BrazilSia Partners Netherlands commits to diversity and inclusion
Sia Partners has underlined its commitment to diversity in the Netherlands with the signing of the Diversity Charter.
The Diversity Charter is an initiative in the country aimed at stimulating diversity and inclusion on the work floor. An important objective according to the initiators of the pact, not just because it provides women and other minority groups with an equal treatment.
Embracing gender parity in fact also benefits the bottom-line of companies: “A diverse workforce can contribute to more productivity and profit,” states the Diversity Charter, joining an illustrious cohort of companies including McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group that have demonstrated this relationship in research. Meanwhile, gender parity boosts company reputation towards customer groups and talent.
Sia Partners becomes the 205th organisation in the Netherlands to sign the Diversity Charter. Signatories commit to goals to promote diversity and inclusion in their HR-policies, performance management and workplace processes. Major companies that have preceded the French-origin consulting firm include ABN Amro, Ikea, KPN, the Dutch central government and Shell.
The firm’s commitment is grounded on a number of internal objectives. These include ensuring that, by the end of 2021, the number of female employees has grown by at least 5% across all ranks, from junior consultant through to director. Sia Partners Netherlands currently has a team of around 50 consultants and staff. And by 2025, the management team should comprise at least 25% women.
Robert Jan van Vliet, managing partner of Sia Partners Netherlands, on the pledge: “It is important that our commitment is firm-wide, from junior to senior level. In the management layers in particular, it is important to have a balanced distribution of men and women. This promotes the recruitment of new female talent, contributes to a healthy corporate culture, nurtures an inclusive decision making and ensures role modeling at all levels in the organisation.”
While the targets mainly focus on gender neutrality, Van Vliet emphasizes that diversity and inclusion are just part of the equation. “Diversity encompasses more than just gender. Sia Partners also to the other dimensions.”
