Added on May 29, 2014  The News Wheel   , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Renault Brazil Serves as Case Study for Gender Equality

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Renault Brazil

Marie-Franoise Damesin
Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Renault-Nissan Alliance.

With gender issues being driven into the spotlight with initiatives such as the #YesAllWomen hashtag, equality is (hopefully) closer than ever to becoming reality. The Renault-Nissan Alliance is using Renault Brazil as a case study for gender diversity within the automotive manufacturing industry due to the increasing presence of women on the assembly lines and in management roles.

“Brazil is a key pillar of growth for both Renault and Nissan, along with other emerging markets such as China and Russia,” said Marie-Françoise Damesin, Alliance Executive Vice President, Human Resources. “In these markets, we have been hiring rapidly – and that means we can execute change faster than in mature markets. That’s great news for gender equity.”

Some of the statistics cited by Nissan as indicators of the gender neutral/women friendly practices of Renault Brazil:

  • The total percentage of Renault’s female employees in Brazil has increased 50 percent over the course of five years
  • In that same time, the number of women working on Renault Brazil assembly lines has doubled
  • Since 2013, the number of female managers in Brazil has tripled; women comprise nearly 20 percent of all Renault Brazil management
  • Women also account for 20 percent of the workforce at Nissan Brazil headquarters
  • 15 percent of all employees at the Nissan Resende plant are women, and Nissan is looking to increase that number by 10 percent by 2016

Further, the Nissan-Renault Alliance sponsored this year’s Women’s Forum Brazil 2014, which took place May 26-27 at the São Paulo Hyatt Hotel. The closing lunch and a discussion panel (working under the theme “Expectations, Hopes, and Dreams, from Parent to Daughter”) featured a discussion between famous mother/daughter duos Fafá de Belém & Mariana Belém, as well as Luiza Helena Trajano, CEO of retail store Luiza, and her daughter Ana Luiza Trajano, chef of Brasil o Gusto. Olivier Murguet, CEO of Renault Brazil, served the role of host.