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Meat Business Women launches global inclusivity campaign
Hot off the heels of its flagship ‘She Looks Like Me’ campaign, the newly launched ‘The Power of You’ campaign tells “inspiring stories of the people who work within the industry”, showcasing inclusivity best practice, while helping to foster empowerment and confidence within women at every career stage.
The launch of ‘The Power of You’ was in direct response to MBW’s 2023 Global Gender Representation Report, which found that while there has been an increase in women at board level, director and chief executive level roles, the number of women in the total global meat workforce has dropped overall.
More than half of the people working in the industry (53%) believed inclusion had moved up the agenda since 2020, more still needs to be done.
Meat industry role models
‘The Power of You’ will highlight role models in the industry and encourage individuals to do three things: recognise their key strengths and skills; respond, by amplifying their voices and taking action; and reciprocate, by sharing their experiences and paying their skills and knowledge forward to others.
Laura Ryan, global chair of Meat Business Women, said: “The data tells us that inclusion is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’, but rather a necessity if the meat industry is to thrive in the years to come. If we want to continue making positive change by building an inclusive and supportive sector, then we have to come together to make it happen.
“‘The Power of You’ aims to inspire and empower individuals, but also encourage the industry to come together as a collective to take action and drive forward positive change.”
The launch of the campaign will be supported by a series of videos from key players in the meat industry sharing their career story. The first video, featuring Kepak senior customer marketing manager Monisha Singh, will be released on 12 September.
Recognising your value
Commenting on the campaign, Singh said: “I think another person's belief in me gave me the confidence I needed to go for things that I wouldn't normally go for. They can see a value in me that I hadn't recognised.
“In doing so, they entrench the idea that I have a unique skillset, I add value to the business with that particular skillset, and they encouraged me to go off and utilise it. I think that encouragement and belief from another person totally embodies what The Power of You campaign is all about."
MBW encouraged anyone working in the industry to get involved with the campaign through social media, supported by a free downloadable media kit.
Ryan added: “We are encouraging everyone in the meat industry – businesses and individuals – to download the media kit from the Meat Business Women website, share our campaign videos and post their own #ThePowerOfYou content. Help us empower others and create a more inclusive sector.”
