Innovative for People
Arkema bets on female talentARKEMA BETS ON FEMALE TALENT
The Group is making a determined effort to strengthen its policy to support the recruitment and promotion of women.
Arkema ensures women benefit from the same career opportunities as their male colleagues. This is a key principle that forms part of the Group’s non-discrimination policy. It also focuses on equal pay, equal access to employment, support for professional development and consideration of parenting in career management.
EQUAL PAY AND EQUAL ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT
Arkema’s policy of professional equality between men and women is gradually bearing fruit. The figures are transparent: 25.3% of the Group’s workforce are women. This rises to 34% among middle managers, which represents a promising talent pool to help achieve the Group’s target for 25% of women at senior management level by 2025. To counter the risk of a glass ceiling and support the advancement of our female employees, Arkema has created a mentoring program for them. Volunteer mentors – male or female senior executives – are trained to coach and assist their mentees in developing their careers.
AT CERDATO, I TOOK PART IN VARIOUS MECHANICAL TESTS ON A GRADE OF PA11 REINFORCED WITH CARBON FIBERS FOR A SPORTS APPLICATION. R&D AND SPORT HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON IN THAT BOTH TAKE A LOT OF EFFORT AND PERSEVERANCE.
Clara Mateo
CLARA KEEPS HER EYE ON THE BALL
Clara Mateo is a top-level soccer player who plays in the championships with Paris FC and is at the point of completing her engineering studies in materials at the Polytech Paris-Saclay. She could not find a more ideal training ground than Arkema’s R&D center (Certado) in Normandy (France). As part of her studies, Clara spent several months there and was “delighted to benefit from Arkema’s technological advances in the field of materials for improving sporting performance. Most women soccer players have Pebax® in the soles of their shoes,” explains the 23-year-old athlete, who is happy to be able to combine her elite sports practice with her higher education and laboratory training in cutting- edge research. “For me, it’s the perfect balance,” says Clara, who is “very aware of Arkema’s efforts to promote the status and role of women in industry.” A finalist on the French team in the U20 World Cup, who was previously invited to play in the French A team group, Clara is naturally pleased to see women excel in her sport. “Women’s soccer is getting increasing media coverage. The number of licensed players has rocketed. We’ve gone from 50,000 ten years ago to 200,000 this year! It is a very good thing that a group like Arkema has signed a partnership with Women’s Division 1, following on from the 2019 World Cup (see opposite). Whether it’s on the soccer field, in R&D centers or in the plants, the Group is sending out the strong message that women are there to demonstrate and develop their talent to the full!”