Advancing Women in Business
Leadership & Management
CASE STUDY
Artistic Milliners Limited
Denim Manufacturing, Pakistan
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These five case studies were produced by the International
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Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Gender Secretariat in partnership
The material in this work is copyrighted. Copying and/or with The Pakistan Business Council (PBC). They were developed
transmitting portions or all of this work without permission under the overall guidance of Henriette Kolb, Global Manager,
may be a violation of applicable law. IFC encourages IFC Gender Secretariat, and Fuad Hashimi, Executive Director,
dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission PBC’s Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB).
to reproduce portions of the work promptly, and when the The core working group of this initiative comprised Rudaba
reproduction is for educational and non-commercial purposes, Zehra Nasir, Sammar Essmat, and Yasmin Galal from IFC and
without a fee, subject to such attributions and notices as we Nazish Shekha and Sara Laiq from CERB. Moreover, the case
may reasonably require. studies are part of IFC's MAS Women's Employment Program
and would not have been possible without the guidance and
IFC does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or
support of many IFC colleagues, including Zunee Muhtashim,
completeness of the content included in this work, or for the
Farzin Mirmotahari, and Sanola Daley.
conclusions or judgments described herein, and accepts no
responsibility or liability for any omissions or errors (including, The data collection for these case studies was completed in
without limitation, typographical errors and technical errors) in collaboration with an external consultant team led by Farhad
the content whatsoever or for reliance thereon. The boundaries, Karamally with Naureen Ansari, Waqas Hussain, and Yumna
colors, denominations, and other information shown on any Usmani at Funverks.
map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the
The case studies were completed with the active collaboration
World Bank Group concerning the legal status of any territory
of 5 PBC member companies and our principal counterparts
or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The
there: Artistic Milliners Limited (Murtaza Ahmed and Faiza
findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this
Jamil), HBL (Jamal Nasir, Katherina Zubin Irani, Saira Halai
volume do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive
Chundrigar, and Sanam Hasnani), Interloop Limited (Faryal
Directors of the World Bank Group or the governments they
Sadiq and Aqeel Ahmad), Packages Limited (Jawad Gilani, Zoya
represent.
Zaidi, and Fatima Qadir), and National Foods Limited (Abrar
The contents of this work are intended for general Hasan, Saira A. Khan, and Sana Abbas).
informational purposes only and are not intended to constitute
Appreciations are also extended to the design and printing team
legal, securities, or investment advice, an opinion regarding the
at Groff Creative, including Jay and Lauren Groff, who, along
appropriateness of any investment, or a solicitation of any type.
with Fatima Fasih from PBC and Bhattiprolu B. Murti from IFC,
IFC or its affiliates may have an investment in, provide other
were critical in producing this report.
IN COLLABORATION WITH
2
FOREWORD BY IFC
Pakistan’s economy is presently growing at just under 6 percent annually. The country’s GDP
could grow by 30 percent if women and men participated equally in the workforce. Women’s
education levels in Pakistan have increased over time. Yet, only a quarter of women are working
compared to over 80 percent of men. The gap is staggering and closing it represents a huge
economic opportunity for Pakistan.
In addition to Pakistan’s economy, closing gender gaps is also good for Pakistan’s businesses. The competitiveness and growth
of Pakistan’s firms could be significantly enhanced if firms could bring into their company diverse skills and talents, which are
urgently needed to be more productive and innovative. Despite competition over attracting and retaining skilled employees, few
companies have widened their search for talent and skills by tapping into Pakistan’s vastly underutilized female talent pool.
A 2017 study by The Pakistan Business Council’s (PBC) Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB) found that women
represent less than 20 percent of the workforce of 90 percent of the surveyed PBC member firms. Although this is higher than
the national average of less than 10 percent women in the formal, private sector workforce, in most cases, women continue to be
underrepresented in formal employment and earn less than men for equivalent work. Pakistan’s private sector has a critical role to
play in ensuring that women have access to more and better jobs.
A growing number of forward-looking Pakistani companies are now starting to see the business case for gender diversity, even in
sectors considered non-traditional for women. To expand this awareness and turn it into action, IFC partnered with PBC to bring to
Pakistan IFC‘s global research and advisory expertise on the business case and good practices for advancing women’s employment.
These case studies are part of a series of initiatives that IFC and PBC have jointly led over the past year to mobilize more companies
in Pakistan to increase gender diversity in their workforce. The aim of the case studies is to provide guidance to Pakistani firms on
successful approaches for recruiting, retaining, and promoting more women and achieving better business outcomes.
