Celebrated each year for the past 111 years, many question why we still mark International Women’s Day. But, apart from honouring women’s achievements, today also serves as a call to accelerate gender parity.
The UN’s theme for 2022 – Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow – resonates more strongly as the world emerges from a COVID-19 pandemic, only to come face to face with a brutal war Russia is waging on Ukraine, sending shockwaves across the world, coupled with the pending doom of climate change.
Research provides strong evidence that gender equality is a key ally in the prevention of conflict while the latest data also shows that, without gender parity today, a sustainable and equal future remains out of reach.
Having just stepped into the shoes of my visionary father, Nazzareno Vassallo, as chairperson of Vassallo Group, I strongly believe that, without the aspects of sustainability and gender equality, no business model will make long-term sense.
In the past weeks, many have pointed out that I, together with my siblings, have big shoes to fill but my reply is that different times need different shoes: we will walk in our shoes.
In the same way that my father successfully steered the company – which started from humble beginnings 75 years ago by collecting the rubble left by World War II – the critical accomplishments of the next 75 years will be the vision of this group beyond the ‘rubble’ left behind by this global pandemic and war.
In my new role within the group, I hope to replicate the characteristics of care – traits that tend to be associated with the female side – which I embraced as CEO of CareMalta and transfer them to the boardroom of the group.
With a heritage spanning over seven decades and a staff complement of over 1,900 we believe that the empowerment of our people and respecting our environment not only helps strengthen our diversity and grow our business but also strengthen us as a family.
Nurturing our future together does not only elicit the development of our people to their fullest potential in their professional lives but also encompasses their holistic well-being as part of our goals.
My plan is to also bring to the fore the full potential of our female employees. Right now, women’s representation on our boards is just 20 per cent and this has to change.
As we know, more females are reaching tertiary education but this fact is not reflected at board level.
Moving forward, what we are after is gender balance, which means we have to increase female participation based on people’s potential and abilities.
I’m sure there is as much competence out there as there is content if we look for it and give it the opportunity- Natalie Briffa-Farrugia
I’m sure there is as much competence out there as there is content if we look for it and give it the opportunity.
I am also convinced that when a woman breaks the glass ceiling and takes on the highest position – such as the recent election of Roberta Metsola to the position of European Parliament president – it is shattered for everyone who comes after her and not just for herself. It’s a great advantage, which the whole of society tends to benefit from.
The greatest benefit of a having woman in top positions is that she normally tends to seek collective collaboration.
In fact, studies have shown that when women are leading, men’s behaviour changes in this regard.
The biggest difference I hope to bring is this collective effort of working with the Group CEO and all the CEOs and directors of the respective companies to ensure we future-proof our business.
The challenges that any organisation faces today are unprecedented. Global pandemics, a war that threatens our security, accelerated developments in technology, new emerging risks from financial innovation, global warming and challenges in the labour market are just a few of the daily struggles we all need to overcome.
It can all seem daunting, until forces are joined in a united front to achieve a defined high-level purpose. Creating an atmosphere of empowerment and transformation is the first step towards freeing each individual’s true potential.
My ambition is that the shoes we are walking in will take us along an ethically driven path where we can contribute to a better, safer, greener world.
No competition threatens our survival if we remain ahead of the curve by retaining our innovative spirit and being prepared to be the first to do the right thing.
Natalie Briffa Farrugia, chairperson of Vassallo Group and former CareMalta CEO