Sort by

A Business Case for Gender Balance – Nestlé Celebrates International Women’s Day

Back to Press releases
Lahore

Nestlé Pakistan celebrated International Women’s Day at a local hotel in Lahore. It was an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of the organization’s fast growing female workforce.

Abdullah Jawaid, a Gender Balance Champion at Nestlé explained why gender equity was a cornerstone at the organization and announced Nestlé’s new travel policy for working mothers. He said, “Gender Balance is part of our global strategy. 70 percent of are consumers are females, so it makes sense for us to have the right set of policies and infrastructure in place to attract and retain the best female talent in the country. Speaking of which, I have a special announcement to make that is befitting of the occasion. I am very proud to announce our new travel policy that is geared towards working mothers. Now children under the age of 03 may accompany their mothers while they travel locally for business meeting and conferences. Nestlé will cover related travel costs including those of an accompanying care giver in case if the mother is traveling to a destination where Nestlé doesn’t have a Day Care Facility.”

Nestlé has developed several initiatives that promote training and professional development for women as part of Nestlé’s commitment to meeting the UN’s 5th Sustainability Development Goal (SDG 5) that aims to achieve gender equality and women empowerment.

The event also served as a platform for female employees to share their experiences in taking on unconventional roles, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.

Misbah Mumtaz served as an inspirational example for the audience. Misbah is a Material Handling Equipment (MHE) supervisor and works at Nestlé’s Sheikhupura factory. She is the first female employee at Nestlé to operate a Forklift. She said, “Handling heavy equipment is considered a man’s job and I wanted to break that stereotype. It was a role I was interested in and Nestlé gave me the opportunity to take it on. I am a living example that there is no job a woman can’t do once she puts her mind to it”.

Saba Tahir who has been part of the Finance team at Nestlé Pakistan for the past 3.5 years, spoke about her experience of returning to work after her maternity leave. She said, “Joining back after one’s maternity leave can be overwhelming, I was struggling to find the right work life balance. Thankfully my colleagues proved to be the support system I needed to help me manage the new challenges in my life and I was able to thrive both professionally and personally.”

Wan Ling Martello, Executive Vice President and Head of Zone Asia Oceania and Africa and Head of HR Zone Asia and Africa, Claudia Thumm also joined the celebrations via video conference and spoke about Nestlé’s global efforts in making the organization inclusive and providing equal opportunities to its female employees. Bruno Olierhoek, Managing Director, Nestlé Pakistan along with the top management was also present at the occasion.

About Nestlé Pakistan

Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company. It is present in 189 countries around the world, and its 328,000 employees are committed to Nestlé’s purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. Nestlé offers a wide portfolio of products and services for people. Their ranges of 2000 brands include local favorites like MILKPAK and FRUITA VITALS. Company performance is driven by its Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy. Nestlé is based in the Swiss town of Vevey where it was founded more than 150 years ago.

For further information, please contact:

Zara Basharat
Corporate Media Relations Manager, Nestlé Pakistan
Cell:     0321-555-1130
Email:  [email protected]

 

PDF press releases: