Coca-Cola pushes for more inclusive workplace for women

MANILA, Philippines –  Coca-Cola Philippines takes the lead in advocating a system-wide campaign toward an extensive workplace for women.

Promulgating the advocacy in 2010, Coca-Cola Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board Muhtar Kent took on the challenge of increasing the responsibility and influence of women in senior leadership roles through programs such as Women’s Linc and Women’s Leadership Council---the two pillars that aim to intensify the participation of women in leadership.

Women’s Linc is a network of women who work together to develop programs to cater to women and improve productivity, while the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC), composed of 17 global female leaders, spearheads the internal initiative that works towards the 2020 vision.

The WLC aims to accelerate the development and movement of women employees into bigger roles in the company. While it makes use of strategies implemented across the globe with differing cultures, the WLC has regional legs that localize initiatives based on local culture and sensibilities.

Debbie Cua-Ho, Traditional Trade Manager of Coca-Cola Philippines, is one of the many female employees of the Company, who stands to benefit from these initiatives geared towards training, development, and leadership capability building.

With a Company that looks toward the interest of cultivating women leaders, female employees are given opportunities to feel more confident about themselves shares Cua-Ho. Beyond such programs, local work policies such as Flextime Hours, Telecommuting, and the option to work from home especially for mothers of new-born babies are among those that allow for balancing work and personal life.

​“There are milestones in your personal life that you don’t want to miss. It’s a tough call, sometimes, to choose between staying up late at work and heading home early because it’s your dad’s birthday, but you have to prioritize. At Coca-Cola, we can just approach our managers and they are very open to off-setting work hours,” Cua Ho concludes.

Years into sustaining that commitment and the beverage giant has grown its women senior executives from 23 percent to over 30 percent globally, where the Philippines is contributing outstandingly. At present, 61 percent of the employees of Coca-Cola Philippines are women, where 36 percent are already in senior leadership positions.

“As one of the global leaders for female talent, you can imagine that we are very proud of what we have achieved. We believe in sustainable inclusivity and we all have a role to play in contributing to closing the gender gap,” said Guillermo Aponte, President and General Manager of Coca-Cola Philippines.

“We look forward to hitting the mark in 6 years as a Company committed to empowering women,” he added.

“At Coca-Cola, we always strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the people and communities we serve—this includes impacting on our very own talent. With a global presence in 200 countries, there is so much we want to contribute in the realm of well-being, water stewardship, and of course, women empowerment,” Aponte concludes.

Meanwhile, since 2007, Coca-Cola in Latin America has grown its women senior leaders from 11 percent to 20 percent;  Eurasia/Africa has gone from 18 percent to 28 percent; and the Pacific from 14 percent to 25 percent. At present, the ASEAN is now at 33 percent where the Philippines’ contribution is included.

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