As a coalition of CEOs, senior executives, founders, board members and business academics, Paradigm for Parity (P4P) is committed to achieving a new norm in corporate leadership: one in which women and men have equal power, status, and opportunity. AWESOME’s founder Ann Drake, chairman and CEO of DSC Logistics, is one of the early members of the coalition.
Participants in the 2016 AWESOME Symposium were introduced to P4P when Sandra Beach Lin, Co-Chair of the Paradigm for Parity™ coalition, served as the moderator of a panel discussion by leading men in the supply chain.
In addition to being a member of the coalition, Ann Drake has joined 27 other CEOs in the initial announcement of companies committed to achieving gender parity throughout its corporate leadership structure by 2030, with the near term goal of at least 30% representation in all leadership groups. An article on Bloomberg.com quotes Ann as saying that measuring and publishing metrics will be essential to meeting the goals. “The numbers tell the story,” she said, adding that the company will publish data twice a year.
The P4P 5-step Action Plan includes:
- Eliminating or minimizing unconscious bias in the workplace;
- Significantly increasing the number of women in senior operating roles, with the near term goal of at least 30% representation in all leadership groups;
- Measuring targets at every level and maintaining accountability by providing regular progress reports;
- Basing career progress on business results and performance, rather than physical presence in the office; and
- Providing sponsors, not just mentors, to women well positioned for long term success.
