Women in Nexans (WIN) Chile: strengthening the female presence, diversity, and inclusion

Santiago de Chile, July 2021.- Thus far this year, five outstanding women from the most diverse fields have shared their valuable life and professional experiences with our team through the Chilean chapter of the Women in Nexans (WIN) program.

They are: Lieutenant Colonel Ana María Garrido; Carolina García, founder of the Inclusive Community Foundation; Francisca Castro, company director; María Olivia Recart, national president of the Santo Tomás University; and Gracia Dalgalarrando, founder and general manager of WoomUp.

Since March 2019, this initiative has sought to create a professional community of women within the organization, raise awareness about the importance of gender diversity, and design human resource initiatives to create the development conditions for this group.

It should be noted that Nexans Chile has increased its female employee base to 11%; this, in a 75-year-old industrial company traditionally dominated by men.

As such, Tatiana Droguett, WIN Chile Representative, comments that: “the Inspirational Women Cycle has been a very enriching experience, as for practically two and a half years it provided us with continuous learning.”

Likewise, Droguett emphasizes that: "the pandemic has not stopped us from talking. We have even every month been online with Colombia, Peru, and Brazil to carry out this initiative that empowers us as professionals, workers, mothers, friends, etc."

A space to share and grow

Desirée Cárdenas, HR Site Manager of Nexans Chile, adds that the Cycle of Inspirational Women has marked a milestone for both Nexans Chile and the region, becoming a practice that strengthens the spirit of diversity and inclusion in the company.

“As women and professionals, it has created a space where we all recognize each other and share different realities and experiences. In addition, knowing the experiences of inspiring women outside of Nexans provides powerful motivation for our employees as they can appreciate the paths and perspectives of others."

Desirée Cárdenas emphasizes that this space with women leaders and entrepreneurs "has positively highlighted female leadership by favoring integration, innovation, and, therefore, our business culture. For Nexans, this initiative paves the way for tackling new environments and opportunities, thereby promoting shared leadership that considers a broader perspective for delivering valuable services and solutions to our clients."

Likewise, it highlights the work done by Tatiana Droguett who has lead this activity since its inception and developed it from being local to regional in 2021.

"For me, as HR Site Manager of Nexans Chile, the main goal is to ensure that women in Nexans have a greater presence, not only in the Commercial, Administration and Supply Chain areas but also to position more women into production in our company. There is still a long way to go, but with a lot of heart!", she concludes.