Unilever to help women-led businesses, students

Banking takes lead in appointing women for top roles | Unilever to help women-led businesses, students | Prominent women discuss working toward equity Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( September 17, 2020 CONNECT WITH NEW  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( €‰ [NEW SmartBrief]( [NEW SmartBrief]( Gender equality news for retail, CPG, financial services and tech [SIGN UP]( â‹… [SHARE]( [] Top of the week [] [Banking takes lead in appointing women for top roles]( The banking sector leads other industries in promoting women to senior roles, with 27% of C-suite jobs taken by women against an overall average of 21% across all industries, according to data from McKinsey and LeanIn.org. With Citigroup's appointment of Jane Fraser as its next CEO being the most high-profile example, Lorraine Hariton of Catalyst notes: "Women being promoted to these positions, especially in industries where they are really breaking new ground, happens because of intentionality." Full Story: [The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)]( (9/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Leading During a Crisis [] [Unilever to help women-led businesses, students]( Unilever plans to issue 250 fellowships to women-owned businesses in the US amid reports of the economic downturn disproportionately hurting such businesses, and the company will supply nonprofits across the country with educational programming to close the education gap for students lacking these resources at home, said Rob Master, vice president of media and digital engagement. The efforts are part of Unilever's $100 million global campaign to help communities recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Full Story: [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (9/14) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Prominent women discuss working toward equity]( Prominent women discuss working toward equity Gates (Brad Barket/Getty Images) Tina Tchen, president and CEO of Time's Up Foundation; Karlie Kloss, founder of Kode With Klossy; and Melinda Gates of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation discuss their goals on achieving gender equality, with Tchen noting she's "fighting for a world where no one lives in fear of sexual harassment or discrimination." Kloss says she aims to move toward improved representation of women in technology, while Gates says the pandemic is the right time to accelerate work on equality. Full Story: [Barron's (free content)]( (9/14) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [How to help introverts "turn up the volume on their voice"]( How to help introverts "turn up the volume on their voice" (Pixabay) Highlighting professional successes is important for advancement and building personal brand, but doing so can be difficult and uncomfortable for those who typically eschew the limelight, says PR expert and author Meredith Fineman. Fineman offers tips for helping the quiet, introverted contributors "turn up the volume on their voices" and showcase their achievements. Full Story: [Forbes]( (9/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] SmartBrief Originals [] - [The way forward: What consumers are cooking at home]( SmartBrief/Food & Travel (9/16) [] - [Behind the growth and shifting nature of the pet industry]( SmartBrief/Food & Travel (9/14) [] - [Understanding what today's eco-conscious food consumers want]( SmartBrief/Food & Travel (9/9) [] Diversity & Inclusion Trends [] [Target makes 3-year plan to increase Black hiring]( [Target makes 3-year plan to increase Black hiring]( (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Target will boost hiring of Black employees by 20% during the next three years, as part of a pledge from its most recent Workforce Diversity Report. Right now Target's workforce is about 15% Black, and the retailer plans to diversify its recruiting efforts and provide more advancement opportunities, among other steps for promoting diversity. Full Story: [USA Today]( (9/10), [Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (tiered subscription model)]( (9/10), [Progressive Grocer]( (9/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [COVID-19 job loss stats show work needed to uphold D&I]( Women are experiencing a high risk of job loss due to the coronavirus, with unemployment among women reaching 16% during April, according to the Pew Research Center. The disproportionate firing of women suggests many companies that pay attention to diversity and inclusion during the hiring process don't take the same care when deciding who to let go, showing there is work to be done to elevate diversity and inclusion initiatives, writes Anbu Muppidathi. Full Story: [Forbes]( (9/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Women face ageism, sexism as they age]( Bonnie Marcus of Bonnie Marcus Leadership in Santa Barbara, Calif., says women face both sexism and ageism as they get older, adding that society worships youth and beauty. Few Fortune 500 company CEOs in the US are women, which Marcus says isn't fair and doesn't make economic sense since women over age 50 "hold the purse strings." Full Story: [BBC (free registration)]( (9/13) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Investment CEO explains why she advocates for diversity]( Cheryl Alston, executive director of Employees' Retirement Fund of the City of Dallas, began her career on Wall Street and now seeks ways to increase diversity within investment firms. "We need to make sure there is a framework for success and begin thinking about whether or not business operations are inclusive," she says. Full Story: [D Magazine online (Dallas)]( (9/14) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Chief diversity officers need CEO access]( Companies need to understand why they are hiring a chief diversity officer, and that person must have access or a reporting line to the CEO, writes Mita Mallick, Unilever's head of diversity and inclusion and cross-cultural marketing. "Be clear about what success in year one will look like," Mallick writes. Full Story: [Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model)]( (9/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [] Life is a train, get on board. 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