On the occasion of International Women’s Day, RHI Magnesita, the leading global supplier of high-grade refractory products, solutions and services, is reinforcing the diversity strategy of the company. Established in 2019, the diversity strategy encompasses targets for three focus areas: gender, age and nationality. In terms of gender, RHI Magnesita aims to increase the share of women in senior roles to 33 percent by 2025. To achieve this goal, the company has decided to implement a quota on recruitment: For all open positions, one of the three shortlisted candidates must be a woman.
“As an industrial company in a traditionally very male-dominated sector, we have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to gender equality. It is therefore important that we set ourselves targets to increase the share of women,” explains Simone Oremovic, Executive Vice President People & Culture / Corporate Communications.
To improve the visibility and working environment for women already working at the company, RHI Magnesita has created a global female network. It aims to promote the exchange of experiences and support between women. “The results of this network are essential for us. We can only continue to improve the working environment for women if we know where the challenges lie,” adds Oremovic. The network was formed with a bottom-up approach, is constantly growing and already comprises almost 300 female members around the world.
However, gender equality concerns everybody: “I want all male colleagues to contribute to an open dialogue and to constantly challenge themselves with regard to whether they really create an environment of equal treatment. If women enjoy working at our company, we will all benefit from this,” adds Stefan Borgas, CEO RHI Magnesita.
The goal of increasing the share of women within the company is part of RHI Magnesita’s global diversity strategy. However, this focus on diversity is not an end in itself. Results of worldwide research show that companies with a high level of diversity are not only more efficient and innovative than companies with a low level, but are also more likely to meet their targets. “Diverse thinking and different viewpoints within a team’s decision-making process support outside-the-box solutions, more effective problem solving, a greater range of ideas and increased innovation. To ensure that RHI Magnesita can benefit from this, we aim to create an environment where each person can thrive and where individualities are respected and encouraged,” Borgas concludes.
RHI Magnesita is the leading global supplier of high-grade refractory products, systems and solutions which are indispensable for industrial high-temperature processes exceeding 1,200°C in a wide range of industries, including steel, cement, non-ferrous metals and glass. With a vertically integrated value chain, from raw materials to refractory products and full performance-based solutions, RHI Magnesita serves customers in nearly all countries around the world. The company has a high level of geographic diversification with more than 14,000 employees in 35 main production sites and more than 70 sales offices around the world. RHI Magnesita intends to leverage its global leadership in terms of revenue, scale, product portfolio and diversified geographic presence to strategically target those countries and regions benefitting from more dynamic economic growth prospects.
Its shares have a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: RHIM) and are a constituent of the FTSE 250 index. For more information please visit: www.rhimagnesita.com
