Nestlé Pakistan celebrated International Women's Day here on Wednesday as an opportunity to recognise the accomplishments of the organisation's fast growing female workforce, as part of the company's commitment to meeting the UN's 5th Sustainability Development Goal (SDG-5) that aims to achieve gender equality and women empowerment.
Abdullah Jawaid, a Gender Balance Champion at Nestlé explained why gender equity was a cornerstone at the organisation and announced Nestlé's new travel policy for working mothers. He said, "Gender Balance is part of our global strategy. 70 percent of are consumers are females, so it makes sense for us to have the right set of policies and infrastructure in place to attract and retain the best female talent in the country.
The event served as a platform for female employees to share their experiences in taking on unconventional roles, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.
Misbah Mumtaz served as an inspirational example for the audience. Misbah is a Material Handling Equipment (MHE) supervisor and works at Nestlé's Sheikhupura factory. She is the first female employee at Nestlé to operate a forklift. She said, "Handling heavy equipment is considered a man's job and I wanted to break that stereotype. It was a role I was interested in and Nestlé gave me the opportunity to take it on. I am a living example that there is no job a woman can't do once she puts her mind to it".
Wan Ling Martello, Executive Vice President and Head of Zone Asia Oceania and Africa and Head of HR Zone Asia and Africa, Claudia Thumm also joined the celebrations via video conference and spoke about Nestlé's global efforts in making the organisation inclusive and providing equal opportunities to its female employees. Bruno Olierhoek, Managing Director, Nestlé Pakistan along with the top management was also present at the occasion.