Diversity, equal opportunity and equal treatment are at the heart of Arkema's policy. Better integrating and valuing differences enhances well-being within the Company, fosters an environment of innovation and creativity, and helps improve business decisions and make Arkema an ever more successful company.
Arkema’s ambition is to become a benchmark employer for women. As part of this effort, we are rolling out a strategy to ensure that women are treated fairly and with respect, facilitate their integration and development within the Company, and broaden their representation.
As part of our commitment to gender equality in the workplace, Arkema has decided to join the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) program with UN Women. In particular, Arkema is committed to four key principles of the WEPs program:
- Put in place governance conducive to gender equality at the highest level of the Company.
- Treat all women and men fairly in the workplace - respect and support human rights and take action against discrimination.
- Promote education, training and professional development for women.
- Measure and report on progress towards gender equality.
“Increasing the number of women in industry and facilitating their access to positions of responsibility is a major social issue for Arkema. With our focus on innovative materials and solutions for a more sustainable world, we offer exciting and varied careers in marketing, manufacturing, R&D and finance. At Arkema, we share the deep conviction that gender diversity and the advancement of our female employees actively contribute to our open-mindedness and performance” stated Thierry Le Hénaff, Arkema Chairman and CEO.
“Faced with the global challenges of our century, achieving transformative and sustainable results for gender equality demands economic players to pull together. By signing the Women's Empowerment Principles, the Arkema Group is reaffirming the major role of the private sector towards full realization of gender equality, including in the workplace,” said Fanny Benedetti, UN Women Executive Director.
A clearly defined gender diversity target
- Today, just over 25% of the Group's employees are women.
- This rate rises to 34% among middle managers, which is a significant source of potential to achieve the objective of increasing the proportion of women in the Group's senior management to 30% by 2030 (vs. 24% in 2021).
Women@Arkema network and Female Mentoring program, two gender equality drivers within the Group
Launched in 2015, the Women@Arkema network aims to shift the lines in terms of gender mix. The network initiates meetings and actions designed to assist and support women in their career paths.The network operates in France and the United States and is run by female volunteers.
To encourage women to take on leadership roles, Arkema has set up a mentoring initiative for female managers. Each year, some 20 female volunteer Group employees around the world are assigned a mentor – a male or female Arkema manager, also on a volunteer basis - with whom they regularly talk about their career management and the opportunities offered within the Group, or discuss how to identify the obstacles they may unconsciously place in their careers.
There is neither contract of objectives or relationship of subordination in the pairing; the mentor puts his or her experience and sound advice at the service of their mentee.
Initiated by the Diversity Steering Committee, the initiative has been renewed every year since 2016.
There is neither contract of objectives or relationship of subordination in the pairing; the mentor puts his or her experience and sound advice at the service of their mentee.
Initiated by the Diversity Steering Committee, the initiative has been renewed every year since 2016.