The case studies feature five PBC member companies that are promoting greater inclusion of women in their workforce in five
thematic areas: Artistic Milliners Limited for the Women in Business Leadership theme, HBL for the Anti-Sexual Harassment
theme, Interloop Limited for the Women in Non-Traditional Roles theme, National Foods Limited for the Family-Friendly Policies
theme, and Packages Limited for the Equal Opportunity Recruitment Practices theme. HBL and Packages are IFC investment
clients and Artistic Milliners and Interloop are IFC advisory clients.
Our aim is that these case studies will reach many businesses in Pakistan and help them better understand the business case for
women’s employment, get insights into the approaches that work, and learn from each other’s experiences while replicating solutions.
On behalf of IFC, I would like to thank the companies that participated in this project and generously shared their data and
good practices, and PBC for their commitment to this important agenda. IFC is committed to working with the private sector in
Pakistan to create equal employment opportunities, decent working conditions, and lucrative career paths for women, and we
will continue to do more.
Nadeem A. Siddiqui
Senior Country Manager for Pakistan
International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group
3
FOREWORD BY THE
PAKISTAN BUSINESS COUNCIL
The Pakistan Business Council (PBC) is a business advocacy forum composed of the largest
businesses including multinationals that have significant investment in and a long-term
commitment to Pakistan. Members’ turnover represents 11% of Pakistan’s GDP and they
contribute 25% of the taxes and exports. Our key advocacy thrust is on easing barriers for Pakistani businesses in the wake of
progressive regional and global free trade, as well as improving national investment flows to match target GDP growth rates.
PBC works closely with the relevant government departments, ministries, regulators and institutions, as well as other stakeholders
including professional bodies, to develop consensus on major issues which impact the conduct of business in and from Pakistan.
It has submitted key position papers and recommendations to the government on legislation and other government policies
affecting businesses. PBC also serves on various taskforces and committees of the Government of Pakistan as well as those of
the State Bank of Pakistan, the Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan, and other regulators with the objective to provide
policy assistance on new initiatives and reforms.
The Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB) is the first of PBC’s outreach initiatives to build capacity and capability
of businesses in Pakistan. CERB’s vision is to assist Pakistani businesses to pursue long term sustainability and value creation, and
its mission is to contribute towards inclusive social development. As part of its strategic objectives, CERB engages with businesses
and industry leaders to provide a clear direction towards conducting responsible business in Pakistan. It leverages private sector
growth as a means for development and poverty reduction taking guidance from the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals framework.
CERB’s aim is to identify and impart good practices from within the PBC member companies and work towards changing the
mind-set of the many businesses that are not members of PBC but contribute equally to Pakistan’s economy.
In the context of gender equality, PBC is privileged to have partnered with the International Finance Corporation over the past
year and, as part of our collaborative efforts to enhance women’s employment in Pakistan, we have together worked on five case
studies where opportunities among domestically-owned companies to do so have been highlighted. On behalf of PBC, I would
like to thank our member companies for allowing our respective teams to carry out in-depth analyses of their good practices in
this area and sharing with us their data that may be published.
Ehsan Malik
CEO
The Pakistan Business Council
4
Artistic Milliners
Limited
Denim Manufacturing,
Pakistan
Case Study: Advancing
Women in Business
Leadership and
Management1
AM’s Employee Profile (Garment
Division):
• Management (male: 748 – 54.9%,
WOMEN IN BUSINESS LEADERSHIP IN female: 613 – 45.04%)
PAKISTAN • Non-managerial (male 9,019 –
70.04%, female 3,780 – 29.5%)
A growing body of research establishes a strong correlation between business • Women on board and in senior
performance and gender diversity in leadership. A study by McKinsey and management: 16 or 50%
Company highlights that companies with gender diversity in top management AM advances women in leadership
and boards are 15 percent more likely to reap financial returns greater through:
than their national industry median.2 Similarly, Credit Suisse surveyed 2,360 • A strong tone at the top
companies globally and found that companies that had at least one female • Female role models
• Strengthening the female talent
on board delivered better share performance by 26 percent compared to
pipeline, from the factory floor to
companies that had no women on their board.3 the board room
• Engaging men
Another study by EY and the Peterson Institute for International Economics
shows that a company with 30 percent female leaders could add up to 6 Business impacts of AM’s gender
percentage points to its net margins. Furthermore, the study highlighted diverse leadership:
• 70% increase in sales in the UK
that even though the positive relationship between women in C-level ranks
denim market.
and the bottom line is well-established, one-third of companies do not have • 140% increase in business in gar-
women in either C-suite positions or on boards, 60 percent have no women ment division for a U.S.-based denim
on boards, 50 percent have no female top executives, and less than 5 percent brand.
