MEDIA RELEASE 16 NOVEMBER 2010
Corporate Express CEO Paul Hitchcock was named ‘Leading CEO for the Advancement of Women’ at the Federal Government’s Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) awards, held in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Over 450 guests gathered at the 2010 EOWA Business Achievement Awards at the Central Pier in Docklands to celebrate Australian organisations and individuals at the forefront of creating equitable workplaces.
“It’s a great honor to be recognised for such an esteemed award. Corporate Express strives to be an employer of choice and continues to engage in programs for advancing women in the workplace on an ongoing basis,” said Paul.
When Paul became CEO of Corporate Express he recognised that something needed to be done to change the culture around gender diversity.
“Around 48 per cent of employees were female, but there was only one female on our board, no females in our executive team, and only three females in our leadership group
“We set up a Women in Leadership Council to improve our development and retention of female talent, whilst simultaneously embracing our commitment to the values of trust, respect and diversity,” said Paul.
Paul took personal ownership of gender diversity to ensure that Corporate Express changed not only its policies, but also its mindset. Paul turned what was perceived as a ‘women’s issue’ into a business issue by taking a ‘what gets measured gets done’ approach, calling for targets and keeping a monthly scorecard on gender diversity.
Paul changed the structure of the leadership group to ensure it included all leaders, not just those with a profit and loss role, and increased the number of women in leadership from 9% to 35%.
Corporate Express has also benchmarked job roles, introduced a Business Woman of the Year program, developed a diversity policy and introduced flexible working practices.
In 2011, Corporate Express plans to extend its Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace credentials and has recently received Equal Employment Opportunity certification in Australia.
Federal Minister for the Status of Women, The Hon. Kate Ellis MP, appeared as a keynote speaker at the awards, along with Dr Anne Summers, best selling journalist, author and former advisor to Government on women’s issues hosting the event.
This award is the latest in a long line for Corporate Express, with other notable award wins including the 2010 iCMG Award for Best Green Architecture (Green IT), 2010 United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day awards (finalist, Business Sustainability/Sustainability Leadership) and 2008 Ethical Investor Sustainable Company of the Year.
