Women in industry: a diversity, inclusion and operational excellence challenge for Equans
Women in industry: a diversity, inclusion and operational excellence challenge for Equans
“Industrial services, and those of Equans in particular, contribute to the challenges of energy and climate change. Making these jobs attractive to women is a major issue in terms of diversity and inclusion as well as operational performance” states Jérôme Stubler, CEO of Equans.
On the occasion of International Women's Dayon 8 March, Equans, a major player in the transition to a low-carbon and resilient world, confirms its firm commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities for all.
"Women account for 18.5% of Equans employees, and 18.7% of them hold managerial positions. Our aim is to do better, and our management teams are working hard in all the countries where we operate to build attractive careers for our female employees," says Olivier Hérout, Group Executive Vice President, Human Resources.
“ We are determined to take action at every level, from increasing the number of women recruited into management, with the aim of reaching 20% by 2026, to career development, with particular a ttention to women's access to management positions, and of course developing an inclusive culture that fights against stereotypes and sexist behaviour on a daily basis. ”
With nearly 1,600 active members around the world, our seven internal communities committed to greater gender diversity and equality between women and men provide a forum for exchange and sharing, as well as accelerating positive initiatives on these issues.
Equans has just launched its Gender+ plan, which will mobilise all the Group's management bodies around very concrete commitments, such as the implementation of short-and medium-term actions at all levels of the company, a particular focus on the diversity of candidates for each strategic position andraising the awareness of teams to combat gender bias.
This plan complements the many existing initiatives in the countries:
- In France, during Smart City Week organised by Elles bougent in October 2023, several hundred middle and high school girls throughout France were welcomed by Equans' 180 “godmothers” and local representatives in order to encourage young girls to pursue a career in industry.
- In France, Equans has launched the third year of Electra, its professional retraining programme to enable women to qualify as a building electrician, a profession still predominantly held by men. This work-linked training programme takes place over 12 months, alternating between one week of training and two weeks in the company. On completion of their training, these women from a variety of professional backgrounds (sales, care assistant, secretary, etc.) will be able to join the teams or continue their studies on a sandwich course. Two sessions are also underway to train female site supervisors.
- In the UK, Equans launched the “Women in Leadership” development pathway in 2022. Lasting eight months, it has already enabled 43 women managers (in operations or more senior positions) to follow a diploma course delivered by leading higher education establishments and business schools. 20% of the members of this graduating class have already been promoted and a second group of 60 women is underway.
- In Switzerland, Equans is designing an inter-company mentoring programme for female talent with the Franco-Swiss Chamber of Commerce.
- In Chile, Equans has just been awarded NCH 3262 certification, which recognises companies that are particularly committed to diversity and work-life balance.
Press contact: contact-media@equans.com
About Equans
Equans, a subsidiary of the Bouygues group, is a world leader in the energy and services sector with operations in 20 countries, 90,000 employees working on 5 continents and a turnover of 18.8 billion euros in 2023.
Equans designs, installs and supplies tailor-made solutions to improve its customers' equipment, systems and technical processes and optimise their use in support of their energy, industrial and digital transitions. Thanks to a strong local footprint based on its historic local brands and excellent technical expertise, Equans' highly qualified experts are capable of supporting regions, cities, industries and buildings in the fields of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning), Refrigeration and Fire Safety, Facility Management, Digital and ICT, Electricity, Mechanics and Robotics. Equans is the leader in the main European markets (France, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and is also well positioned in the United States and Latin America.
