SWITZERLAND – The global food and drink giant, Nestle has laid down an action plan targeting to increase the number of women in senior executive positions globally.

Dubbed Gender Balance Acceleration Plan, the program further puts emphasis on increasing the proportion of women in the group’s top 200 senior executive positions from around 20% currently to 30% by 2022.

The move reinforces Nestle’s commitment to achieving diversity and inclusion in its workforce, something it says would help in leveraging the unique skills, knowledge and experiences of a diverse people.

These are continuous efforts by the company to increase the number of women in managerial positions, while encouraging respect for diversity.

Nestle has committed to achieve gender balance in all its Human Resources practices through both global and local initiatives on gender diversity.

“It is simply the right thing to do.

We believe that a more diverse workforce with more women at the top will reinforce our inclusive culture and make Nestlé an even better company.

We are setting measurable goals to hold ourselves accountable. We know that improving gender balance will lead to better decisions, stronger innovation and higher employee satisfaction,” said Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO.

The Gender Balance Acceleration Plan will work to ensure support for all managers to foster an inclusive workplace.

It involves encouraging the use of Nestlé’s paid parental leave program and flexible work policies, enhancing mentoring and sponsorship programs to prepare high-potential women while hiring and promoting more women in senior executive positions.

Also under the program, Nestle will review results with senior leaders to promote gender balance, champion equal pay and eliminate conditions that create gender pay gaps as well as report progress in Nestlé’s annual Creating Shared Value report.

The new action plan reinforces the previous Gender Balance initiative launched in 2008.

Gender balance is a key component of Nestlé’s approach to diversity and inclusion and the company was recently included in the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI). 

“The Nestlé Gender Balance Acceleration Plan strengthens our existing commitment to enhance gender balance in our workforce.

We are confident that everyone, men and women, will play a key role in advancing gender equality and creating a better place to work,” said Béatrice Guillaume-Grabisch, Executive Vice President, Head of Group Human Resources and Business Services.