• On-time shipment increased from
have female CEOs.4
40% in April 2018 to 100% in Octo-
ber 2018 for a strategic client.
• Improved performance, translating
to savings of almost USD 2 million in
1 Methodology: Information presented in this case study is based on HR data gathered
and analyzed between September to November 2018 with Artistic Milliners’ HR team
the Supply Chain Department.
as well as a focus group discussion with 10 employees and 10 one-on-one interviews
with AM’s Director, the HR team, department heads, and male and female employees.
This research was conducted by IFC Gender Secretariat in collaboration with PBC.
2 McKinsey & Co. 2015. Why Diversity Matters. Available at https://www.mckinsey.com/
business-functions/organization/our-insights/why-diversity-matters.
3 Credit Suisse. 2012. Gender Diversity and Corporate Performance. Available at https://
publications.credit-suisse.com/tasks/render/file/index.cfm?fileid=88EC32A9-83E8-
EB92-9D5A40FF69E66808.
4 EY & PIIE. 2016. Is Gender Diversity Profitable? Evidence from a Global Survey. Available
at https://piie.com/publications/wp/wp16-3.pdf.
5
Women on Boards in Pakistan
A study conducted by Women on Board Pakistan Trust covering 505 companies listed on the Pakistan Stock
Exchange showed that women directors occupied 351 of 3,869, or 9.07%, of board positions. Out of these,
the majority (8.25%) are family members of or related to the majority shareholders of the company whereas
professional or ‘unrelated’ female directors are less than 1 percent. With respect to the C-suite, only 1 out of 505
Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) is an unrelated female (compared to 10 related female CEOs) and 7 out of 505 Chief
Finance Officers (CFOs) are unrelated women (compared to 2 related female CFOs). Similarly, women account for 27
of the 505 Company Secretary positions, and all but 4 positions are held by female family members.
SOURCE: WOMEN ON BOARD PAKISTAN TRUST. ANNUAL REPORT 2017. AVAILABLE AT HTTP://WOB.COM.PK/DOWNLOADS/WOB-ANNUAL-
REPORT.PDF.
Research by the International Labour Organization also Leading companies recognize that efforts to advance more
enhances the strong link between financial performance and women in senior leadership roles require going beyond target-
women on boards. Gender-balanced boards are more likely to setting and focusing on strengthening the entire female talent
focus on non-financial indicators such as customer satisfaction pipeline, starting from entry-level positions all the way up to the
and corporate social responsibility, leading to improved top. Artistic Milliners is one such company that is stepping up
corporate governance. Although these studies establish a
5
to this challenge and giving women the skills, confidence, and
strong correlation rather than causality, they highlight that support they need to deliver results and advance in their careers.
companies that prioritize gender diversity in their leadership
perform better, which has already inspired various companies
ARTISTIC MILLINERS: COMPANY
around the world to take action.
OVERVIEW
In Pakistan, a baseline survey conducted by the Pakistan Established in 1949, Artistic Milliners (AM) is a vertical denim
Business Council’s Centre of Excellence in Responsible fabric and garment manufacturing and exporting company
Business (CERB) found that female representation across with a strong focus on women’s empowerment, innovation,
all sectors was the highest at entry level, with numbers and sustainability. Ranking third on the top 10 list of Pakistani
decreasing at each incremental tier of the organization.6 textile exporters in the year 2017-2018, AM employs 19,860
Across sectors, female representation as department heads is people in 17 factories and mills in Karachi’s Korangi and other
highest in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry industrial areas, with a total annual turnover of USD 256
at 18 percent while in the textile sector it stands at 5 percent.7 million. AM’s products are exported to various countries in
One of the reasons for women’s low representation in senior Europe and the U.S., supplying to brands such as Gap Inc.,
leadership roles is a leaky talent pipeline characterized by high Levi’s, Marks and Spencer, Target Inc., and Zara, while AM’s
turnover rates amongst women with family and caregiving denim fabric is exported to Bangladesh, China, Sri Lanka,
responsibilities. Vietnam, and a few countries in Africa.
5 ILO. Women on Boards: Building the female talent pipeline. Available at
https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---gender/documents/briefingnote/wcms_410200.pdf.
