March 6, 2020

A strong message from Advance: Fifty Swiss-based companies sign the Advance Charter for equal opportunities and gender equality. This first Swiss Charter has been launched on March 6 in celebration of International Women’s Day 2020.
Advance Charter & Pioneer Signatories

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The gender distribution in Swiss companies clearly indicates that there are still far too many highly educated and competent women who come to a standstill on their way to the top. This is problematic from an economic point of view. The causes are largely systemic; they are part of today’s workplace culture and are embedded in structures. This is where we need to take action with leadership principles that foster equal opportunities and gender equality. The Advance charter upholds these principles. We are proud to announce 50 pioneer signatories to-date.

Behavioral patterns and unconscious gender stereotypes are deeply ingrained in society. ‘Anyone who wants to drive change needs to make a conscious and active effort to do so,’ says Alkistis Petropaki, General Manager of Advance. The signatories of the Advance charter are walking the talk – and successfully so in delivering impact.

Leadership principles for equal opportunities & gender equality

As a strong network of companies, Advance’s ambition is to effectively foster gender diversity in Swiss economy. Together with 50 trailblazing signatories, the association is launching the Advance charter on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2020.

The charter is based on three pillars. First, equal opportunities and gender diversity are declared a top-level priority. Second, specific measures are defined, consciously implemented and regularly reviewed. Third, management communicates on progress actively and regularly. The signatories thus commit themselves ‘to a work environment that supports fair and balanced procedures in the recruitment, promotion and retention of employees, regardless of their gender’. They do this because they are convinced that mixed teams perform better, enjoy greater satisfaction and are more innovative.

Impact Stories on a postcard from the CEO

To mark the official launch of Switzerland’s first Gender Equality Charter, Advance has called for impact stories sharing progress based on the commitments from member companies. The impact story postcards are personally signed by the CEO. They prove that Advance members are performing significantly better than the average when it comes to gender diversity. – Congratulations to the many CEOs and teams who are vocal about gender equality and participated in this campaign!

Gender equality is not a women’s issue – it is a business imperative! It concerns all of us and holds opportunities for women and men alike. Let’s keep driving progress towards a greater good for all of us, girls and boys, women and men, businesses and society at large.

Join the movement – together we #advance faster!

Impact stories