BWAW claims for examples of female leadership in the business sector

• DFactory Barcelona has reopened its doors on this second day of BWAW, where high-level speakers have shared their experiences and professional advice on the audiovisual, technological, corporate and professional recycling sector in private companies and public institutions

• The last session will feature panels on the creation of young talent from a gender perspective, business actions to move towards equality, the internationalization of female talent and the representation of women in leadership positions in the health sector

Barcelona, March 6, 2024.- The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) has reopened the doors of DFactory Barcelona on the second day of Barcelona Woman Acceleration Week (BWAW), the benchmark event for advancing gender equality in the industrial and business sphere. Today’s session explored topics such as the gender perspective in audiovisual production, female leadership in Human Resources, the opportunities offered by professional retraining and the promotion of parity policies from large corporations.

Gender perspective in the audiovisual sector

The day began with the BAudiovisual vertical and the discussion session “The gender perspective in audiovisual production” with Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State in CZFB, and Blanca Sorigué, general director in CZFB as moderators and the speakers: Meritxell Bautista, president of Manix Capital; Anna Cler, deputy director Catalunya and director and presenter of the programme ‘Noms Propis’ on RTVE; Laura Fernández, partner and producer at Filmax and M. Carmen Fernández, CIO at Grup Mediapro.

As presented at the session, 37% of all positions in the audiovisual sector are held by women, and 63% by men. Of those employed by women, 75% of them are related to make-up and hairdressing. The audiovisual sector (cinema, radio, television, press, etc.) must set benchmarks and thus make professional women visible in order to break the glass ceilings and sticky floors. In the case of RTVE, as a highly audited public company, it has an enormous responsibility to generate content that promotes equality to enrich society. The Spanish audiovisual sector has the duty, in this sense, to convey values of equality, but also of ethnic diversity, religion, beliefs… in all its contents.

Female leadership in Human Resources

The day continued with the BLeadership vertical and the session “Female leadership in HR” moderated by Jose Luis Risco, partner in charge of organization and talent at EY and the speakers: Maria Luisa Candela, HR Manager and Coordinator at Eurofins NSC Spain; María Dueñas, People Business Partner Medical Director at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Mónica Jiménez, General Manager of TM2.

In its case, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu shows that the implementation of equality plans can achieve a significant representation of women in jobs, such as in its organisation, which has 82% women in the workforce. In addition, although the industrial sector is masculinized, measures are taken to raise awareness of harassment and promote gender equality, recognizing that talent is not limited by gender and encouraging the participation of women in industrial roles. In summary, equality and personal development policies can benefit all staff by promoting an inclusive and growing environment, regardless of gender.

Second opportunities in the workplace

The midday session took place under the BReskilling vertical with the round table “Professional recycling, a second chance” moderated by Humbert Ruiz, director of the Fundación Telefónica 42 campus in Barcelona, and the high-level speakers: Teresa Aznar, talent incorporation specialist at Telefónica Spain; Sara Díaz, Executive Director of Strategic Sectors and Talent at Barcelona Activa; Mar Masulli, co-founder and CEO of BitMetrics and Anna Mercado, developer and founder of Redlollygames.

As pointed out in the round table, computer programming is one of the least feminised professions, with only 5% of women in the field. Even so, it is highlighted that reskilling in the technology sector can increase women’s incomes by 30%. Other important actors to change this data are public institutions, such as Barcelona Activa, which play a crucial role in inspiring and making visible women in the technology sector, offering free and flexible training to empower them. Technology will be fundamental in the future, so it is essential to make the most of the opportunities available to acquire knowledge and thus be prepared to lead in the technological field.

Equal policies in large companies

The afternoon sessions began with the BCorporate vertical and the debate “The promotion of parity policies from large corporations” moderated by Silvia Alsina, CEO of Roman and the speakers Georgina Flamme, Director of Institutional Relations, Communication and Sustainability at Abertis and Director of the Fundación Abertis; Tomas Flier, regional manager of diversity and inclusion for EMEA Google; Aline Masuda, Associate Professor and PhD in Strategy, Leadership and People at EADA Business School; Laura Ros, Managing Director of Volkswagen and Enrique Tomás, Founder and Managing Director of Enrique Tomás.

In this case, it is worth noting that large companies are subject to legislation aimed at achieving gender parity. Thanks to these regulations, the presence of women in management positions is increasing, with the aim of reaching 30% of women in management positions by 2030. Additionally, it has been emphasised the essential role that organisations have to play in promoting gender equality and creating an inclusive culture, both internally and in their interaction with society. This means actively taking diversity and inclusion into account when developing products and shaping organisational culture.

Today’s session will end this afternoon with the BConnectivity vertical and the debate session “Connecting the world from a gender perspective” which will be moderated by Myriam Serrano, editor-in-chief of Woman and the speakers: Blanca Sorigué, vice president of the World Free Zones Organization (WFZO); Eva Valenzuela, Director of AENA’s Josep Tarradellas Barcelona – El Prat Airport and Mónica Vázquez, Executive Vice President and General Manager of ABANCA USA.

Tomorrow, March 7, the 4th edition of BWAW will conclude and will feature panels on the creation of young talent from a gender perspective, business actions to advance towards equality, the internationalization of female talent and the representation of women in leadership positions in the health sector.