6 Pakistan Business Council. Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business. Gender Diversity in Business Sector of Pakistan. Available at
https://www.pbc.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/Baseline-Survey-on-Gender-Diversity-in-Business-Sector-of-Pakistan.pdf.
7 Ibid.
6
ARTISTIC MILLINERS’ BUSINESS For Murtaza Ahmed, Director at
CONTEXT FOR ADVANCING Artistic Milliners, business leaders
have a critical role to play in fostering
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
gender diversity. Leaders are
Artistic Milliners differentiates itself from its competitors by responsible for laying out the vision
building a strong reputation as the only textile company in for what gender equality should look
Pakistan’s manufacturing sector with the most women in like in their organizations, a vision that MURTAZA AHMED,
senior management positions. Currently, the ratio of women is unique to the culture and needs of DIRECTOR, AM
and men in senior management is 50:50. Over the years, the organization and serves to unite leadership, management,
women at AM have been recruited in various non-traditional and staff efforts to achieve workplace gender diversity. As a
senior leadership roles such as the Heads of the Planning, result, leaders can promote effective and lasting change.
Supply Chain, Merchandising, CSR, and Communications
Departments, which has further cemented AM’s position as a Since joining Artistic Milliners in 2008, Ahmed set out on
market leader when it comes to gender diversity in business. a journey to use AM’s factory floors as agents of social
change. Ahmed initiated the Women at Artistic Milliners
For Artistic Milliners, its gender diversity efforts are critical campaign under which a variety of gender diversity and
to realizing its goals of business diversification, innovation, women’s empowerment programs have been delivered.
sustainability, and growth as well as geographical expansion
within and outside of Pakistan. This in turn, AM believes, will
help the company build and sustain long-term relationships
“More often when we talk about
with high-value buyers that place a significant premium on
equal opportunity and sustainable business practices and urge gender equality, there is a backlash
their suppliers, including AM, to do the same. AM’s gender that women are being given an
diversity efforts have gained international recognition and
edge over men. I want to thwart
the company aims to continue building on this momentum to
strengthen its female talent pipeline and achieve its long-term this concept and emphasize
goals. that equality means equality
in all aspects: opportunities,
HOW ARTISTIC MILLINERS remuneration and accountability.
ADVANCES WOMEN IN
At AM, women in leadership are
LEADERSHIP
held equally accountable and
AM recognizes that strengthening the female talent pipeline
requires four key ingredients: A strong tone at the top, female
are expected to deliver the same
role models, taking a wide-spectrum approach by starting quantum of results. There is no
efforts at the factory floor and taking them all the way up to complacency because I believe
the board room, and engaging men.
women have the same strength,
Senior (Male) Leadership Support intelligence, stamina, and
Companies often come up with innovative measures to leadership potential as men.”
advance women in leadership. Yet measures can fail to have
Murtaza Ahmed, Director, AM
the desired impact if they lack leadership commitment and a
strong tone at the top.
7
Externally, Ahmed uses his position to raise awareness
.
about the importance of gender diversity. He serves as a
#HeforShe8 advocate and as a signatory of the UN’s Women “The most important thing I believe
Empowerment Principles (WEPs).9 is the Role Model, because when
Ahmed’s efforts have put Artistic Milliners on the world young women can see it, they can
map. He was inducted in the Financial Times’ 2018 HERoes: believe that it’s possible to progress
Champions of Women in Business list as the one of the top 50
through the ranks. I am happy that
global male executives who are committed to advancing
women in business. The list also includes Paul Polman, the my company has realized this dream.
CEO of Unilever, and Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce. For young women in the textile
sector of Pakistan, AM is a very
Female Role Models
beckoning workplace.”
Role models and mentors can play a critical role in ensuring
that more women rise to the top.10 Female role models can Murtaza Ahmed, Director, AM
contribute to breaking stereotypes around women’s and men’s
traditional roles in the workplace and society and can inspire
other women to step forward and take a seat at the table.
in them so that they feel ready to take on more challenging
Artistic Milliners initiated its policy and efforts to achieve
leadership positions, AM has led a series of initiatives.
gender diversity at the management level by first recruiting
several women as department heads who could then serve as In partnership with UNDP, Artistic Milliners delivered a Youth
role models and mentors for other female employees and help Employability Program through which women, who had never
them gain confidence, unlock their potential, and navigate worked before, were taught employability skills by UNDP staff
their career paths to leadership. Women who are hired at and subsequently hired by AM as full-time employees.
