A key factor in increasing diversity and inclusion, the presence of women on the boards of directors of Spanish companies is growing at an unprecedented rate in recent years.
The percentage of female managers in Spanish companies is 36%, a record that improves by two points from last year and rises above the average levels in the European Union. In addition, Spain has regained its position as one of the top ten countries for gender equality in senior management. It is not a question of quotas, but of real diversity and inclusion, two essential factors for the competitiveness of companies, as highlighted at the closing ceremony of the latest edition of Women to Watch, organized by PwC in collaboration with EXPANSIÓN.
The initiative, which PwC has been developing since it was launched in 2015, focuses on supporting talented women and promoting their presence in company decision-making bodies.
At the opening of the event, Gonzalo Sánchez, president of PwC, emphasized the organization’s commitment to talent: “It is our greatest asset and the only thing that really sets us apart from other companies. We are committed to promoting meritocracy, equal opportunities and recognition as an intrinsic part of our corporate culture”. With special intensity in the current scenario of global instability, Sánchez pointed out that “equality means not wasting talent; we will have to make the greatest talent available to our companies to face the enormous challenge of the change in the economic cycle in the coming years”.
What does the Women to Watch program bring to the participants? “It combines a series of valuable elements that make it a success: training, personal development and visibility, networking and mentoring”, assured Elisa Tarazona, CEO of Ribera Salud. This formula helps the experience and knowledge of the directors to be transferred to other people and projects. In this sense, she stressed that “it is very useful to arrive more prepared to the boards of directors, contribute to professionalize them and add value to society”.
Maria Eugenia Girón, independent director at CIE Automotive, Ecoener and Corporacion Financiera Alba, pointed out that “mentoring is a process of equal accompaniment.” From her perspective as a mentor in six editions, she valued the learning about sectors and industries that she did not know, the personal relationships and the energy that is generated in the process. Regarding the process, Girón explained that “we deal with three major issues: an initial reflection on corporate governance, a subsequent development of transversal skills and abilities and, finally, the definition of the path to follow with the necessary tools”.
For her part, Eva Balleste, advisor to the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, participated in the program two years ago and is now a proprietary director at Adif and Aena. “The key is that it is very well oriented and touches on all the necessary aspects: holistic thinking is not enough, a certain visibility is necessary and the program helps you to have it, developing a strategy and with the support of mentoring,” concluded Balleste.
