Beiersdorf accelerates Finance leadership pipeline with 60% of women promoted
Discover how Shape Talent transformed the leadership landscape at Beiersdorf, the company behind the iconic Nivea brand. Our tailor-made ‘Female Leadership in Finance’ programme didn’t just accelerate gender equity – it exceeded expectations, with 60% of women participants earning promotions. This case study reveals how Beiersdorf is evolving its approach to talent, not only advancing towards gender parity across management levels but profoundly impacting women’s careers and lives.
The challenge
With more than 20,000 employees across 160 offices worldwide, the company set a bold ambition to achieve gender parity across management levels by 2025. With an underrepresentation of women at senior levels, Beiersdorf sought to ensure their top talent better represented their global presence and diverse customer base.
Shape Talent’s approach
Beiersdorf partnered with Shape Talent, to design and implement the ‘Female Leadership in Finance’ pilot programme. The programme content was aligned with Beiersdorf’s business goals and grounded in Shape Talent’s Three Barriers research on the societal, organisational and personal barriers impeding women’s career progression.
Our partnership with Shape Talent has been instrumental in our gender equity progress. The return on investment is clear, with improved leadership capabilities contributing directly to our overall success. Shape Talent’s tailored approach not only helped us accelerate our leadership pipeline but also empowered our female leaders to realise their full potential.
The results speak for themselves, driving significant commercial impact by strengthening our talent pipeline and enhancing company culture. I’m confident the ripple effects of this partnership, both organisationally and personally for the participants, will be felt for a long time. We are extremely thankful for our partnership with Sharon and her team. Their passion, enthusiasm and professionalism are exceptional.
Astrid Hermann, Global CFO
Results
The programme has yielded tangible and transformative results with promotion and responsibility increases. In the first cohort alone, 40% of participants were promoted and 30% took on roles with increased responsibility. 100% agreed that they increased their effectiveness at work as a result of the programme.
Interested to get the full details? Read more to uncover how strategic collaboration can drive remarkable organisational change and personal growth.