Paradigm for Parity® CEO Spotlight Series: Corinne Ripoche, Adecco Group Americas
The Paradigm for Parity® coalition CEO Spotlight Series showcases the CEOs who are transforming the culture within their companies to advance women of all races, backgrounds, and ethnicities.
This week we are pleased to feature Corinne Ripoche, CEO of Adecco Group Americas, who stated, “deploying women’s full potential is not only essential to our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s critical to manifesting a more equitable, just world for women.”
- What motivated your company to join the Paradigm for Parity® coalition?
As the world’s leading talent advisory and solutions company, our mission is to make the future work for everyone. We joined the Paradigm for Parity® coalition as part of our effort to deliver on this mission and advance gender equity inside and outside of the workplace.
Companies have an enormous role to play in advancing equity — and there has never been a better time for collective action. The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated gender inequity and threatens the progress gained for women in recent decades. The time is now to come together with other forward-thinking organizations to take the steps needed to drive meaningful change.
2. What do you consider to be the benefits of leveling the playing field for women in the workforce for your company and society as a whole?
The data speaks for itself. A 2018 World Bank report found that women contribute more than 35% of the global GDP, including unpaid work (caregiving, housekeeping, etc.), which generates $11 trillion USD globally. If women could have the same lifetime earnings as men, global wealth could increase by $172 trillion, and if we eliminated all forms of discrimination against women globally it would raise per capita productivity by 40%. The benefits are clearly huge, but the reality is if we do not act, the detriment to our business is bigger. In short, deploying women’s full potential is not only essential to our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s critical to manifesting a more equitable, just world for women.
As an organization, we need diversity to be successful. As we enter a new world of work, we need people who come from different backgrounds with diverse opinions to help shape our organization and lead the future of work for our employees, our associates, and our clients.
3. How is your company advocating for, lifting up and supporting women of color in your workplace? What has made the biggest difference in advancing all women in your company?
To further advance women and achieve greater diversity within our organization, we have put inclusivity at the forefront of our talent strategy, inviting and applying a diversity of perspectives through recruitment, internal mobility and succession planning for our colleagues.
We have also enhanced our support for accessible and flexible working environments so people with diverse physical and mental health needs can thrive. We have made great progress in creating an inclusive culture through training, dialogue, and support. Finally, through critical new roles for Public Affairs and Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Responsibility, we plan to accelerate our efforts in the Americas in the coming years.
4. When you look at the Paradigm for Parity® coalition 5-Point Action Plan, is there one step that you think is most critical to ensuring that women of color have the same opportunities for advancement as their colleagues?
I’m particularly drawn to #2: “Significantly Increase the Number of Women in Senior Operating Roles. Make full gender parity (50/50) your ultimate goal. As a near term goal, target that a single gender will not account for more than 70% of a leadership level, from the Executive Management Group downward. Move to 60% as a medium-term goal.”
I believe that women need to have strong role models and see themselves better represented in leadership in order to thrive. In the United States, the executive leadership team comprised of our brands’ presidents have achieved full gender parity (50/50). This team is committed to driving gender parity and increased diversity in their brands’ senior leadership teams through career pathing, succession planning, mentorship, and leadership coaching. At a global level, our Executive Committee has pledged to reach greater gender diversity throughout the 60 countries we operate in to ensure equal opportunity and process for both men and women with the goal of pay parity by 2030.
Corinne Ripoche is CEO of Adecco Group Americas, the world’s leading talent advisory and HR solutions company. Driven by the Group’s purpose, Corinne is dedicated to making the future work for everyone.
Corinne started with the Adecco Group in her native France in 1993, and throughout her career has specialized in leading major business transformations while moving through senior sales, operations and product positions in Europe and America. She was appointed global President of Pontoon in 2017 and expanded her executive role in 2020 as CEO of Adecco Group Americas.
Corinne is an advocate of women’s leadership. She is a Global Council Member of C200, Advisory Council Member of Women Business Collaborative, and a member of Paradigm for Parity.
About Paradigm for Parity®
The Paradigm for Parity® movement is a coalition of business leaders dedicated to addressing the corporate leadership gender gap. The coalition is made up of CEOs, senior executives, founders, board members, and business academics who are committed to achieving a new norm in the corporate world: one in which women and men have equal power, status, and opportunity. Our ultimate goal is to achieve full gender parity by 2030, with a near-term goal of women holding at least 30% of senior roles.
