.

Studies suggest that women will be more likely to apply for a new role or promotion if they feel their skills match 100% of the skills listed, whereas men are more likely to apply when their skills are a 60% match. So how can CEOs increase the number of women in leadership roles in their business? Advocate for women to step up and apply for bigger roles and notice those who are ready for a step up to retain talent and support career growth.

Striving to close the gender pay gap.

In the UK the median gender pay gap is the same level as five years ago at 9.4%, and four out of five companies pay male employees more than females (The Guardian, 2023). Business leaders play a crucial role in closing the gap. We have reduced our gender pay gap to 14% and we have appointed a dedicated steering committee to speed up our closing of the remaining gap.

Encouraging honesty and authenticity.

Create a culture that promotes honesty and clarity around what people need to be successful in their roles, providing support and direction at every step. Ensure team members know they are listened to; their opinions are valued and show that these are being actioned. Authenticity is one of our company values – honesty is about telling the truth whilst authenticity is really about being true to yourself and we strive to make both our ‘ways of life’ at adm Group.

Providing a seat at the table.

Many women feel compelled to leave if they are not promoted past manager or director roles. Feeling like they are undervalued for their role and not given a voice alongside their male colleagues creates frustration. Women need advocates in the workplace that recognise their value and support them to grow their careers.

At adm, our aim is to be at 40% female leadership Group-wide by 2025 – increasing from 29% currently. Our EMEA senior leadership team already has 50% female representation and we work hard to be a respectful, authentic, inclusive, high performing team. We care about each other and all of our team members globally, and our wider networks and communities. We are focused on ensuring that we are using our ‘seats at the table’ in the best ways possible, to create positive legacies, including and especially when it comes to DEI progress as it is fundamental to our success.

We will continue to report on our progress and strive to improve. You can read more about our ESG progress in our upcoming Sustainability Report, ‘from Purpose to Impact’.