Around EMEA, activities celebrated diversity and gender equality for this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD). Our Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) helped organize several activities.
Employees received messages from our leadership team summarizing the results from 2018 and sharing upcoming plans for this year.
It’s looking exciting for us as a company and EMEA Women’s Leadership Council (WLC). With the launch of The PPG Way, we recognize that our future success depends on creating and nurturing a culture of inclusion. If we want to be true innovators in our industry, our culture needs to be diverse.
UK
The local WLC members prepared special branded stands in the offices, reception and canteen area to celebrate the day. Also, this helped drive discussions about diversity as they handed out branded badges, pens and wristbands, bringing awareness to IWD!
Staff were encouraged to wear purple to work to show their support and to make and write a pledge for action for diversity.
Germany
German sites celebrated this special day with all employees receiving M&Ms sweets with a special design in alignment to the International Women's Day and the WLC initiative.
In Weingarten, Rebecca Liebert, PPG senior vice president of Automotive OEM Coatings visited the site to partake with the celebrations.
At PPG, we are aware of our responsibility and want to propel diversity to the forefront. We are also aware of the challenges this poses within the automotive industry, but we are committed to driving forward diversity and inclusivity.
Melanie Barth, PPG Automotive quality director, EMEA
Italy
The leader of WLC EMEA and the plant manager at Quattordio, Isabella Ercole attended a conference at the University of Alessandria. Local authorities, municipalities and representatives of other significant companies also attended the event.
The theme of the conference ‘Gender Pay Gap: Why do Women Earn Less?’ addressed the issue and led attendees to actively participate in what they thought the best practices would be to fight the gender pay gap and other gender biases.
Spain and Portugal
Colleagues prepared posters informing employees about significant topics including parental leave and benefits for parents. These were then handed around sites in Spain and Portugal.
At our Sacavém site, women prepared a small snack in the afternoon and were gifted the registration to participate in Corrida Sempre Mulher, a very well know race dedicated to the investigation of Women Breast Cancer.
In Valladolid, we hosted a lunch for all the women at the plant – gifting them with a bracelet representing unity and that women can go to infinity and beyond!
In addition, at the Valladolid plant another celebration was held; ‘Aguedas’ – from the times of the Castilian villages; when local women helped in the conquest of the Alcázar de Segovia. Powerful women remembered from the 1200s!
Turkey and Greece
Female colleagues in Turkey got a customized mirror with a message ‘Be-You-Tiful, representing that each female should be proud of herself and be herself! The mirror was accompanied with a special letter from local WLC.
Female employees in Greece were gifted a bracelet with hematite stones (known to get us more in touch and in tune with Mother Earth) together with the tree of life in order to remind them of the power of their gender. During the day some employees wore humorous costumes, as it was also the official closure of the carnival season.
Poland
Employees prepared baked cupcakes to sell and collect money for charities supporting women. Almost 700€ was gathered in 6 sites, with hundreds of cupcakes baked. People involved in these sites: Cieszyn, Gdynia, Warsaw, Gliwice, Wroclaw GBS and Wroclaw plant.
‘Flower Day’ in Hungary and Czech Republic
In sites across Hungary and in Brno, Czech Republic, our female colleagues received beautiful flowers to celebrate this day. In Brno, the WLC also organized a fundraising event for a local charity supporting women in need. Employees could enjoy delicious cupcakes whilst supporting an important cause.
Dubai and France
In Dubai, male colleagues arranged a fruit cake for female colleagues in celebration of their continued work and dedication.
In France, all colleagues received a newsletter called ‘Equal’ - the message included a testimony from Emmanuelle Guérin, PPG general manager of Industrial Coatings, EMEA. Our site in Marly, organized a breakfast with all employees to discuss and address gender diversity questions.