Nearly 250 female employees from the Group, including a delegation of more than 20 women representing Belgium, will be at the starting line of the sporting event not to be missed in Paris after the summer break.
Cergy, 02 September 2019 – For the 23rd edition of “La Parisienne” this coming September 8th, SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the fields of energy and communications, announces that an international delegation of nearly 250 female employees representing the Group’s main European subsidiaries, including more than twenty from Belgium, will be on hand. A new occasion for SPIE employees to share a friendly time and promote actions for diversity.
SPIE’S day-to-day commitment to diversity
"This new mobilization by SPIE illustrates the Group’s day-to-day commitment to diversity by encouraging women to take their rightful place in a traditionally more male professional sector. Driven by the creation of the “So’SPIE Ladies” European network in 2015, this commitment has been strengthened for a year now by the appointment of duos in each national subsidiary combining a male or female “So’SPIE Ladies’ network manager and a member of the management committee. Their mission is to deploy a programme of action with clearly defined annual objectives in each of SPIE’s subsidiaries – with strong national initiatives to bolster the diversity of teams every year into the bargain.
“Showing examples of success is vital,” says Celine Isaian, project engineer at SPIE Belgium and manager of “So’SPIE Ladies” for her subsidiary. We have taken the initiative to appoint four female ambassadors whose role this year will be to share the story of their professional careers with young girls ad female students at student forums.”
These local and national initiatives are producing results today: in 2018, women accounted for 16% of the Group’s new employees, compared with 10% three years ago.”
A specific mentoring programme
Another specific action put in place since 2018: a specific mentoring programme for women managers. Some ten women in support and operational positions were selected in each subsidiary to receive specific mentoring for personal development by a member of the management committee of each subsidiary. The aim is to prepare them for the responsibilities they will have to assume in the company with particular attention to the acquisition of new skills.
“La Parisienne:” indispensable in the life of SPIE
The leading French female foot race, “La Parisienne” has since 1997 brought thousands of women together for a 7 km race running through the most prestigious sites of the French capital: the Champ de Mars, the banks of the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde, Grand Palais, etc. Since 2012, “La Parisienne” has also become indispensable in the life of SPIE: this year, nearly 250 female employees, mostly from 65 European countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and France) will pick up the challenge in the midst of 25,000 other participants.
Athletes or walkers, all are motivated by the pleasure of taking part in a competition geared to good fellowship, mutual knowledge and the promotion of diversity – a priority which mobilizes substantially the general management of the SPIE Group, certain members of which will be on hand on 8 September.
“La Parisienne is an ideal opportunity to bring about a shift in attitudes about diversity and the place of women in the development of the company,” says Elisabeth Rasmussen, director of the Group’s human resources. It is also a nice event full of meaning that brings people together.”
