Martina Dalić participated in a conference on professional equality of women and men in Europe

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the CEO of Podravka, Martina Dalić, participated in a conference on professional equality of women and men in Europe, held in Paris in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron. The event at the Élysée Palace gathered business leaders from the private sector of each EU member state and was held as part of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The topic of gender equality is one of the important themes of the French presidency, and the participants of today’s conference committed to actively work on accelerating positive trends and reducing the imbalance between the rights and positions of men and women in their countries by signing the Declaration of Support for Strengthening Professional Equality within the Private Sector.

Participating in the panel discussion 'What are the prospects for professional equality of women and men in Europe?' Dalić emphasized the importance of raising social awareness about the benefits that companies and societies can achieve from greater involvement of women in the highest managerial positions, both in companies and in politics.

– In legislative solutions that introduce so-called women’s quotas in company boards and politics, their sincere implementation is extremely important, reflecting the spirit and intention of such laws, rather than merely fulfilling administrative legal criteria. In this process, it is necessary to continuously strengthen the awareness of society as a whole about the benefits that more women in company boards and politics bring. The knowledge, energy, innovation, and leadership style that women bring create real added value, both for companies and for society as a whole. For stronger implementation of these changes, continuous involvement and support from men, who are still mostly decision-makers, is also needed. At the same time, the reorganization we are currently undergoing at Podravka will increase the share of women in top management from the current 24% to 43%. All women who will be promoted have been selected not only because they are women but also because of their knowledge, competencies, and contributions to Podravka. Therefore, professional equality and equal opportunities are real instruments that turn legislative and rhetorical solutions into real and visible results – emphasized Martina Dalić.

Among the employees of Podravka d.d., there are a total of 46% women, and among employees with higher education, holding a master’s or doctoral degree, the share of women is even 61%. In the Management Board of Podravka, the share of women is 40%, which is already in line with the EU Strategy for Gender Equality by 2025. The percentage of women in the Management Board of Podravka is higher than the Croatian average, as well as the average of nearly 90% of OECD and G20 member countries, and with a share of 33%, the company is above the Croatian average in terms of the representation of women on the Supervisory Board.

Regarding employment, job applications at Podravka are not gender-defined, and both women and men are equally employed, as they have equal opportunities for development and advancement depending on qualifications. In the past year, 43% of women advanced in Podravka.

The gender pay gap is 4.25%, which is significantly better than the national average (11.2%) and the EU average (13%), and through the reorganization of Podravka’s business, this gap will be further reduced.

Podravka, among other things, continuously works on encouraging young people, especially girls and women, to choose STEM fields, collaborating with educational institutions on projects such as 'Development of Innovative Products from By-products during Vegetable Processing'. Additionally, as much as 90% of the Research and Development employees are women, which further makes these professions attractive to younger generations of women and girls.

To achieve further progress in strengthening professional equality of women and men in the private sector of the European Union, the signatories of the Declaration of Support for Strengthening Professional Equality within the Private Sector committed to reducing the pay gap between women and men, increasing the share of women in the total number of employees, in managerial positions, and in administrative and supervisory boards, raising awareness and training on unconscious bias in hiring and professional advancement, creating a safe working environment for women, and promoting a balance between work and private life.