Weekly Digest: Gender equality measures, Former Nestlé chief dies
09 Mar 2018
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09 Mar 2018 --- To honor International Women’s Day (March 8) a variety of companies, including FrieslandCampina and Cargill Cocoa, announced that they are bridging the gender gap and committing to equal opportunities to both men and women around the world. Elsewhere, Nestlé is mourning the death of former CEO Helmut Maucher, while Alltech announced the death of its founder and president, Dr. Pearse Lyons.
In brief: Gender equality measures
With International Women’s day being celebrated earlier this week on March 8, Firmenich announced its commitment to becoming a 100 percent certified gender equality employer in 2018. Offering equal opportunities for all, the group’s inclusive programs cut across compensation, recruitment and promotion practices, all the way to leadership training and mentoring, as well as flexible work arrangements and overall culture. “In line with the Firmenich values, we consistently offer equal opportunities for all our colleagues to thrive around the world,” said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO of Firmenich. “Building on our certification by the Swiss Government as an Equal Pay Employer, I am proud to be making this benchmark our global standard today. This is not only the right thing to do for society but also for business.”
Cargill is looking to champion women throughout the cocoa supply chain by improving access to land, money, training and farmer organizations and working closely with NGOs and funding partners to help women advance economically. Just one example is that through working with the humanitarian organization CARE, Cargill has supported the creation of nearly 200 community Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. These have enabled more than 4,500 people – 75 percent of the women – to save over US$130,000 and borrow US$85,000 to start and grow their businesses, pay school fees, and invest in their farms.
Within its Dairy Development Program, FrieslandCampina and its partners have organized targeted training for female dairy farmers and extension workers in Pakistan and Nigeria. In 2017 alone, the company trained 5,993 women in technical, entrepreneurial and leadership skills. “Women play an important role in agriculture, including dairy farming. At many dairy farms, women are responsible for important tasks in and around the house and shed, such as feeding, rearing young stock, milking, cleaning and bookkeeping. Typically in many developing countries, women achieve yields that are 20-30 percent lower than those of men because of a lack of access to productive resources and services. By bridging the gender gap, as an industry, we can economically and socially empower women and at the same time boost food and nutrition security,” the company writes.
Nestlé is celebrating the teams and individuals who are supporting the progress of gender balance at the company. In many countries, women make the majority of food purchases. They also represent the majority of the newly educated talent in the world today. So it is critical for businesses to ensure that women, and their views, are properly represented in the workplace and across the value chain, the company says.
In brief: Milestones/AppointmentsDr. h.c. Helmut Maucher, former Nestlé chief Nestléis mourning the death of Dr. h.c. Helmut Maucher. On March 5, the Honorary Chairman of Nestlé S.A. and long-serving CEO, Delegate and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nestlé S.A. died at his residence in Bad Homburg. Maucher, who was 90 years old, helped turn the Swiss-based company into the world's biggest food group during his almost 20-year leadership. “Helmut Maucher was a highly esteemed and charismatic personality, a strong and visionary leader, who dedicated so much of his life to Nestle,” Nestle Chairman Paul Bulcke said in the statement. Known for being outspoken, Maucher boosted the company's sales through a series of aggressive acquisitions in the 1980s.
Alltech has announced the death of its founder and president, Dr. Pearse Lyons. Lyons, who died on Thursday, March 8, due to an acute lung condition that developed during his recovery from heart surgery was 73. “Dr. Lyons was a visionary entrepreneur who transformed the agriculture industry beginning with his innovative application of yeast technology in animal nutrition. From farm to field, from market to family dinner table, our world is immeasurably better because he was a man who never saw problems, only a challenge that had not yet been solved,” said Alric Blake, CEO and Treasurer of Alltech. “We are all deeply saddened by my father’s passing,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, Pearse’s son and chairman and president of Alltech. “He always focused on developing people, and he built an extraordinary team over the years. I know he had full confidence in his team to continue growing the company he built.”
PLT Health Solutions has announced the appointment of Seth Flowerman as President of the company and also appointed Devin Stagg as Chief Operating Officer. The new senior management structure of PLT is consistent with the transition of the company from a supplier of ingredients to a comprehensive solutions development and commercialization partner for consumer products companies in supplements, food and beverage markets.
The Supervisory Board of Symrise AG has approved an early contract extension for CFO Olaf Klinger at its meeting on March 7, 2018. With his profound knowledge and extensive experience in the field, Olaf Klinger will continue to manage the finances of Symrise for another five years until January 2024. Through the renewal of the CFO's contract, Symrise is ensuring continuity and stability in the Executive Board.
In brief: Other news Edlong has announced the opening of a new office and applications lab in Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico, which the company celebrated with an opening ceremony on March 1. Laurette Rondenet, President and CEO, and Beth Warren, Chief Commercial Officer, were on hand for the ceremony. Edlong has been a member of the business community in Mexico since 2004, and with the move to the new facilities, the company looks forward to continuing the tradition of service and support for their customers in Mexico and the rest of Latin America.
The Supervisory Board of Tereos has unanimously approved a merger of the sugar beet, potato starch and alfalfa cooperatives that constituted Tereos as a union of agricultural cooperatives, to form one single cooperative, Tereos SCA.This new organization is the culmination of a process of harmonization carried out over fifteen years. This ensures that all cooperative growers, no matter what their original cooperative, enjoy the same conditions, particularly with regard to prices, operational regulations and the payment of dividends and indemnities, so enabling them to create long-term value from their production.
By Elizabeth Green
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ith International Women’s day being celebrated earlier this week on March 8, Firmenich announced its commitment to becoming a 100 percent certified gender equality employer in 2018. Offering equal opportunities for all, the group’s inclusive programs cut across compensation, recruitment and promotion practices, all the way to leadership training and mentoring, as well as flexible work arrangements and overall culture. “In line with the Firmenich values, we consistently offer equal opportunities for all our colleagues to thrive around the world,” said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO of Firmenich. “Building on our certification by the Swiss Government as an Equal Pay Employer, I am proud to be making this benchmark our global standard today. This is not only the right thing to do for society but also for business.”
