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The question of parity is at the heart of many corporate concerns. Despite apparent progress and seemingly promising figures, the reality often reveals hidden disparities, particularly within management positions. These require ongoing attention and concrete action to ensure that women have the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Initiatives and policies aimed at supporting women in their careers are essential to creating a more equitable and inclusive working environment.
At the LTD conference on June 4, Solène Madec, Global Talent & Learning Director at BEL, Anne Denisart-Trémenbert, HR Director for France and Belgium at EURONEXT, and Anselme Jalon, CEO at NUMA, discussed the challenges facing women leaders. They explored the most effective ways of accelerating their professional development, and proposed strategic and measurable approaches to concretely promote the advancement of women to positions of responsibility.
This impetus comes in response to two requests: one from General Management and the second from our female employees. Indeed, we have received requests from our female employees, particularly those who are just a few steps away from reaching management positions, and who are wondering about the best way to assert their leadership. Indeed, influence, the ability to express one's opinion, develop one's network, share one's ambition, etc. are also important components in one's personal and professional development. Ultimately, this can also have an impact on career development.
As far as our management is concerned, Bel is a relatively gender-balanced group, with 50% women at management level, a female CEO, and a gender-balanced executive committee. However, a glass ceiling persists at executive level. Our strategy is to break this glass ceiling and increase parity at executive level with at least 40% women by 2030.
There is currently an imbalance between women and men in Euronext's overall population, accentuated at management level. This deficit is even more marked in the Tech/IT sectors.
Our challenge is therefore to rebalance these two groups towards parity, bearing in mind that these changes require time and a gradual approach. The impetus comes from a global impetus applied locally to better meet local needs. When the Women Network was created, an initiative strongly supported by the Group's CEO, it was essential to determine how to deploy it effectively. To carry out concrete, relevant actions, it was necessary to remain close to the field, as each country has its own challenges, often linked to management issues.
This glass ceiling can be found in companies of all shapes and sizes, and transcends sectors and professions. The problem is a common one, as illustrated by the example of Air France: although the company is relatively gender-balanced, with 46% of its employees being women, significant disparities persist in certain departments. To overcome this problem, Air France has developed the Femme de Talent program, aimed at more experienced profiles, to give them the keys to accessing higher-level positions.
It can be more difficult for women to assert themselves or speak up in a group, either because it seems less natural or because of a dynamic where men dominate the conversation. Imposter syndrome is also a frequent occurrence among women. Our annual interviews have shown that when women are offered management positions, they often ask themselves whether they have the necessary skills, which is less common among men.
Furthermore, women tend to network less naturally than men. And yet, when drawing up succession plans, managers - especially male ones - tend to propose employees they know, which often leads to a preference for men. One of the aims of the Women Network developed by Euronext is to encourage the creation of links and knowledge between women, so that they can get to know each other and make themselves known.
The barriers and challenges we have noted also revolve around influence, negotiation and assertiveness: how do you dare to assert yourself and express your leadership, especially in very masculine environments? How do you navigate in an environment where ordinary sexism and the unspoken may be present? Barriers and difficulties in asserting oneself, negotiating and developing one's network remain major challenges.
One of the main advantages of an all-female course is the creation of a Safe Space where participants feel free to express their doubts and concerns, and share their sometimes difficult experiences. Women may feel less comfortable sharing their experiences, especially when they have been through complicated situations. Today, freeing up the floor on these sensitive subjects is more effective in women-only groups.
In fact, we opted for women-only groups to free up the floor and address the particular issues facing women. For example, meetings where women feel they are being cut off are symptomatic, and to ensure that all issues are addressed, we felt it more effective to favour women-only groups.
To guarantee an effective and sustainable strategy, it is essential to adopt a global and sincere approach. This means working with managers to raise their awareness of bias, acting on HR processes, but also on the needs of female employees, in particular on the biases they sometimes have towards themselves. Promoting role models within the company also helps reinforce the impact of all our other initiatives.
