Would I be where I am?
“We strive to create a working environment that offers equal opportunities to all employees. This is a cornerstone of our success and makes Credit Suisse an attractive employer.”
André Helfenstein, CEO Swiss Universal Bank und Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG
If you were a woman, do you think you would have made it to the top leadership ranks? Why (not)?
I would of course hope that the answer is “yes”. However, we must still acknowledge that the path to a senior leadership position for women can be a more strenuous climb than it is for men. While women are well-prepared, well-educated and ambitious to be in a senior position, still too few of them reach the top for various reasons. At Credit Suisse, we actively work on closing the gap by striving to create a working environment that offers equal opportunities and by continuously increasing the number of women at the bank by inspiring more women with enthusiasm about Credit Suisse and by proactively empowering them over the long term.
How have gender stereotypes influenced your career choices and professional development?
And do you feel these stereotypes are present in your current work environment?
The reality is that unconscious gender-based assumptions and stereotypes are embedded in the patterns of thinking of men and women. Although we are evolving past the typical blue and pink stereotypes, I believe that gender bias still exists in career choices. Personally, I was not influenced in my career through gender stereotypes as my parents always trusted my career decisions and emphasized to pursue what I do with passion, not what might be expected of me.
Gender bias can still be a challenge in my current work environment, but we are actively addressing it at Credit Suisse by raising awareness and educating our managers and employees, sharing, listening and speaking out. We have launched an internal campaign called “Courageous Conversations” where we display the unique perspectives of our employees, raise awareness, increase empathy, increase the desire for education and build allyship.
How do you personally act against gender stereotypes in your environment?
Our culture is an important part of my management and my agenda. One of our corporate values is the value of inclusion. Inclusion does not tolerate gender stereotypes. We all need to take personal responsibility and have the will to break stereotypical ways of thinking.
For me, being a women’s ally is about questioning and ultimately fighting gender stereotypes. I see it as my role to make sure that we speak up when gender stereotypes serve as guidance of our decisions. We must yet create further awareness. But we must even more importantly get well beyond awareness and make sure that we are thoughtful and make the right decisions impacting the careers of our female colleagues, i.e. in recruiting, training, assigning responsibilities, promotions and of course compensation.