Promoting diversity in all areas of our business is an important goal within Greiner AG’s Blue Plan sustainability strategy. At Greiner Packaging, we firmly believe it is our responsibility to help lead the way on this front. For evidence that work is being done to achieve the goal of employing more female executives, look no further than this interview with CFO Barbara Desl. The interview was conducted by MUTmacherinnen, an initiative based in Upper Austria that gives a platform to successful women from a range of different fields.
You can read the full interview here and find profiles of other inspirational women at mutmacherinnen.at (German language only).
MUTmacherinnen: Women still rarely make it beyond middle management. What do you think that’s down to?
That’s a very interesting question! In our society, there is still a perception that it’s normal and totally fulfilling for women of a certain age to spend most of their time taking care of the kids. A lot of the time, that’s incompatible with executive positions, partly because companies still don’t make the necessary accommodations in many cases. For instance, doing an executive job part-time for a certain period should be an option today.
Luckily for me, my daughter’s dad was willing to go on paternity leave four months after she was born. That just isn’t an option as far as a lot of men are concerned.
To make matters worse, women still don’t do enough to support each other. When I went back to work four months after my daughter’s birth, I didn’t receive support from all quarters. Unfortunately, too many people are quick to label you a “bad mother” in this situation.
As a woman, and especially as a mother, you really have to want a job in senior management 100 percent, and you have to make sure nothing stops you from pursuing that path.
MUTmacherinnen: Your company operates in 19 countries around the world. In your experience, what’s it like in other countries in terms of women’s career opportunities?
Greiner Packaging operates in many different countries, so my perception is that it varies a lot. The availability of maternity leave differs significantly, and it’s definitely better for women’s career opportunities if they aren’t away from their job for too long. Two years, as is sometimes the norm in Austria, is certainly not conducive to their professional advancement. Some countries don’t offer that system at all. That means women return to their jobs faster and can then move up the ladder more quickly. The United States and Switzerland are a couple of examples.
MUTmacherinnen: What’s your company doing to help women advance?
Our company’s approach is conscious and structured, but unfortunately, it’s still not enough on an international level. From my point of view, we’ve only just begun to develop this mindset.
The measures we take are on a one-off basis and mostly come in response to specific events. We still have a long way to go.
We have taken a first, very significant step by adopting sustainability targets, which have set down the goal of increasing the percentage of women in management positions from the current quota of 25 percent to 35 percent by 2025.
MUTmacherinnen: What do you enjoy outside of work?
My family and friends, exercising, and unwinding in nature.
We’re always especially eager to welcome women aboard to enhance our team! All our current job listings can be found here.