junior positions in all departments are trained directly under
In partnership with its international buyer Gap Inc., Artistic
the department’s General Manager as their ‘successors’ to help
Milliners launched P.A.C.E (Personal Advancement & Career
strengthen the female talent pipeline for leadership. AM has
Enhancement), an educational program that builds skills,
noticed that within two years, these efforts at the top have
knowledge, and confidence in women to advance their
trickled down and strengthened AM’s pipeline, contributing to
personal and professional lives. The program includes 47+
AM’s 50-50 management ratio.
lessons and has been conducted in over 16 countries. To date,
310 women at AM have gone through the program and the
Developing Leaders on the Floor
majority of them strongly feel that the program has made a
While looking up is important, Artistic Milliners believes that
strong impact on their self-efficacy and communication with
real change happens on the factory floor. Approximately
their peers and supervisors.
one third of AM’s minimum wage employees are women. To
empower women at this level and inculcate leadership skills Similarly, Artistic Milliners also invested in Business for Social
Responsibility’s HERproject11 to help women at AM gain
8 HeForShe. Available at https://www.heforshe.org/en.
9 Women’s Empowerment Principles. Available at https://www.unglobalcompact.org/take-action/action/womens-principles.
10 IFC. 2016. SheWorks: Putting Gender-Smart Commitments into Practice: At the Workplace. Available at
https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/3dbbf98a-f919-408e-bca0-700e4c5efecd/SheWorks+Final+Report.pdf?MOD=AJPERES.
11 HERproject. Available at https://herproject.org/.
8
confidence and skills through workplace-based interventions The Role of Men
on health, financial inclusion, and gender equality. The
While it is important to train women to take leadership
program concluded in June 2017 with 75 percent of the
roles, for AM it is equally important to sensitize men to this
respondents feeling comfortable in talking to their factory
cultural shift and enable them to perceive this change as
management as compared to 24 percent in April 2016.
beneficial to women, men, and the company as a whole. In
Furthermore, 90 percent of AM’s female employees now take
this regard, AM has now launched a 6-months program to
an active part in household decisions about education, health,
train male supervisors to manage change and address their
and asset purchase. In addition, AM also regularly runs various
apprehensions and concerns surrounding gender diversity. For
adult literacy and financial literacy programs for AM’s female
AM, it is critical to include men in this process because if men
employees, which includes information on how to open bank
feel excluded, then it may lead to the exacerbation of the boys
accounts and save money.12
club phenomenon, further hindering the progress of women
Artistic Milliners also designated an entire line to women for and the organization as a whole.
dry processing, which has traditionally been a male-dominated
function. Although AM faced challenges in the beginning in terms THE BUSINESS IMPACTS OF
of upskilling women and giving them the confidence to do this ADVANCING WOMEN IN
job and getting men on board, this effort ultimately had a ripple
LEADERSHIP
effect. Male employees would often work for a month and then
take extended holidays but with an entire line designated to The Business Case for Middle Management
women, the turnover rate for men has significantly decreased in
Female middle managers are the
the face of healthy competition from women.
linchpin of a successful gender
diversity strategy. Research has
suggested that helping women
. progress from middle to senior
management can have a ‘multiplier
“When I travelled to the UK, one
effect’ in the organization. Not
of the buyers said that he has only is there a healthy pipeline of
RUMISA RASHEED, BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, AM
never seen a woman represent female talent, women in middle
the denim industry in Pakistan management act as positive role
models for the next generation and
in 10 years. So, I was not only
contribute to strong operational
representing Artistic Milliners, I performance as well.13
was representing Pakistan.”
Artistic Milliners’ Business
Rumisa Rasheed, Business Development Development Manager, Rumisa FATIMA MEHMOOD, BRAND
MANAGER, AM
Manager, AM Rasheed, has helped increase
AM’s sales by 70 percent in the UK market. Even with the
management’s support, Rasheed believes that it is her
performance that will create the acceptability that women “can
12 Financial Times. 2018. HERoes: champions of women in business. Available at https://www.out-standing.org/heroes/2018-top-50-male-
executives/.
13 Alexander Mann Solutions. Focus on the pipeline: Engaging the full potential of female middle managers. Available at https://www.everywoman.
com/sites/default/files/file/focus_on_the_pipeline_report.pdf.
9
The Business Case for “First Women”
.
