I’ve joined CEOs for Gender Equity to listen, learn, share and evolve. Discomfort breeds change and I look forward to leaning into the tough conversations with my peers to drive the change that is needed to achieve gender equity.

Supporting gender equity is important for CEOs because business leaders set the tone for their organisations. By supporting diversity, equity and inclusion, we’re creating a safe place for people to be their true selves at work, something which is incredibly important to me, and society.

Further, people are our greatest asset, limiting your pool of employees who you can engage over a long period of time because of outdated approaches to diversity, equity and inclusion limits your ability to fulfil growth within business.

And finally, it’s good for business. It’s been proven time and time again by various studies, including our own, that gender equity is better for business because gender balanced teams drive better business performance.

At Sodexo, we are conscious of the enormous difference everyday actions make when you multiply them by the millions of people we serve worldwide, day in and day out. We embrace the responsibilities that come with our scale and strive to make everything we do today as positive and impactful as we can for our people and for tomorrow.

Sodexo’s diversity, equity, and inclusion ambition to be inclusion-makers, reflecting the communities we serve, where our employees act with purpose and courage to embrace individuality and equity. Our employees are our greatest asset through their commitment and dedication, and we believe the more diverse we are, the stronger we are. Sodexo is committed to driving an inclusive culture where our people can bring their whole selves to work. Regardless of background, age, origins, gender, sexual orientation, identity or ability, our people belong to a team where they know they will be treated fairly and respected.

As a Family Inclusive Accredited workplace, Sodexo Australia, is wholeheartedly committed to accelerating the achievement of gender equity. We are proud of our ongoing efforts and unwavering determination to close the gender pay gap, establish balanced representation, and promote gender inclusion at all levels.

We are convinced that striving for gender equity creates a better life for all. We’re committed to everyday actions to ensure gender balance in all levels of the organisation and provide opportunities for all genders to grow and advance. We empower women in our business and in local communities, holding ourselves accountable for reaching our gender targets in senior leaders and management.

We believe the composition of our teams needs to reflect the diversity of the population we serve if we want to understand and respond to their needs. Sodexo carried out a gender balance study with expanded outcomes over five years, this study found a direct correlation in business performance and employee engagement in gender balanced management teams. Sodexo surveyed 50,000 managers from over 70 entities as part of the study, which revealed that teams with a male-female ratio of between 40 percent and 60 percent out-performed on financial and non-financial indicators those teams with predominantly male or female ratios.

These 2018 results confirmed that Sodexo should continue to embrace its dedication to gender equality in leadership and continue to set ambitious goals for diversity and inclusion within the company and beyond. Sodexo’s leadership has policies in place to help the company achieve optimal gender balance throughout management ranks and in leadership positions. The major tool to achieve this goal is Sodexo’s SoTogether Advisory Board.

Since 2009, the cornerstone of Sodexo’s gender equality strategy has been the SoTogether Advisory Board. SoTogether is committed to empowering women in our business and local communities as this provides opportunities for all. This strategy forms the basis for several initiatives in Australia, including:

• Employee Network: SoTogether employee-led gender network groups made up of both men and women dedicated to influencing cultural and organisational change.
• Supporting Women into Leadership: Sodexo’s internal mentoring program, SheLeads
• Increasing Representation: Sodexo’s external job shadowing program, SheWorks
• Education and Upskilling
• Addressing Discrimination and Bias
• Flexible Work Arrangements
• Equitable Career and Care

We continue to measure our progress by conducting a biennial gender pay gap audit as well as participating in Sodexo Group’s global biennial gender pay gap audit. We continually monitor our hiring and pay decision processes to eliminate traces of conscious or unconscious bias. Our current median total remuneration gender pay gap is 13.9% compared to our industry group which sits at a 17% gender pay gap.

Our internal analysis highlighted that we need to do further work in eliminating the pay gap in particular job families such as trades. Presence of fewer women in senior roles and more women in part-time positions contribute to our pay gap, which we are committed to addressing. We are committed to accelerating the achievement of gender equity, we know it’s not a simple issue, and that meaningful change takes time.

As leaders, we are responsible for creating an inclusive and equitable environment within our organisations. Being part of a collective of CEOs committed to advancing gender equity amplifies our efforts, fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and accountability.