Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower) highlighted the importance of being an equal opportunity employer that evaluates based on merit and performance as opposed to sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other status.
This was the message conveyed by Corinne Patron, AboitizPower senior assistant vice president for Talent Attraction at the launch of a census on women in executive leadership teams.
“We follow the principles of meritocracy wherein we put the right people in the role where they fit. Selection and promotion is based on merit and open competition, and we reward those who deliver,” said Patron. “In talent management, equal opportunity for development, upskilling, and promotion is given to all regardless of gender.”
Patron was one of the resource speakers at the launch of the “Census on Women in Executive Leadership Teams in Philippine Publicly Listed Companies”, an initiative spearheaded by the Philippine Women’s Economic Network and the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE).
The census found that from 2020 to 2022 the number of women in executive leadership teams in Philippine publicly listed companies increased to 40%.
In AboitizPower, women comprised 37% of executive leadership and 35% of the managerial pool.
“The power industry is still generally seen as a male-dominated industry, making it more attractive to male talents and not so much on the female demographics,” Patron said.
“In talent attraction, we have initiatives that showcase how anyone, including women, can succeed and thrive in our industry,” she added, citing partnerships with the academe and AboitizPower-initiated information campaigns like POWERTalk and BABAEngineer.
POWERTalk is a platform that showcases employee experiences, including testimonies on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), while BABAEngineer (a portmanteau of the words “babae” or woman and “engineer”) is an integrated marketing campaign that showcases the company’s female engineers who help operate its power plants and power distribution facilities.
Patron also commended how working mothers benefit from AboitizPower’s flexible work arrangement policy, which enables a hybrid work environment for roles that allow such types of arrangement.
Francis Cruz, AboitizPower talent attraction manager, talked about DEIB in the workplace but in a separate event hosted by non-profit community Philippine Financial & Inter-Industry Pride (PFIP).
“At AboitizPower, we have embedded gender diversity into our culture by implementing strategies and policies that promote equality and inclusivity across the organization,” Cruz said.
“In talent attraction, we highlight the success and potential of all our team members, including our LGBTQIA+ colleagues, through initiatives like POWERTalk and we have partnerships with academic institutions to inspire the next generation of talent in the power industry,” he added.
