Initiative

“Promote Project: all in top management, all in co-responsibility”

Summary of the initiative

The Confederation of Industries and Employers of Spain (CEOE), founded in 1977, is the organisation which represents and defends the interests of Spanish employers. It voluntarily groups together almost 2 million companies of all sizes and from all sectors of activity and self-employed entrepreneurs, through associations networked within 240 sectoral and territorial organisations. CEOE is also a social partner recognised by the Spanish Constitution. CEOE has been member of BusinessEurope since 1978.

As part of its commitment to gender equality, CEOE is developing a specific project to improve the gender balance in top positions and companies’ boards. It is called “Promote Project: all in top management, all in co-responsibility”, and was officially presented on 1 July 2013.

The project is coordinated by CEOE, with the participation of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equal Opportunities and one of the leading Spanish Business Schools, ESADE.

The primary objective is to improve women’s access to top management positions and corporate boards within partner firms while continuing to develop shared leadership. The ultimate objective is to increase the representation of women in business in Spain.

To this end, the programme will focus on enhancing training, coaching, mentoring and professional networking of women. It will also encourage companies associated to the project to identify at an early stage the best female candidates to be further promoted within the company.

Other specific objectives are:

• Examine the barriers and difficulties identified as especially critical for women in their access to senior management positions, including self-confidence, visibility, salary negotiations, power and influence, work-life balance and co-responsibility.
• Make companies aware that a better balance between men and women in leadership positions is necessary.
• Make women become the protagonists of their own development and achieve the professional goals they establish for themselves.
• Overcome the cultural barriers that still exist, preventing them from achieving the above-mentioned objectives.

There are more than 40 associated companies, among them: Indra, Acciona, Grupo Santander, Iberdrola, Enagás, Telefónica, Coca-Cola Iberia, IBM , Facebook, Siemens and SAGE.

Female executives in both large companies and SMEs from every region of the country take part in this programme.