INSIGHT 2|2019

12 | Prysmian Group I N S I G H T “SIDE BY SIDE” DIVERSITY & INCLUSION PROGRAM TAKES ACCOUNT OF REGIONAL DIFFERENCES I n 2016, Rutschmann launched the group’s diversity and inclusion project. Angela Amodio was appointed to oversee the project, called Side by Side, in February. “We analyzed the best practices around the world, and found that many companies named a manager in charge of this area, and we chose to do that,” she explained. “We also created a committee of about fifteen executives and top managers, of different gender, backgrounds, training and nationalities, who help implement the program.” The Side by Side inclusion program focused on gender first. D iversity is “diverse.” It means different things in different countries. Whether it concerns maternity leave, respect for religious practices or working together across generations, meeting the challenge of inclusion requires tailor-made measures that reflect different contexts. Diversity and inclusion policies are not a luxury, but a necessity. Fabrizio Rutschmann, Chief HR Officer of Prysmian Group FOCUS ON “The project had to be global, and gender diversity is the most noticeable issue in all countries,” Amodio explained. “Furthermore, Prysmian is measured in sustainability indexes where diversity is monitored almost exclusively in terms of gender. As we rolled out the project, we saw other themes - for example age and cultural diversity - which were sometimes considered even more urgent.”