Our strategy is based on two main pillars:
At Euronext, the selection of participants is based on several criteria to ensure an environment conducive to exchange and development:
At BEL, we have evolved our selection strategy to ensure a significant commitment from participants. In 2023, we opened up participation on a voluntary basis with a call for applications. However, after individual meetings, we sometimes noticed a lack of commitment despite the identified need. This led us to rethink our approach.
Then in 2024, we integrated participation with a personal development objective. Candidates are therefore selected on a voluntary basis, and then according to how well their application matches their personal development plan. This dual approach guarantees active and committed participation, anchored in the needs and personal development objectives of each talent. This encourages action and follow-up over the long term.
A key initiative doesn't work on its own, you have to make connections between all the DE&I initiatives: our recommendation is to find relays, in particular via the employees themselves.
Completely! To ensure long-term commitment, it's important to rely on the employees themselves.
This can involve creating new rituals such as lunches, promotional meetings and anniversaries, as well as inter-promotional exchange forums. Appointing ambassadors is particularly effective. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are also growing in importance and can play a key role in this dynamic.
What may be holding some managers back is the belief that there should be no specifically female leadership, and that initiating a women's leadership program could reinforce stereotypes. To assert that there is a distinctly feminine or masculine management style is not only reductive, but also potentially erroneous, as is generally accepted here. However, it is crucial to recognize that women face additional or at least different challenges to men.
Find the program that best suits them. In France, the Women Network run by Delphine d'Amarzit and myself is based on the conviction that management should not be categorized by gender, as this reinforces stereotypes. But it is essential to recognize that women face challenges that are additional to, or at least different from, those faced by men. And we've seen this in concrete terms by asking our female employees about their biases and difficulties.
Before taking the plunge, clearly identify the needs and challenges faced by your women leaders, and question the stakeholders involved . As part of a global approach, your initiative must be integrated into a broader, coherent strategy. An isolated project risks falling into gender washing. Offer a dedicated career path for women leaders only if your HR processes are aligned in this direction, if they form part of a structured framework, and if you are able to measure the impact of the actions implemented. Only take the plunge when you're ready, to avoid initiatives that are not very effective and that could potentially undermine all your efforts.
The question of parity is at the heart of many corporate concerns. Despite apparent progress and seemingly promising figures, the reality often reveals hidden disparities, particularly within management positions. These require ongoing attention and concrete action to ensure that women have the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Initiatives and policies aimed at supporting women in their careers are essential to creating a more equitable and inclusive working environment.
At the LTD conference on June 4, Solène Madec, Global Talent & Learning Director at BEL, Anne Denisart-Trémenbert, HR Director for France and Belgium at EURONEXT, and Anselme Jalon, CEO at NUMA, discussed the challenges facing women leaders. They explored the most effective ways of accelerating their professional development, and proposed strategic and measurable approaches to concretely promote the advancement of women to positions of responsibility.
This impetus comes in response to two requests: one from General Management and the second from our female employees. Indeed, we have received requests from our female employees, particularly those who are just a few steps away from reaching management positions, and who are wondering about the best way to assert their leadership. Indeed, influence, the ability to express one's opinion, develop one's network, share one's ambition, etc. are also important components in one's personal and professional development. Ultimately, this can also have an impact on career development.
As far as our management is concerned, Bel is a relatively gender-balanced group, with 50% women at management level, a female CEO, and a gender-balanced executive committee. However, a glass ceiling persists at executive level. Our strategy is to break this glass ceiling and increase parity at executive level with at least 40% women by 2030.
There is currently an imbalance between women and men in Euronext's overall population, accentuated at management level. This deficit is even more marked in the Tech/IT sectors.
Our challenge is therefore to rebalance these two groups towards parity, bearing in mind that these changes require time and a gradual approach. The impetus comes from a global impetus applied locally to better meet local needs. When the Women Network was created, an initiative strongly supported by the Group's CEO, it was essential to determine how to deploy it effectively. To carry out concrete, relevant actions, it was necessary to remain close to the field, as each country has its own challenges, often linked to management issues.
