Yemisi Izuora
As the world celebrates this year’s International Women’s Day, Heritage Bank Plc, has declared that making female empowerment central to organisation’s business strategies is not only critical to growth, but to building a sustainable and flourishing global economy.
Speaking on the International Women’s Day 2019 campaign theme, “Balance-for Better,” the MD/CEO of Heritage Bank, Ifie Sekibo, who said the commemoration is a call to action for driving gender balance globally, stressed that presently gender bias remains a significant obstacle to global progress, and it is particularly acute in the workplace.
He said that organisations with greater gender equality are more innovative, generous, and profitable.
The MD who cited the Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which target gender equality because women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, half of its potential, noted that women still have fewer economic opportunities than men, less access to education, and less political representation.
According to him, though there has been considerable progress in developing the capabilities of women, their participation in economic and political decision-making remains very limited.
To help chart a path that will champion gender parity, the bank organised mentorship session in the Experience Centres (branches) across the country, where the senior colleagues spoke to the junior staff on proper grooming and better ways to excel in their homes, career, politics, education and other crucial spectrum in life for better society.
Addressing the staff, Sekibo stated that Heritage Bank will continue to drive work environment that is inclusive and ensure the number of women in leadership position of the bank increases.
He disclosed that the bank recognises the contribution of women to the society and the vital role in driving bank’s business, for this reason Heritage Bank will continue to partner them to achieve its corporate goals.
“Our culture is predisposed to welcome every woman and her vision into our mind-set of creativity and knowledge, helping her to grow her business beyond where she can ever imagine by offering specialized products and services for her business,” adding that “by our very nature, our services are personal, and deliberately approached from a bespoke angle, to simplify her life and business so as to be able to create, preserve and transfer wealth across generations,” he stated.
While Sekibo commended the tremendous social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world, he noted that it was also a time to recognize how much work is still left to do.