Procter & Gamble (P&G) will spend a cumulative total of $300 million by working with women-owned and women-led businesses across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMA) region over the next three years. 

 

Committed to achieving gender balance at all levels, P&G already has 51% women in senior management roles in the UAE and 25% of its leadership team consisting of female nationals in Saudi Arabia. Thus, P&G has achieved its commitment to achieving a 50-50 gender balance across its management workforce by 2022 in the AMA region, completing this ahead of schedule.

 

P&G will achieve equal representation of female directors behind the camera for the company’s brand advertisements in Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, by 2024, the company said in its new commitments aimed toward advancing Equality & Inclusion across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, at its fourth annual #WeSeeEqual summit for the region.

 

Improving accessibility

It will improve the accessibility of its brand advertising, including social media content and websites, by making it accessible to people with sight and hearing impairments by 2024.

 

P&G will introduce the ‘P&G ReLaunch programme’ – to welcome back talented professionals who took a break from the workforce and are looking to restart their careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) roles, with targeted support and development.

 

In 2021, P&G announced its ‘Share the Care’ parental leave policy, which has introduced greater leave benefits and flexibility for all new parents within the company. For the first time in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, P&G now provides eight weeks of fully paid parental leave through this policy, offering parents the opportunity to share and support in caregiving duties.

 

Education of girls

On its commitment to educate more than 30 million girls on puberty and hygiene by 2024, through its brands Always and Whisper’s “Keeping Girls in School” programme, the company has already reached more than 15 million girls, hitting the halfway mark in one year.

 

P&G has been a partner of WEConnect International since 2016 to train women entrepreneurs in the regions we operate in; and this year, launched its first ever P&G Women Entrepreneurs Academy in the UAE.

 

The event saw participation from distinguished advocates and personalities from the private and public sectors who came together to discuss the challenges that society faces on equality and inclusion, and how different stakeholders can accelerate progress in the new normal.

 

Unlearn and Unleash

Built on the theme, ‘#Unlearn and #Unleash’, the summit saw P&G commit to several actions needed to advance progress towards creating an equal and inclusive world. P&G President for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, Magesvaran Suranjan said: “At P&G, we remain fully committed to creating a world where equal access and opportunity to learn, grow, succeed, and thrive are available to everyone. We believe in the power of our differences and the impact we can make when we come together, united by our shared values and purpose. 

 

“We are making great progress, yet we know there is more work to be done. So we are announcing bold new commitments and expanding existing actions which will enable us to do more. We will continue to use the voice of our company and our brands in forums such as #WeSeeEqual to drive discussion and actions on the issues that matter.”

 

Breaking myths

Omar Channawi, CEO, P&G Middle East, East and West Africa and General Export Markets said: “We remain strongly committed towards breaking the myths and barriers still present today in the workplace. Hearing from distinguished leaders throughout the summit holds an inspiring appeal as we gathered to hear insights on their experiences and more importantly, the actions they are taking for a more inclusive future. 

 

“I am proud that on this occasion, we at P&G, once again launched key initiatives to serve women empowerment and gender equality in the region and across the globe, and we are looking forward to the next steps. We aim to increase the momentum on achieving a gender-neutral society by investing in women-led businesses, hiring talent equally and building an inclusive culture through special initiatives.”

 

Candid conversations

Held in partnership with UN Women, the fourth annual regional #WeSeeEqual Summit engaged business leaders, government officials, and personalities in candid conversations around strategic actions that can be taken to advance equality and inclusion.

 

Influential personalities

In addition to global and regional P&G leaders, the Summit also saw the participation of influential personalities and global leaders, including:

 

*Simone Biles, the world’s most decorated gymnast;

*Valerie Jarrett, Chief Executive Officer, The Barack Obama Foundation;

*Dr Nawal Al Hosany, UAE’s permanent representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena);

*Anita Bhatia, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director, UN Women;

*Alma Har’el, award-winning director, founder of Free the Bid and Free the Work;

*Dr Hsien Hsien Lei, Chief Executive Officer, The American Chamber of Commerce, Singapore;

*Scott Beaumont, President, Google - Asia Pacific;

*Lillian Barnard, Chief Executive Officer, Microsoft – South Africa; and

*Racha Makarem, Regional CEO, Starcom- Middle East.

 

To inspire corporates and society alike, the summit also hosted P&G’s Chief Operating Officer, Shailesh Jejurikar, and the company’s Chief Brand Officer, Marc Pritchard to share their experiences and insights on the importance of leadership to drive equality and redefine inclusion behind the camera.-- TradeArabia News Service