Artistic Milliners hired its first
“When women come into any
woman, Syeda Faiza Jamil, in
profession, they come in with a a senior management role as
passion for growth and accept General Manager in the CSR and
Communications Department.
challenges, which is critical to
Since joining, Jamil has helped build
achieving excellence.” a culture encouraging women’s
SYEDA FAIZA JAMIL, GENERAL
empowerment in the company, by MANAGER—GROUP WORKING,
Noman Farooq, General Manager Internal Audit, CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
initiating the collaboration with AND COMMUNICATION, AM
AM
Gap Inc. to launch P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career
Enhancement) in Pakistan. P.A.C.E gives women in the apparel
industry the life-skills training and support that helps them
flourish both professionally and personally.14 This project has
break barriers and bring results with their hard work.” Similarly,
created a positive vibe in AM’s female employee population
in less than a year, Fatima Mehmood, a Manager leading a U.S.-
based brand, has increased the business from 1 million garment
pieces in May 2018 to 2.4 million pieces in November 2018 in her
.
market, a 140 percent increase over the last 6-month period.
Mehmood has also been fundamental in increasing on-time
“Men have an important role to
shipments from 40 percent in April 2018 to 100 percent in play. When they get on board
November 2018.
and welcome this culture shift,
The Business Case for Senior Management they become male champions
Artistic Milliners recruited for several
in their own rights and policies
positions with equal opportunity are even more effective. This
in mind. For example, AM’s Head
is ultimately good for women,
of Supply Chains, Hina Khan, is the
first woman to lead a supply chain
men, and the company. Some of
department in Pakistan’s textile our male leaders serve as role
industry. Following her recruitment,
HINA KHAN, HEAD OF SUPPLY models for our male employees
other women have also joined CHAINS, AM
and they model good behavior
the department, increasing the percentage of women in the
department to 27 percent of the total sourcing workforce. in their interactions with AM’s
Diversity in the team has contributed to its improved female workforce.”
performance, which translates to savings of approximately
USD 2 million. Improved performance has also been reported in Faiza Jamil, General Manager—Group Working,
other departments led by women. In the Planning Department, Corporate Responsibility and Communication
another traditionally male-dominated function, the General and Department, AM
Senior Managers are both women and oversee AM’s production
planning at the group and strategic business unit (SBU) levels.
14 Gap Inc. 2018. P.A.C.E. – Changing One Million Lives. Available at https://www.gapincsustainability.com/people/pace-changing-one-million-lives.
10
Outcomes of Artistic Milliners’ HERproject in
collaboration with Business for Social Responsibility
Baseline: 2017
End line: 2018
• Percentage of AM’s female employees who
feel comfortable while speaking with factory
management (baseline 24% – end line 75%)
• Percentage of AM’s female employees who take an
active part in household decisions about:
Health (baseline 80% - end line 91.7%)
Education (baseline 78% - end line 91.7%)
Asset purchase (baseline 83% - end line 87%)
Mobility (baseline 74% - end line 91.7%)
and Jamil has become a female champion not only in AM but recognizes that such a policy and formal programs will help
in Pakistan’s textile industry. AM monitor and evaluate the business case for hiring women
and training them to become leaders. AM has therefore
Five out of six employees who report directly to Jamil are
started the process of developing such a policy and programs.
women and while her staff believe that she is their mentor,
Jamil believes, “I have evolved immensely since I have joined. AM plans to focus on retaining and developing its female
I have learnt a lot from my team and they have guided me middle managers as it is often at the mid-tier level where
as well and much of this has to do with women’s leadership women need the most work-life support (and often quit
because women by nature tend to be more collaborative”. when such support is lacking) to get to the next stage of their
careers and become senior managers. Therefore, AM is in
the process of rolling out resources and benefits, including a
WHAT’S NEXT FOR ARTISTIC
daycare facility, for all employees, including middle managers,
MILLINERS?
to give them the support they need to progress in their
Artistic Milliners is determined to recruit more women while careers.
continuing to strengthen its talent pipeline and enable more
women to rise to the top. AM’s long-term plan is to formalize AM aims to strike a balance by ensuring that it continues
the process of developing women leaders by mapping out the to include its male workforce in the process of developing
company’s gender equity indices. Based on this data, AM will women leaders. A change in the mindset and work culture
then plan its next steps. Moving forward, AM plans to undertake is already evident but regular awareness-raising sessions
the following actions in the short- to medium-term. to sensitize men regarding gender diversity and its business
benefits are critical to the success of AM’s gender diversity
AM currently does not have a formal policy outlining efforts.
leadership development training or mentorship programs. AM
11
Contact Information
IFC
2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20433 USA
+1 (202) 458-2262
BMurti@ifc.org
www.IFC.org/gender
@WBG_Gender
ifc.org
December 2018