Fonterra is celebrating International Women's Day. Photo / Supplied
Fonterra is celebrating International Women's Day. Photo / Supplied
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Fonterra is marking Internation Women’s Day by going a step further and dedicating a whole week to recognising and celebrating women throughout the business.
International Women’s Day is a chance to champion the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women worldwide. This year it took place on March 8, with a global theme of Embrace Equity.
“International Women’s Week” was a great way to recognise the contribution of women to the co-op, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Fonterra, Haylee Putaranui, said.
“Women absolutely are a big part of our farmers’ families and certainly a big part of our workforce right across the globe as well,” she told The Country Sport Breakfast’s, Brian Kelly.
Fonterra has a partnership with Women’s Refuge, so the Farm Source team gifted 225 safe nights which helps give women and children nights to live free from domestic and family violence.
Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Fonterra, Haylee Putaranu. Photo / Supplied
The women in COO are also running a donation drive for Dress for Success, with boxes across its sites and offices.
Dress for Success is a worldwide organisation that helps women find economic independence by providing professional work clothing, career development tools and an ongoing support network.
It was important for Fonterra to celebrate International Women’s Day as it tied in with the co-op’s wider diversity and inclusion efforts, Putaranui said.
“Diversity and inclusion is absolutely not just a ‘nice to have’ but it’s part of our business strategy.”
Fonterra is keen to attract, develop, and retain a diverse group of talented individuals, and to create an inclusive culture.
The co-op offers workplace flexibility, equal opportunities in its recruitment process, and no gender pay gap for the same job.
In FY21, Fonterra extended parental leave cover for New Zealand employees, offering extra care for primary carers who have been employed for at least 12 months.
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The co-op also aims to ensure it has a good representation of women in senior leadership roles as well, and as of FY22, women in global senior leadership have increased from 32.4 per cent to 34.8 per cent.
While International Women’s Day (or Week) was a great way to celebrate - championing women was something that should be done every day, Putaranui said.
“It’s most important that we carry on and we do a whole lot of work throughout the year as well - not just on one day.”
