Lois Castillo shares what companies can do better in terms of DEI, how DEI leaders can navigate the complexity of their work, and more.
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Centro has made the top 100 companies in Fortune’s list of Best Places to Work for Women in America. AMAZING!
As Advertising Week gets underway, and luminaries gather in a seemingly endless parade of panels and parties, my experience so far this week has been shaped less by discussions about programmatic, mobile or millennials, but more about the celebration of sisterhood. From events held by Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) to Shelley Zalis’ wildly popular The Girls’ Lounge, the rise of female talent and tenure in our industry is exciting, energizing, and something I’m extremely proud to be a part of.
One memorable moment happened over coffee with the fierce and fearless Cindy Gallop. She remarked that as women, we often don’t realize how bad things are until we are in an environment that actually empowers female employees. Fish don’t know they’re in water, right?
It was a goose bump moment. Simple, but true. And for me, emblematic of my experience at Centro. It’s both an honor and a privilege to join this remarkable group of companies who are taking a firm stand on treating women with the fairness and respect they deserve while creating competitive career opportunities for all of their employees.
About Fortune’s 100 Best Workplaces for Women
The 100 Best Workplaces for Women is a highly respected ranking. The winners come from a group of more than 600 companies with published Great Place to Work® Reviews, which shows they are serious about creating a great workplace and comfortable with transparency.
Behind the Survey
Who was surveyed? 135,689 women
From where? 637 different companies
What was asked? Things like:
Two-thirds of each company’s score is based on these reports. The remaining third takes into account how well-represented women and minorities are within the workforce overall including management and executive positions. They also gave higher scores to companies who achieved the highest level of parity between men and women in their organization – meaning, companies where not only the most women reported the company performed well on an index of fairness-related questions, but also those where just as many women had that experience as men.
So How Does Centro Measure Up?
I love the reactions I get when I share that – for the first time in my career – I’m part of an exec team with three women. Or that Shawn, our CEO, will actively seek female candidates when key leadership roles open up. Along with my role as CMO, over 50% of our management and leadership positions are held by women. Fifty percent! Women are leading in all areas of our business with titles like SVP of Publisher Development, SVP of Operations and VP of Strategic Insights.
But as many of us can attest, these positions can come with a hefty price: quality of life. Achieving a work/life balance is a core challenge for any professional, but it can be especially tricky for those of us with a second (more important) title: Mom. I, along with the rest of the women employed by Centro have access to important benefits like paid maternity leave, work from home options – and my personal favorite: 10 Ferris Bueller days (that’s code for 10 additional flex days to use as needed!).
Gender aside, your job should make you feel empowered, happy, and fulfilled. At Centro, we believe happiness is the new ROI and take great pride in being one of the very best places to work.
Go Centro!