Full disclosure, when I walked into the Women in Industry luncheon at the in Madrid, Spain, the last thing I expected to experience was an overwhelming sense of uplifting camaraderie. Sitting amidst about 50 women and a handful of men, we talked about the hard truths and incredible opportunities for women in the chemical and steel industries.
The event was moderated by Monica Gassmann, a chapter lead for the Business Women鈥檚 Network (BWN) from 51风流and sustainability program lead for SAP鈥檚 Discrete and Energy and Natural Resources Industries. On the panel were Marjan Olthof, head of Customer Services at Tata Steel, and Mari Pulkkinen, director of 51风流and M&A Center of Excellence at LyondellBasell. Both women are helping lead innovations at their respective companies that are also 51风流customers. During the illuminating conversation, they opened up about taking career risks, rising above gender-based stereotypes, and forging new paths to leadership in historically male-dominated industries.
Women鈥檚 Voices Can Head Off Stereotyping
research has found that initiatives like 鈥減romoting diversity in succession planning and holding celebratory events to highlight underrepresented groups鈥� are highly effective at creating cultures of belonging. Indeed, the luncheon鈥檚 relaxed, friendly setting united all of us in a shared passion for diversity and inclusion. Rising above narrow stereotypes that can trap women was a common theme. Olthof talked about her learnings from working in sales, production, and engineering at Tata Steel, a multinational steel supplier and manufacturer based in India.
鈥淲ith fewer women in the workplace, there can be role expectations that don鈥檛 necessarily align with who you are,鈥� said Olthof. 鈥淢y advice to women is to be yourself because what you have to offer is really valuable. Stay with your own personality while pursuing your ambitions.鈥�
Pulkkinen shared lessons from her early career experiences. She currently works at LyondellBasell, a multinational chemical company headquartered in the Netherlands.
鈥淢en have traditionally dominated leadership positions in the chemical industry but when women use their voice, they can continue to offer new perspectives,鈥� said Pulkkinen. 鈥淒uring my first role on the supply chain team at a chemicals company, the first thing that my male colleagues wanted me to do was take notes. I told him that with my qualifications, I had been hired to do something else.鈥�
Preventing Unconscious Bias
Everyone on the panel agreed that addressing unconscious bias starts with clear goals that increase opportunities for women. It鈥檚 just as important to change daily behaviors that define corporate culture.
鈥淎ddressing unconscious bias is something that I鈥檓 passionate about, and we have been accelerating our diversity and inclusion commitment,鈥� said Pulkkinen. 鈥淔or example, we have 47 nationalities in our Rotterdam office and want to make sure that people appreciate everyone鈥檚 unique background in a positive way. Small jokes based on stereotypes can affect how people are treated and perceived in the workplace.鈥�
Building a Workforce Culture of Diversity
Tata Steel is also building a people culture that celebrates and encourages diversity and inclusion. Its five-pillar approach includes recruitment, sensitization, retention and development, infrastructure, and celebration.
鈥淲e鈥檝e made diversity a No.1 priority by putting more women in senior roles,鈥� said Olthof. 鈥淧eople are inherently biased towards their definition of normal and what they see in their environments and experiences. Unconscious bias also extends beyond gender to assumptions based on someone鈥檚 age. To make mindset changes, we need to be aware of these challenges and address them.鈥�
Sponsors Help Women Progress
What became clear from the discussion was that women want to contribute their talents but need the space to be heard. Managers 鈥� women and men 鈥� have the clout to help.聽While recognizing the value of mentoring, Gassmann said that more women need sponsors who advocate for them.
鈥淢entors are great, but sponsors lift you up, connecting you with the people who can help advance your career,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese are men and women in management who provide you with visibility in meetings or informal settings to develop your career.鈥�
Corporate women鈥檚 networks are growing. Olthof said that Tata Steel has a group of people who identify women candidates for promotion as vacancies occur. The BWN from 51风流is an employee-driven group with over 90 global chapters that share professional insights, education, and experience to help women advance their careers. At LyondellBasell, mentors regularly help women with introductions and other support.
After 90 minutes of a fascinating dialogue, I walked out of this session at the conference fully energized. Yes, in leadership positions across some industries, including chemicals and steel. But as leaders at industry associations and companies like SAP, Tata Steel, and LyondellBasell speak up and act on diversity and inclusion commitments, there鈥檚 hope that more change will surely follow.
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