‘We are at a pivotal moment in history’, says the CEO
Hospitality giants, Accor SE Asia earlier this month signed the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence to mark International Women’s Day. Like many other organisations, they also committed to sustaining gender equity at the company as it reaches 45% female representation in its leadership positions.
“We are at a pivotal moment in history, with the #MeToo movement showing the prevalence of harassment and violence against women, and the best way to combat this is to ensure we have equal representation of women in positions of leadership across the workplace and the community,” said Garth Simmons, CEO at Accor SE Asia, Japan and South Korea.
“I am proud to say that my executive committee consists of five women and six men and I have always believed that gender equity leads to a richness of ideas and greater collaboration and performance.”
Read more: Deloitte chief talent officer: Why you need an anti-violence policy
Simmons’ passion for diversity and inclusion is rooted by being a father of two daughters. His efforts to help push the agenda is motivated by the desire to ensure “they grow up in a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and offered equal access to opportunities”.
“Working across 12 countries in Asia, I have seen first-hand how poverty and inaccessibility can foster gender-based inequality and I am deeply committed to creating an environment where we can bring about real change,” he said. “In particular, we must promote and mentor women and engage in community projects that provide support and education to disadvantaged women and girls.”
Read more: Women in leadership roles more prone to workplace harassment
Simmons acknowledged that while his leadership committee is gender balanced, more needs to be done to ensure equal representation across the group, especially in the operational side of the business. Women currently hold leadership positions in corporate finance, legal, talent & culture (HR), commercial and communications. However, only 14% of hotel general managers are women.
There is currently a strong pipeline of women for leadership positions at the corporate level, but “further action must be taken” to encourage more women to take up the role of GM at its various properties.
“I have asked our teams across Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea to double down on their efforts to ensure women are offered equal opportunities across all levels of the business,” he said. “We will particularly focus on fostering more female GMs across the hub.”
