VF CORPORATION REVELS GENDER PARITY COMMITMENT
VF Corporation, in partnership with the Paradigm for Parity coalition, have announced its commitment to achieving gender parity throughout its corporate leadership structure by 2030.
“At VF, we believe that having a diverse global workforce is a business imperative,” said Eric Wiseman, VF’s chairman and CEO. “We take very deliberate actions to foster a culture that emphasizes and leverages equality and inclusion across our organization. We are proud to work with Paradigm for Parity to strengthen and advance our existing efforts.”
VF today employs a number of programs and policies that seek to empower women in the workplace, including employee resource groups and formal mentorships. As a Paradigm for Parity partner, VF will complement these actions by committing to, among other things: eliminate or minimize unconscious bias in the workplace; increase the number of women in senior operating roles, with the near-term goal of at least 30 percent representation in all leadership groups; measure progress and maintain accountability by providing regular progress reports; and, provide sponsors, not just mentors, to women to position them for long-term success.
“Our experience has proven that the most creative and innovative ideas come from diverse teams that understand how to effectively leverage the individual strengths, perspectives and experiences of each member to reach a common goal,” said Steve Rendle, VF’s president and chief operating officer, who will become CEO of the company on January 1, 2017. “Our commitment to gender parity and workplace equality is unwavering, and it will help to fuel our future growth ambitions and enable us to continue to win in a highly competitive, global marketplace.”
In addition to VF, companies that have committed to follow the Paradigm for Parity Action Plan include: Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company, Frontier Communications, Huffington Post, LinkedIn, Nordstrom, and Spencer Stuart, to name a few.
