#WeSeeEqual: Where do we go from here?

We set out with our first-ever P&G Asia Pacific #WeSeeEqual Symposium earlier this month with one goal planted firmly in our minds – using our collective voices to inspire and empower people, within and beyond P&G, to become agents of change for gender equality.

I am proud to say we did just that. 

Almost 200 of our employees, external partners, and members of the media shared the day with inspiring women leaders, hearing their stories of strength amidst adversity and challenges. There were definitively many moments throughout the day worth mentioning, and Sue Kyung Lee, or SK, our lead sponsor for the #WeSeeEqual program, wonderfully captured the highlights HERE. 

With the Symposium, we marked huge progress in our commitment to be an advocate for Gender Equality. But with every milestone comes the natural question of what’s next: Where do we go from here?

I would like to share three actions that we – as individuals, organizations, and as a business community – can and should make.

1. Make Gender Equality EVERYONE’S business.

We were lucky to have a very inspiring leader, Tina Tchen, as our keynote speaker.

Tina has been fighting tirelessly for a safer environment and fair opportunities for women – first during her years as White House Executive Director of the Council for Women and Girls and Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, and now as Legal Counsel and a founder of the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund.

During her keynote, she spoke about gender equality as a shared accountability, and emphasised the importance for leaders to set the tone for change.

This struck a chord with me. While it is easy for companies to make bold statements about gender equality, leaders must first “walk the talk” and be accountable through their actions and policies. Otherwise, how can we expect our own employees to take up the mantle?

On the flip side as an employee, though you might not feel you are in a position to enforce company-wide change, I want to encourage you – you are not powerless. You can have a hand in creating the change that you want to see, starting with standing up for others, or connecting with your colleagues through conversation to bring to light gender biases they may not know they have

Anyone can be a change agent – sometimes, it just takes a spark. We must make Gender Equality everyone’s business, but we must also…

2. Make Gender Equality MEAN BUSINESS.

Gender Equality has become a buzzword in business, yet it seems to have remained just that. Gender disparity is still very much prevalent in Asia-Pacific, and this is a sobering reality for a region that represents almost 60% of the world’s women and girls.

At P&G, Gender Equality is not just a slogan – we treat it as we do any other business objective and as such, we have set targets and timelines. We evaluate our achievements against our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Since we kicked off our #WeSeeEqual movement in November 2016, we have made significant progress. For instance, I’m proud to say that we have reached parity of men and women employees at Manager level. This was not the case when I took the job almost three years ago.

But to us, Gender Equality is not a destination but a journey; it’s not just about changing who’s sitting at the table, but about changing the table itself. We are driven to create an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, can bring their best and be their best every day.

3. Become the MASTERS of our own destiny.

During my opening address, I shared a few stories about strong women who have inspired and shaped me throughout my life – one of whom was my own mother, Mahaluxmi.

Throughout their time together, my father cared for my mother and did EVERYTHING for her – from managing finances to making all the decisions for our household. Growing up, I never saw my mom make any decisions in the house.

But when she was 58, my father passed away, leaving her suddenly on her own after years of dependence on my father. While one would expect her life to be completely shattered by the sudden change and independence, my mother did just the opposite – she thrived. Today, she has her own apartment in Toronto. She now handles all her finances. She travels to exotic locations three or four times per year. She does yoga three times a week, and gets on the treadmill almost every day. I could not be more proud that my Mom is leading her own life – and she continues to inspire me today.

No matter your background or circumstances, or how early or far along you are in your career journey, it is never too late to take control of your own life and career. 

I am extremely proud of the change we’re leading at P&G with our #WeSeeEqual initiatives. I am also truly inspired by our own leaders within P&G. Congratulations to the 30 P&G women leaders whose Power Portraits were unveiled by our Guest-of-Honor, Senior Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr. Heng Chee How. Thank you for continually leading and paving the way for leaders to come!

At the Symposium, we had meaningful conversations. We were inspired by powerful speakers. We listened in earnest to stories of perseverance, belief and triumph. But all this talk will all be for naught if not followed by action.

I encourage and call on each and every one of us to take action and ride on the journey. Only then can we truly make an impact in creating a more Gender-Equal world in our workplace and in our communities.

What are you doing to ‘walk the talk’ and help drive change in your organization? I would love to hear your stories.