SPECIAL REPORT – WOMEN IN RETAIL

Here at Kendu we’re firm believers in equal opportunity and gender equality. In fact, 52% of the Kendu team are women and 43% of our Executive Board is female. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for women working in the retail sector with, despite women making up 60% of all employees, they comprise less than 20% of all of managerial positions and less than 10% on Executive Boards. So, to coincide with IWD, we’ve gathered inspirational stories from strong, courageous women who are breaking through the glass ceiling and pushing the boundaries of gender inequality in the retail sector. These are the women who are living the #BalanceforBetter.

Sharing with us their stories of nonconformity, courage and confidence as keys in their professional careers are María Aristizábal Senior Director in Creative & Visual Merchandising at Parfums Christian Dior, Elena d’Auria, Senior Design Manager of Visual Merchandising also at Parfums Christian Dior and Stacey Paoa, Director of Stores and Client Experience at Sephora ANZ. You can download the full interviews of these valiant women in the link below but to kick us off, we’re showcasing their valuable advice to working women in the retail sector and beyond.

María Aristizábal

“Never settle and keep searching: You need to find the best way to communicate your ideas and always try to help and be supportive to others. Be as collaborative as possible and always keep in mind that it takes a team to make something work: It’s important to inspire others and motivate them to move forward. In the same way, if you have a dream, hold onto it and make it happen! Always keep a positive mindset and try to solve problems in the best way possible, even in the most stressful and complicated situations: Retail is a highly stressful industry and you need to know how to work well in a very stressful environment.”

Elena d’Auria

“My advice to women in retail would be to be strong, determined and passionate. These are the traits that can make a huge difference: I strongly believe no one can stop a woman who feels empowered and confident about herself.”

Stacy Poao

“My advice would be to be fearless and never look back! Any type of decision that I make in life, is based on this principle as it’s the only way to never regret anything.”