Advance – Gender Equality in Business

We have all heard about the gender pay gap and the pension gap. But are you also aware of the bonus gap? 📌 The gender imbalance in power culminates in a mind-boggling average 54% bonus gap! 📌 It is important to note that the bonus gap is not necessarily related to unfairness or discrimination. It is an expression of women and men being in positions, professions, and/or functions with different levels of perceived employee value, power, and influence, which are remunerated and awarded differently. 📌 The big bonus difference means that men are more often in financially rewarded jobs and positions than women, which, in combination with the underrepresentation of women in higher management levels and power positions, leads to the result we see. 💡 Discover what you can do to shift the power balance for more resilience, more innovation, and higher productivity. Download powerful insights and recommendations for leaders here: https://lnkd.in/dx-JZ6k5 This annual report is a collaboration of Advance and the Competence Centre for Diversity & Inclusion (CCDI-FIM) - University of St.Gallen (HSG). Look online for the detailed version, including a comparison of the various industries: https://lnkd.in/dxkCh25S Together, we #advance faster! #genderequality #inclusion #genderdiversity #GIReport #MoveToPowerBalance Dr. Ines Hartmann, Gudrun Sander, Prof. Dr., Nora Keller, Natascia Leotta, Christian Pierce, Alkistis Petropaki, Alexandra Rhiner, Priska Burkard, Faye Witteveen

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡?  An engaged crowd of over 160 participants came together at Microsoft to get inspired by trailblazing ladies on advancing in this fast-moving sector.  Catrin Hinkel, CEO Microsoft Switzerland opened the event emphasising that Microsoft’s investments and commitment to both technology and D&I are critical to our business success and sharing some reflections on her personal career journey. Alkistis Petropaki, General Manager Advance, drew attention to the highly unequal distribution of power positions. Laura-Marie Töpfer, PhD, Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft Europe, delivered a keynote on “Tackling Innovation Blind Spots” sharing:   🌟 Only 1.8% of €100B invested in Europe goes to female-led startups—equal funding could boost GDP by 3-6%.  🌟AI can amplify visibility for female founders and help investors identify innovation opportunities.  🌟 Her advice: Be an innovation champion - know your tech, focus on business outcomes, and connect people with the right ideas.     A panel, moderated by Microsoft Switzerland's HR Director, Shipra Singh, reflected on their not-so-linear careers and highlighted the future-needed skills. Key messages: 🚀 Be open and learn how to use the new tech tools  🚀 Social skills can set you apart: resilience, flexibility, innovation  🚀 Unlock the power of sisterhood, especially in male-dominated businesses  🚀 Jump into projects where there is a gap, take opportunities to learn, be a FIO (Find It Out)  🚀 Ask yourself: how can I connect my skills with existing challenges in various areas and businesses? For instance, people who understand the customers’ challenges are equally important as people who understand tech. Merce Borrull, CIO Customer Touchpoints and Mobility Services at Swiss Post, delivered a final keynote on “Amplifying the relationship between traits and technology”, encouraging the audience to use three female traits “connectedness”, “collaboration”, and “content-driven” to support each other, step up and be the first to take action, for example by sponsoring women and letting the tech tools do the “ant work”. The event split into three breakout rooms, where participants could discuss topics like allyship, imposter syndrome, and career opportunities in a more intimate setting before returning for a final apéro. Huge thanks to the panelists Priska Burkard, Thought Leadership at Advance, Diana Daboveanu, Head Self-Developed Solutions at Julius Baer and Céline Kreyenbühl, Head Azure Core Solutions Sales at Microsoft, for their inspiring insights.  We are very grateful to Microsoft for hosting this event at their cool location at the Circle and to the whole Microsoft Team, Susan Murphy, Joanna Kozik, Andreea Goranov and Giulia Cupani for the great collaboration as well as to all the participants for their engaging discussions.    Together, we #advance faster!  #WomenInTech #TechCareers #DiversityInTech #GenderEquality 

🎉 Financial Literacy Giveaway! 📚 Thank you to everybody who participated in our financial literacy contest! It’s time to disclose the right answers: ❔️ Q1: How many people in Switzerland can correctly answer three basic financial knowledge questions? 📢 More than 50%! ❔️ Q2: When was the last time you talked about money? 📢 Only you know the answer to this one, so whatever you answered counts as correct. ❔️ Q3: How many women remain in a relationship due to financial dependency? 📢 20%: According to the big women's survey by Sotomo and Annabelle magazine in 2021, one in five women explicitly state that they cannot afford to separate from their current partner for financial reasons. We noticed that your responses were rather too pessimistic. 🚀 Here’s a reason to cheer up: all the participants will receive a signed copy of "Rich, Richer, Me" by the amazing Olga Miler, beautifully illustrated by Daniel Mueller. We will reach out to you via LinkedIn directly. Keep up your interest in the world of finances; it does pay up! SmartPurse - Fun, Financial Education for you and your workforce Beobachter Together we #advance faster! #FinancialLiteracy #WomenAndWealth #RichRicherMe #FinancialEmpowerment #illumueller