This glass ceiling can be found in companies of all shapes and sizes, and transcends sectors and professions. The problem is a common one, as illustrated by the example of Air France: although the company is relatively gender-balanced, with 46% of its employees being women, significant disparities persist in certain departments. To overcome this problem, Air France has developed the Femme de Talent program, aimed at more experienced profiles, to give them the keys to accessing higher-level positions.
It can be more difficult for women to assert themselves or speak up in a group, either because it seems less natural or because of a dynamic where men dominate the conversation. Imposter syndrome is also a frequent occurrence among women. Our annual interviews have shown that when women are offered management positions, they often ask themselves whether they have the necessary skills, which is less common among men.
Furthermore, women tend to network less naturally than men. And yet, when drawing up succession plans, managers - especially male ones - tend to propose employees they know, which often leads to a preference for men. One of the aims of the Women Network developed by Euronext is to encourage the creation of links and knowledge between women, so that they can get to know each other and make themselves known.
The barriers and challenges we have noted also revolve around influence, negotiation and assertiveness: how do you dare to assert yourself and express your leadership, especially in very masculine environments? How do you navigate in an environment where ordinary sexism and the unspoken may be present? Barriers and difficulties in asserting oneself, negotiating and developing one's network remain major challenges.
One of the main advantages of an all-female course is the creation of a Safe Space where participants feel free to express their doubts and concerns, and share their sometimes difficult experiences. Women may feel less comfortable sharing their experiences, especially when they have been through complicated situations. Today, freeing up the floor on these sensitive subjects is more effective in women-only groups.
In fact, we opted for women-only groups to free up the floor and address the particular issues facing women. For example, meetings where women feel they are being cut off are symptomatic, and to ensure that all issues are addressed, we felt it more effective to favour women-only groups.
To guarantee an effective and sustainable strategy, it is essential to adopt a global and sincere approach. This means working with managers to raise their awareness of bias, acting on HR processes, but also on the needs of female employees, in particular on the biases they sometimes have towards themselves. Promoting role models within the company also helps reinforce the impact of all our other initiatives.
Our strategy is based on two main pillars:
At Euronext, the selection of participants is based on several criteria to ensure an environment conducive to exchange and development:
At BEL, we have evolved our selection strategy to ensure a significant commitment from participants. In 2023, we opened up participation on a voluntary basis with a call for applications. However, after individual meetings, we sometimes noticed a lack of commitment despite the identified need. This led us to rethink our approach.
Then in 2024, we integrated participation with a personal development objective. Candidates are therefore selected on a voluntary basis, and then according to how well their application matches their personal development plan. This dual approach guarantees active and committed participation, anchored in the needs and personal development objectives of each talent. This encourages action and follow-up over the long term.
A key initiative doesn't work on its own, you have to make connections between all the DE&I initiatives: our recommendation is to find relays, in particular via the employees themselves.
Completely! To ensure long-term commitment, it's important to rely on the employees themselves.
This can involve creating new rituals such as lunches, promotional meetings and anniversaries, as well as inter-promotional exchange forums. Appointing ambassadors is particularly effective. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are also growing in importance and can play a key role in this dynamic.
What may be holding some managers back is the belief that there should be no specifically female leadership, and that initiating a women's leadership program could reinforce stereotypes. To assert that there is a distinctly feminine or masculine management style is not only reductive, but also potentially erroneous, as is generally accepted here. However, it is crucial to recognize that women face additional or at least different challenges to men.
Find the program that best suits them. In France, the Women Network run by Delphine d'Amarzit and myself is based on the conviction that management should not be categorized by gender, as this reinforces stereotypes. But it is essential to recognize that women face challenges that are additional to, or at least different from, those faced by men. And we've seen this in concrete terms by asking our female employees about their biases and difficulties.
Before taking the plunge, clearly identify the needs and challenges faced by your women leaders, and question the stakeholders involved . As part of a global approach, your initiative must be integrated into a broader, coherent strategy. An isolated project risks falling into gender washing. Offer a dedicated career path for women leaders only if your HR processes are aligned in this direction, if they form part of a structured framework, and if you are able to measure the impact of the actions implemented. Only take the plunge when you're ready, to avoid initiatives that are not very effective and that could potentially undermine all your efforts.
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