First Lady Chief Justice lends credence to Culture of Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace
Accra, 10 March 2007 - As part of the activities marking this year’s International Women’s Day, Standard Chartered as part of its Gender Diversity Agenda organised a talk on the subject “Women in leadership in Ghana” at the Alisa Hotel, Accra on Friday 7th March 2008.
The objective of the event was to expose senior managers to the experiences (both the positive and challenging) of a female leader in a predominantly male arena, and the qualities that female leadership bring to institutions and society as a whole, thereby addressing the Gender strand.
The Principal speaker at the event was her Ladyship, the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, and the event brought together both male and female senior management of the Bank and some specially invited guests.
In her welcome address, Nana Araba Abban, Chairperson, Diversity and Inclusion Council of Standard Chartered Ghana and Head, Control & Support, Shared Services Centre, SCB Africa said: “Gender diversity, is one of our areas of focus, and today, we join hands with all women across the globe in celebrating this year’s International Women’s Day ; a day which commemorates the economic, political and social achievements of women whilst acknowledging the challenges that women face around the world."
As a Bank, International Women’s Day encourages us to think about how to create a more inclusive environment where women have an equal opportunity to maximize their potential and perform to their very best, making us the partner of choice – The Right Partner.”
Being an accomplished career woman who has broken through the ranks, and indeed, the ”Glass Ceiling” in her profession, Justice Georgina Wood shared her experiences in the journey to becoming the first female Chief Justice of Ghana with the participants, highlighting areas she believed would impact on females in their chosen career as well as female leadership in the Ghanaian society.
Addressing the participants, Her Ladyship said: “More women work today than ever before. A key challenge that women face is the expectations for women in leadership positions to advance the gender agenda whilst in office. They are however unable to do so as their numbers are insufficient to reach the necessary critical mass. I believe the agenda that organisations like yours are driving will help make a sustainable difference in the lives of our female workforce.“
Justice Wood went on to recount the unique experiences that spanned her illustrious career. Participants and the media were offered an opportunity to ask a range of questions, which were expertly answered by her Lordship.
Commenting on the event, Florence Hutchful, Area Head of Human Resources, SCB West Africa said: “With a diverse workforce of over 700 employees, who represent over 10 nationalities, one of our key differentiators is our commitment to being an inclusive organization. Embracing Diversity and Inclusion is key to our success and demonstrates that we are the Right Partner to our people, our customers, and our communities. At Standard Chartered we focus on three strands of diversity: Nationality/Ethnicity, Disability and Gender; we strive to identify the barriers in each of these, and work towards being the company that breaks them. Today’s event demonstrates our commitment to drive the gender diversity agenda in Ghana.”
Standard Chartered Ghana’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Council has been successfully engaging in various initiatives to create a more inclusive workplace. Initiatives such as flexible working hours and training staff on effective communication in a diverse corporate environment are some of the initiatives that were carried out last year.
For more information, please contact:
Nii Okai NunooArea Head of Corporate Affairs, West Africa
Tel: +233(0)21 669688 Fax: +233 (0) 21 661676
Nii-Okai.Nunoo@standardchartered.com