Executives with ‘top management’: women in command in the Peruvian corporate world

The participation of women within leadership structures is increasingly being promoted; however, there is still much to be done in the corporate world.

As Patricia González, general director of PedidosYa Peru, points out, from the company they seek to accompany women in the different stages of their lives, offering them benefits such as extended maternity, which varies according to the laws of each country or the ‘casual days’, which are days that both male and female personnel can take to deal with personal tasks without taking vacation days.

“This did not exist many years ago, when you had to ask for permission to do something with the family in your role as a woman, and now it is completely natural that we can accompany you on that path through these benefits,” says González.

Also, having a leadership board made up mostly of women, the female staff sees reinforced the idea that it is possible to reach important leadership positions, he explains.

“Here it is shown that we have total equality in talent and that anyone, as long as they want and are good, can take these roles,” he adds.

For her part, Ana Beatriz Franco, General Manager of Kimberly-Clark Peru and Clúster Andes Leader (Peru, Bolivia and Chile), considers that although it is a fact that the gap continues to exist, it has been decreasing without ceasing to be a great challenge. .

“The female presence is part of our business strategy, it is in our DNA,” he says. And it is that a large part of its consumers are women.

Kimberly-Clark has feminine protection products and children’s products, so, according to Franco, not having them represented at any level of the company is a mistake. “We have an ambitious program so that by 2030 we have gender equality in all Kimberly-Clark operations, with 50% of leadership positions occupied by women. We already have 40% at the leadership table, ”she details.

Michelle Barclay, partner at CMS Grau and Head of CMS Latam for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion issues, comments that in Peru there are several women’s movements that work to promote diversity, equity and inclusion issues. One of them is Women in the Profession (WIP Peru) whose purpose is to promote the development of women in legal management or legal firms.

“The interesting thing is that among university students studying Law, more than 50% are women. The big issue occurs when they begin to think about having a family or a better balance in their lives, whether they have children or not, and that is where there is a leak of talent because they don’t find the necessary tools and flexibility to reach a leadership position”, he says.

Eva Arias de Sologuren, executive president of the board of the Compañía Minera Poderosa, also indicates that indeed the gap still exists, and it is because women must prepare themselves as well as possible to compete as equals.

Thus, he assures that a person who aspires to something has to prepare for it, since they must have the ability to compete- “Life in the end is a competition and the only way to get out is by having the skills developed in what you want to do and to achieve it, you must also be passionate about it”, says Arias.

The businesswoman comments that on her way she has come across very intelligent and well-prepared women; however, she emphasizes that many times it is only necessary to assert the place they deserve. “It can be an executive, a doctor, an artist, a singer, but it has to be something you’re passionate about,” she stresses.