📣 Only 13% of power positions are held by women, an alarming number revealed in the Gender Intelligence Report 2024. Serious action is needed: How do we accelerate the number of female talent in roles with real power – those with personnel or profit and loss responsibility – especially in light of the baby boomer retirement wave heading our way? 💡This was the topic of our last Best Practice Exchange this year, and it was a good one!! The accelerator we need for real change is Career Sponsorship. Currently, men are sponsored 3x more often than women – often due to the “mini-me” bias, where leaders unconsciously select a person who is very much like themselves for an important role. 🌟Malvika Singh delivered an "espresso shot" on career sponsorship, clarifying how it differs from mentorship and what it takes to make it work for women. Sponsorship means publicly advocating for talent when they are not in the room, and it is a two-way street. Our panelists shared their successful initiatives: Elena Parker from SAP shared personal advice on how to strategically build, nurture and cultivate a network of sponsors so that, at a decisive point in time, your sponsor can advocate on your behalf at decision-making tables. Ewa Hajda shared Syngenta Group’s IT Digital program, which intentionally matches talents to leaders in a different team, raising their visibility – so far, already in this cohort, 50% of sponsees have made a career move! Gabriele Baumgartner from IBM shared how, within existing talent programs, there is an expectation of leader sponsors to bring their sponsee names forward for open roles in their regular leadership meetings where succession planning and staffing decisions for key positions are made. Career sponsorship for diverse talent does require intentionality, yet it is simple to execute. 📌 Recommend talent for high-visibility projects or leadership roles 📌Speak up for them in promotion or talent review meetings 📌Highlight their achievements and potential to other senior executives By publicly endorsing their sponsees, leaders leverage their influence to open doors to power roles and increase gender equality in business. A big thank you to Malvika Singh, our panelists, and our engaged participants from many member companies. Let’s keep the focus and exchange on the successes you are having as a result of sponsorship. Together, we #advance faster! #careersponsorship #genderequality

#Fact: The power distribution is heavily imbalanced at all management levels in the Swiss corporate world. Promotions by gender and age reveal that there is still a lot of work to do to reach gender balance in leadership and power. 📌 Compared to their representation in the talent pool, men are strongly overpromoted to power positions. This is most pronounced in the age group 31 to 50, where most promotions happen. 📌 In other words: If there is an open power position and you are a man over 30, you are at least twice as likely to be promoted as a woman of the same age. 📌 The exception is between 21 and 30. This is a silver lining on the horizon, indicating that the younger generations may move the needle – provided both genders have the same career opportunities across life phases. 📌The success criteria for equal promotions in the youngest age group are 1) the nearly equal work percentages of women and men, and 2) equal education levels. 📌The results for hiring to power positions are similar to those of promotions – men are overrepresented here as well. Download powerful insights and recommendations for leaders here: https://lnkd.in/dx-JZ6k5 This annual report is a collaboration of Advance and the Competence Centre for Diversity & Inclusion (CCDI-FIM) - University of St.Gallen (HSG). Look online for the detailed version, including a comparison of industries: https://lnkd.in/dxkCh25S Together, we #advance faster! #genderequality #inclusion #genderdiversity #GIReport #MoveToPowerBalance Dr. Ines Hartmann, Gudrun Sander, Prof. Dr., Nora Keller, Natascia Leotta, Christian Pierce, Alkistis Petropaki, Alexandra Rhiner, Priska Burkard, Faye Witteveen

🌍 Happy International Men’s Day! Today, we celebrate men and acknowledge the challenges that the so-called "stronger sex" faces. "Men are the primary breadwinners“, "Men must be tough and don’t cry“, and "Men should be good at fixing things and hands-on work“ are just a few outdated clichés that still shape expectations in our society. Let’s work together to change all those gender stereotypes that limit our choices and force us to behave only in a certain way. Gender equality is not just a women's issue, it concerns equally men and all other genders as well. To all the men: Thank you for the unique contributions you bring to our communities, for your strength, resilience, and commitment. Let's keep pushing for a future where everyone is free to define themselves – beyond labels, beyond limits. 💪 #GenderEquality #EqualityForAll #InternationalMensDay

🎉 Financial Literacy Giveaway! 📚 📢 We are excited to announce a special giveaway for our community! 🚀 To celebrate the importance of financial literacy, we’re giving away 10 copies of "Rich, Richer, Me" by the amazing Olga Miler, beautifully illustrated by Daniel Mueller. Especially for the Advance follower community, Olga and Daniel signed 10 copies with a dedicated and unique personal illustration. Want a chance to win one? It's simple! Answer 3 questions, and if you're one of the first 10 people with 2 out of the 3 questions right, you'll receive a free copy of the book. 👉 Here’s how to participate: Answer the following 3 questions in the comments: Q1: How many people in Switzerland can answer three basic financial knowledge questions correctly? a. 30% b. more than 50% c. more than 70% Q2: When is the last time you talked about money? a. last week b. last month c. can’t remember Q3: How many women remain in a relationship due to financial dependency? a. 20% b. 30% c. 40% 👉 First come, first served: Add your answer in the comments. Remember: The first 10 people with 2 correct answers will receive a free copy of "Rich, Richer, Me". You will be contacted via a Linkedin message. Good luck! Let's get financially empowered together! SmartPurse - Fun, Financial Education for you and your workforce Beobachter Verlag Together we #advance faster! #FinancialLiteracy #WomenAndWealth #RichRicherMe #FinancialEmpowerment #Illumueller

Macht euch schlau und entscheidet klug. Mehr hier: https://cashorcrash.ch/ #JedeEntscheidungZählt Cash or crash Together, we #advance faster!

