UPS women lead the way in Latin America
The transportation industry isn’t often cited for cultivating the careers of female executives, but UPS is the exception.
Women now head up operations in UPS’s top markets in the Americas Region – Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. And the company also has launched an innovative career development program aimed at retaining and advancing female managers globally.
Gender disparity is a real business issue for Latin America. Studies show that women make up 44.7 percent of the workforce in Latin America. But according to Globe Summit, a Web-based business network that surveyed Latin Trade magazine’s top 100 Latin American companies in 2005, 64 percent of the 100 companies did not have women in upper management. Additionally, the study found that only five percent of listed board directorships were held by women in contrast to the 10 percent on the boards of FORTUNE Global 200 companies.
The Women’s Leadership Development (WLD) initiative provides UPS managers opportunities to develop leadership and work skills by learning from their peers, from external business organizations and from community service.
The transportation industry isn’t often cited for cultivating the careers of female executives, but UPS is the exception.
Women now head up operations in UPS’s top markets in the Americas Region – Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. And the company also has launched an innovative career development program aimed at retaining and advancing female managers globally.
Gender disparity is a real business issue for Latin America. Studies show that women make up 44.7 percent of the workforce in Latin America. But according to Globe Summit, a Web-based business network that surveyed Latin Trade magazine’s top 100 Latin American companies in 2005, 64 percent of the 100 companies did not have women in upper management. Additionally, the study found that only five percent of listed board directorships were held by women in contrast to the 10 percent on the boards of FORTUNE Global 200 companies.
Throughout Latin America, UPS is working to develop its female employees for top positions, including Country Manager, the top position in each market. There currently are four women leading country operations in Latin America:
The Women’s Leadership Development (WLD) initiative provides UPS managers opportunities to develop leadership and work skills by learning from their peers, from external business organizations and from community service.
The program addresses not only workplace issues but home issues as well. Work-Life balance has emerged as a critical issue for women’s job satisfaction and retention. As a consequence, WLD sessions cover such topics as financial planning, women’s health and parenting as well as work topics like time management, communication and conflict resolution skills.
