It’s no secret that women are the key force of life. No matter the field, women have always been there and they’ve always strove for greater heights. And this great strength and ambition is only part of why empowering women is greatly important today, so the world can also change fittingly.
Speaking of the world, Mars Egypt has a clear-cut purpose when it comes to it and it is to create the world we want tomorrow by changing how we do business today, including the treatment of women in the workforce. Mars Egypt isn’t just saying that either—it’s here to “walk the talk”.
In 2019, Mars Egypt appointed Dalia Salib as the first woman in a leadership position in its Egyptian headquarters and stuck to its word of implementing change. Salib, too, is in favor of this change and is always seeking to champion women to achieve more, just like Mars Egypt does!
Because Mars Egypt has always been keen on aiding women to overcome all obstacles, it hadn’t shied from proving its dedication to the cause by instilling several constructive initiatives to not only help but to empower as well.
These programs include the Development Program for Female Top Talent, which is in cooperation with Harvard University. It also includes women’s cadres from all over Egypt and the Middle East, as it sets to cultivate women’s skillsets to qualify them to assume leadership positions in the future, following in the footsteps of Dalia Salib.
Another program is the Inclusion and Diversity Initiative Program, with the sole purpose of creating a balanced work environment that is laid according to the concepts of diversity and inclusivity without sticking to a status quo.
One more program is Closing Gender Gap Accelerator Program, which is implemented in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Manpower as it’s set to focus on the women of the production lines. The program gives them the full opportunity to work across the twenty-four hours a day without any discrimination or restrictions.
“It makes me proud to be part of the Mars factory operations team,” says Miriam Awni who leads part of the factory operations, as a Value Stream Leader. “We get the opportunity every day to break stereotypes and prove that women can do jobs normally done by men.”
“We currently have around 40 women who work on the shopfloor across all shifts 24 hours a day. These women are now in jobs previously held by only men; they operate machines and lead teams of workers in the factory. With the proper development and empowerment, women can do these jobs!”
Mars Egypt’s efforts don’t stop at its programs, though. These efforts also make sure to amplify the voices of working women.
Women’s voices have been a little overlooked in the working world but Mars Egypt knows just how important it is to hear those voices and so, it has launched the #HereToBeHeard campaign.
The campaign’s goal is simple—to ask one question in a global survey. And that question is “what needs to change so more women can reach their full potential?”
Set on amplifying and capturing the voices of millions of women about the nature of the ideal workplace and what needs to change so we can achieve it, #HereToBeHeard will be the stepping stone workplace change, broadening the marketplace, and sourcing communities.
This campaign has, naturally, started by asking half of Mars Egypt’s associates—its working women.
#HereToBeHeard is one of the things Mars Egypt began to instill changes around the working world but it’s surely not the last thing. Mars Egypt has also implemented a number of facilities and changes set on bettering the workplace environment for its working women.
One of these changes include providing training courses for the men and women of the factory on creating a work environment based on inclusivity and diversity.
Another thing is providing continuous support and follow-ups with the employees as well as providing training to raise the employee’s professional competence and safe methods of transportation, too.
