What is the place of women at BNP Paribas Fortis?

“All the studies on the subject prove it: diversity within a team is a key factor in its success,” says Anne-France Simon. “In addition to having a positive impact on the well-being of employees, diversity also leads to high-performing teams that are more creative and make better decisions.”

Measuring for better action

Among the aspects related to diversity, our bank pays particular attention to gender equality at all levels of our organisation. This is why we keep a record of this and since last year have been publishing an overview of gender equality in our company. We believe this is an essential step to clearly define the concrete actions to be taken to guarantee this diversity.

“Women represent 52% of the staff and are therefore well represented in our bank,” says Anne-France Simon. “However, we note that their presence diminishes as we move up the company ladder. Visibly some glass ceilings persist, especially when you reach management positions.”

Getting rid of unconscious biases

Are women less ambitious than men? Not at all. “Of course, some women fear that they will have to sacrifice part of their private life or underestimate their abilities, but it would be a mistake to think this applies to all women. Above all, I think that certain stereotypes persist,” regrets Anne-France Simon. “It is these biases, often unconscious, that hinder the hiring or promotion of women to positions of responsibility. It is the role of each and every one of us to change mentalities.”

A unique network to change mentalities

One of the specific actions implemented by our bank to change things is MixCity, a unique internal network that brings together men and women of all ages and hierarchical levels. Together, they promote diversity via numerous activities and seminars to ensure it remains a core and recurring theme within our company and beyond.

“Equality is an indispensable element in the transition towards a company where our collective intelligence will enable us to operate efficiently, creatively and in a more inclusive way,” says Sofie Moerbeek, President of MixCity. More than 1,300 staff members have already joined the movement.

Ambitious goals

Human Resources and the Diversity & Social Inclusion team are currently working on an ambitious plan to remove all the obstacles to gender diversity by acting at various levels such as corporate culture, internal mobility and recruitment. One of its objectives is to have at least 40% women in senior management positions by 2025.

Affirmative actions to offer an inclusive working environment in which everyone finds their place is also what Positive Banking is all about.