The process was conducted under the framework of a leadership program aimed at identifying high performing female talents. The women selected underwent a development process that allowed them to be in the same position as their male peers so that, when the company opened new vacancies for the Board, they could compete equally.
While being mentored, they began to take part in different committees, in addition to which they worked on their self-confidence, influence, assertive communication, as well as on overcoming barriers faced by dual career women – when a professional woman is a mum or head of the household too, there’s a need to learn new resources that help them strike the right balance between work and personal life.
The success of the process was largely due to the introduction of the mentoring element, as it was a constant accompaniment led by the organization’s president and his executive committee, who put themselves forward as mentors.
It’s important to stress that the main objective was to generate fair competition when different gender candidates applied to be a member of the Board, avoiding making the mistake of hiring women to reach a quota, but rather facilitating the entry of female talent into managerial roles for the business to gain new perspectives and achieve good results.