The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), comprising more than 200 of the largest foreign investors operating in Pakistan, has worked to promote women in leadership positions through its flagship Women Empowerment Awards, which was held for the fifth consecutive year.

There is a great need for gender inclusive policies to promote rapid socio-economic progress, said OICCI Pakistan President Ghias Khan. He said Pakistan continues to have the lowest rate of female workforce participation among its regional counterparts, at 21%. According to World Bank projections, closing the gender wage gap may provide up to 19 million new jobs and improve Pakistan's GDP by up to 23%.

At the “OICCI Women Empowerment Awards 2022," the top three places were obtained by three businesses that prevailed across all categories: Procter & Gamble Pakistan took first place and was crowned the winner, while Nestle Pakistan and Unilever Pakistan were named the first and second runners-up, respectively.

The Overall Best Performer and prizes in all other categories were given by an impartial jury that evaluated the firms' performance from many angles. Based on nominations submitted by OICCI members, Ms. Sima Kamil was chosen as the first winner of the Iconic Corporate Women Leaders Award, extending the awards' eligibility beyond OICCI members. This award was created this year to honour businesswomen executives who may serve as role models for future female generations by raising the standard in the workplace.

Seven organizations received special category honours. The awards for Leadership and Strategy went to Standard Chartered Pakistan, an Organization's Vision and Mission to Pakistan Tobacco Company, a Conducive Workplace Environment for Women to Telenor Pakistan, Women's Leadership Development to Engro Corporation, and Work-life Balance and Integration to Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (Jazz). L'Oreal was named the SME Champion, while GSK Pakistan received Special Recognition Awards for Notable Growth in Women Empowerment.

The Diversity and Inclusion Handbook 2022 was also released at this occasion by OICCI. The Handbook discusses workplace flexibility, hybrid working models, and policies that effectively support working parents. These policies are geared for creating inclusive workplaces.

In describing the goal of the guidebook, OICCI Women's Secretary General M. Abdul Aleem said that it is one of the most recent efforts made with the intention to disseminate information regarding initiatives and best practises that the member firms have embraced inside their workplaces. It is now accessible to interested companies so they may start or continue their journey towards equality at work.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk