Davos – Olympia Group: The participation of women in leadership positions in business is necessary

The need for the preparation and participation of more women-executives in leadership positions in companies, in the context of the Equality Lounge that took place during the World Economic Forum, was highlighted by the Olympia Group.

Specifically, Tatiana Fafaliou, member of the Board of Directors. of Olympia, participated in the thematic discussion “The Women at the Table: a Conversation with Switzerland’s Boardroom Leaders”, as a guest of The Boardroom and The Female Quotient, an organization that undertakes initiatives to promote gender equality within companies.

As pointed out in the company’s press release, as a member of the executive network developed by The Boardroom, Tatiana Fafaliou participated together with other female professionals, with a long career in Board positions in Switzerland and Europe, in a panel that highlighted the issue of low representation of women on company boards, which amounts to just 20% worldwide.

The discussion, moderated by Diana Markakis, Founder & CEO of The Boardroom, also featured Christine Graeff, Global Head, People at Credit Suisse Group AG and Jacqueline Hess, Nominated Board Member & Vice-Chair of the Board at Vontobel Swiss Financial Advisers. The participants shared their own experiences, talked about the perspectives and challenges that are taking shape today, emphasizing the abilities of women executives and the significant benefits for companies that their equal participation in management positions entails.

Women give strength

According to data from The Female Quotient, companies that prioritize equal participation of women in their leadership are 75% more likely to bring innovative ideas to market, achieve 1.7x better management results, and 1 ,4 times more profitable.

As Ms. Fafaliou explained: “It is a crucial factor to create a ‘reservoir’ of female professionals who aspire to take a leading role in the business ecosystem. An equally decisive factor is the cooperation and mentoring of experienced male board members, who will stand by the women as well as their younger colleagues and inspire them to show off their skills and opinions and claim more space at the higher levels of management. In an environment full of new challenges, we must get rid of prejudices and stereotypes and create the conditions where women can play a decisive role on the board of directors, that is, the formulation of a business strategy that evaluates different perspectives and contributes to sustainable development.”

With a presence at international events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Cannes Film Festival, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the South by Southwest (SXSW) event among others, the Equality Lounge developed by Female Quotient has drastically changed the business agenda and has contributed to the adoption of meaningful changes in business, through a network of leaders who take action for equality, the announcement points out.

In the same direction, Olympia supports the actions of The Boardroom in Greece, with the participation of its Executive President Yiannis Karagiannis in the Advisory Board of the organization, as well as Tatiana Fafaliou, a member of the Board of Directors. of Olympia, as a founding member, while currently five female executives of the Group’s companies are participating in the training and empowerment program implemented by The Boardroom in Greece.

Both Olympia Group and its portfolio companies seek to take action and participate in initiatives that support the development of leadership skills in their female executives, as well as promote modern corporate governance practices with an emphasis on equality and diversity.