“Gender Equality is Everyone’s Issue” and unequivocally so in sourcing!

In June 2016 Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, the then CEO of industry giant Mitie, addressed a packed room of (predominantly but not exclusively) female representatives from the sourcing industry. The Baroness shared her powerful and personal account of the trials and tribulations she’d faced on her rise to the top – many of which were faced only because she was a woman, a pregnant woman and then a mother. The event featured a variety of speakers and a panel session, followed by an open floor facilitated discussion.

This resulted in a more concrete plan of how the GSA would develop its Women in Sourcing Programme.

So what’s the issue?

Currently in this industry there is a woeful lack of women in senior positions. This resonates in most boardrooms around the country, but it is clear from our research and conversations, that it is equally if not worse in sourcing, with numbers of @19% women in board level positions cited as average by the major advisories.

Further to that, for those that do hold senior positions, their pay is not often commensurate to that paid to their male counterparts and there were many examples cited of how women did not feel they were treated equally in the workplace with regards to progression, camaraderie, opportunities, etc.

And why does that matter?

Well let’s not waste airtime on the fact that it’s not fair and just in the 21st Century that there is still no gender equality – it would take a brave (read arrogant / misogynistic / dangerous) person to argue a case for inequality. Instead let’s look at the base facts. Men and women are different. They approach things differently – physically and mentally. They problem solve differently. They relate to others differently.

GSA research shows that when outsourcing fails, in 85% of cases it fails due to poor relationship management. Well I would bet my bottom dollar, that if there were more women involved in senior relationship management positions, we would experience far fewer failures in this area. We listen and aim to pacify rather than rip open our shirts and beat our chests. OK, any man reading this is now likely to be getting prickled! If yes – case in point! ??

But don’t just listen to the GSA. The International Monetary Fund shows a loss of GDP growth of @15% due to gender pay gaps and cites that supporting women to fulfil their potential could grow the economy by 35%.

So what are we going to do about this?

Well, what we are not going to do is push feminism for feminism sake.

I’m hearing cases of positive discrimination in favour of women. One CEO in the digital delivery arena said he was advised by the recruitment agencies that their clients were only seeking females to join their c-suites to help rebalance their books. Totally preposterous! We are not forcing false equality targets to the detriment of business – may the best person win. But to allow that to happen we need to ensure equal opportunities from the get-go!

Our programme is comprised of 4 key elements (at present):

·        Sharing experiences

We are taking a Women in Sourcing programme on a National Roadshow, inviting inspirational figures in the industry to share their stories in open discussion forums, alongside newly recruited grads, to share experiences, celebrate successes and share ideas.

·        Sharing programmes

GSA members across the spectrum have shared their approaches to gender equality. Linklaters shared its approach to bringing more women on board at Partner level. KPMG highlighted how one new video approach to recruitment resulted in a massive decline in female applicants. These programmes and learnings are shared across and within the GSA community.

·        Setting and measuring targets

Measuring and reporting on targets is central to achieving change. The GSA is promoting its members adopt the targets set by the 30 percent club, where a minimum of 30% of FTSE-100 Boards will be comprised of females by 2020. We will publish annual results to this from across our corporate membership base. We aim to have at least a third of women holding the senior positions in the UK’s sourcing industry by 2020.

·        Mentoring programme

The GSA’s Women in Sourcing Mentoring Programme is a free and open global programme set up with the express aim of using experienced sourcing professionals as Mentors to encourage more women to enter the sourcing industry, and to help develop the careers of those women working in sourcing, so as to achieve more senior positions.

The GSA’s Women in Sourcing Mentoring Programme incorporates:

·        The development of a Directory of Mentors

·        A matchmaking programme – matching Mentors and Mentees around the world

·        Free masterclasses on how to mentor, delivered by GSA’s Professional Development division

To get involved in our Women in Sourcing Programme in any way, please contact me here or at [email protected]