❓ Who holds the positions with real influence and power in the Swiss corporate world? This year‘s edition of the #GenderIntelligenceReport (GIR) takes a closer look at the distribution of those roles that come with the power to make key decisions, plot strategy, steer financial flows, and influence a wider circle of stakeholders. 📌 While women’s share of management positions has slightly increased over the last few years, the power imbalance remains. 📌 Of all management positions, only 49% have personnel responsibility. If you lead people, you have decision-making power and often also profit & loss responsibility. We call such roles "power positions“. 📌 Of the 49% power positions in management, men hold 36% and women 13% - slightly more than a quarter. Discover the reasons behind these facts and the financial implications of the current power imbalance in the Gender Intelligence Report 2024. Download powerful insights here: https://lnkd.in/dx-JZ6k5 This annual report is a collaboration of Advance and the Competence Centre for Diversity & Inclusion (CCDI-FIM) - University of St.Gallen (HSG). Latest insights about the development of #genderequality in business come enriched by hands-on recommendations for leaders. Look online for the detailed version, including a comparison of industries: https://lnkd.in/dxkCh25S Together, we #advance faster! #genderequality #inclusion #genderdiversity #GIReport #MoveToPowerBalance Dr. Ines Hartmann, Gudrun Sander, Prof. Dr., Nora Keller, Natascia Leotta, Christian Pierce, Alkistis Petropaki, Alexandra Rhiner, Priska Burkard, Faye Witteveen

Cash or crash ist lanciert und der Kampagnenzähler läuft! 111‘111 durchgespielte Lebensentscheide in 111 Tagen sind das Ziel. Denn: Was du heute entscheidest, prägt dein Leben. Heute, morgen, übermorgen. Das kostenlose smarte Tool Cash or Crash hilft dir dabei, die Weichen richtig zu stellen.   Advance ist Partnerin dieser ersten Entscheidungskampagne in der Schweiz. Gemeinsam mit alliance F – Bund Schweizerischer Frauenorganisationen tragen wir dazu bei, dass junge Menschen – Frauen und Männer – kluge Entscheide treffen. Solche, mit denen sie auch in 10, 20 und 30 Jahren immer noch glücklich sind.   Beim Startschuss in Bern waren wir natürlich dabei, prominent vertreten mit Advance-Vorstandsmitglied Florence Schnydrig Moser, Kommunikationsleiterin Alexandra Rhiner, Barbara (Basia) Favre, Relations Manager, Regula Rütti, Mentoring Manager, und Manuela Walzthöny, Kommunikationsspezialistin, zusammen mit den genialen Macher:innen von Cash or Crash, vom Team Bass und Alliance F, vertreten mit Kathrin Bertschy, Flavia Kleiner, Simon Preisig, Anja Betschart, Agnes Schubert, Robin Bartlett Rissi, und weiteren Partner:innen, Unterstützer:innen und zahlreichen prominenten Gästen.   Slampoetin Moët Liechti machte fulminant den Auftakt und führte wortgewandt durch die klassischen Lebensentscheide – implizit oder explizit immer mit dem Aufruf: Es gibt keinen Grund, die gleichen Fehler zu machen wie die Generationen vor uns. Be smarter!   Die Arbeitsmarktökonomin Michaela Slotwinski erklärte, was Studien belegen: Wenn Frauen sich über die mittel- und langfristigen Auswirkungen ihrer Entscheide (z.B. für Teilzeitarbeit) im Klaren sind, beteiligen sie sich stärker am Arbeitsmarkt und achten besser auf ihre finanzielle Eigenständigkeit.   Los geht‘s! Spielt Szenarien von Lebensentscheiden durch mit Cash or Crash. Und erzählt allen davon, die von smarten Entscheidungen profitieren können.   🔗 Hier geht‘s zum Tool für smarte Lebensplanung! https://cashorcrash.ch/ #JedeEntscheidungZählt   Together, we #advance faster!   #Finanzbildung #FinancialLiteracy #GenderEquality   Ernst Göhner Stiftung, GGG Basel, die Mobiliar, Sophie und Karl Binding Stiftung, Swiss Banking - Schweizerische Bankiervereinigung, Blick, BPW Switzerland, Dachverband Budgetberatung Schweiz, Pro Familia Schweiz | Suisse | Svizzera, Medical Women Switzerland, frac, Wirtschaftsfrauen Schweiz