Mexico City, May 9, 2023.- "In daily life, in work teams, we must learn to work with different people, to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with inclusion and diversity". These were the words of top executives from companies, banks and universities who participated on April 24 in the panel on Women in Senior Managementorganized by the Alumni area of Universidad Panamericana.
Women in Senior Management
The event was attended by Eloisa Bugarín, Chief Operating Officer of Bank of America; Cindy Martínez, Vice President of BlackRock; Marilú Castañeda, CEO of Unilever Mexico; Daniela Falfan Mayer, Director of Legal and Compliance at Inditex. All of them, alumni of our university, were accompanied by Cecilia Canal, Vice Chancellor of Panamericana, who participated as moderator.
Women in business
Marilú Castañeda said that "to improve women's path to management positions, there are three pillars to work on: education, professional experience and personal development and mentality".
She added that there are stereotypes and social biases, "some of them unconsciously, that hold women back, which is why we have to work at all levels with self-esteem, both personal and professional".
He also emphasized: "You have to lead by example and you have to create culture, for that, you have to be able to recognize those behaviors that are aligned with what you are looking for as an organization and be vocal about that part, that is where the magic is achieved and it is not from one person, but it is from the team that has the same interest and builds towards the same side".
Breaking glass ceilings
When asked how to break glass ceilings (unwritten rules in organizations that make it difficult for women to have access to management positions), Unilever's CEO and Daniela Falfan agreed on the importance of establishing policies, procedures and the need to train leaders, so that the decisions made are based on inclusion and diversity of thought.
On the same subject, Daniela pointed out: "The salary gap is 23%, doing the same thing, in the same positions, the percentage of female CEOs in the country is still very low, only 5%. Machismo is still present, in personal life and in the workplace, forums like today's must be promoted to face a change" .
Integral life
Eloisa Bugarín said: "We must accept help and trust in it, and for this, we must have a network of family support, friends, a strong work team, to whom we can delegate and absorb responsibilities so that we can continue to grow".
Marilú commented: "We must be clear about what we want, what we are looking for; we must prepare ourselves in the broadest sense of the word. We must take risks, venture into professional experiences. She added that it is important to
"(...) to ensure that, in our circle, we have people we can learn from, who inspire us, who help us to be better and, if we don't like something, we have to change it".
Daniela recommended "working on emotional intelligence and strengthening our soft skills (...) since we must know how to listen, since it is essential to communicate assertively, clearly and concretely".
Cindy Martinez said: "It is necessary to build trust and a work branding that allows you to be present, from a distance in the office and participate in the activities at home to achieve a balance".
Impact on society
On the subject of how her work impacts society and women, Eloisa stated that, together with her daughter, several women with whom she works and other women in Mexican society, she is working on a project that seeks to reinsert professionals into the labor market who have been away from it for several years "(...) women of low income, in vulnerable situations or professionals, who do not find this job opportunity to reinsert themselves".
Finally, Cindy Martínez, revealed: " I am currently leading an enterprise that is dedicated to supporting women within the same company and also outside of it; the idea is to support them and follow them so that they know that it is possible to be in a global company, occupying a management position, that you can have a life outside of the office (...)".
