Stepping up to be #EachforEqual

March 10, 2020

At Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, we stand strong in our belief that creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is vital to our growth and success. Our group of 3,600 employees should be as diverse and representative of the millions of customers that visit our centres, and live and work in our buildings across 12 countries.

A major spotlight event for us in our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is International Women’s Day (IWD) which we started off celebrating within our Group last Friday in Europe and that will be celebrated next Thursday in the US. IWD provides an important opportunity to celebrate our women’s achievements and foster an environment where everyone can thrive.

Equality is, however, much wider than gender. We strive to provide a workplace where we all feel supported and welcome, where we are all encouraged to be our true selves regardless of our background. This is why from now on, Be You at URW will be the brand umbrella under which all of our Diversity and Inclusion activities will be carried out, including the Gender Equality initiatives.

A major takeaway from all our events Group-wide is that building a gender equal world is no longer a women’s issue, but a business one, and that as a company, we therefore need to keep striving daily to build an #EachforEqual work environment! Among the highlights:

In the UK, we had a session with businesswoman, advertising executive and retail expert Mary Portas, who delved into the importance of being ourselves and the need for businesses to embrace change which will be driven and demanded by the next generation of employees coming through the ranks.

In Germany, we had the pleasure of welcoming Miriam Höller as a keynote speaker. Miriam is a German stunt performer, model and business woman. In celebration of IWD and stepping up to be equal, she shared her thoughts on failures, bravery and handling difficult situations in life.

At our Paris HQ, we celebrated IWD with Marie Cheval, Executive Director of Financial Services and Hypermarkets France Carrefour, who shared her professional and personal experiences regarding gender equality within the workplace.