Stephanie Melville, Vice President of Progreso’s Board of Directors, continues to contribute to Guatemalan women’s personal and professional development to reduce the gender gap in the company’s workplaces.
From her position, she has become an example to other women by becoming the first woman to hold that position, in addition to being the secretary of the Board of Directors for the Guatemalan Industry Chamber.
She ascertains that she surrounds herself with strong and empowered women; her children are her inspiration and her father motivated her to be part of Progreso. Throughout her life, she has maintained a spirit of work, and constant learning, as well as strong values and a spirit of getting things done.
«We have adapted and tailored our facilities so that women can work night shifts feeling comfortable and safe,» she explains.
To promote women and provide growth opportunities to all employees equally, Progreso implements different activities that generate a good working environment for everyone.
The Leadership Agenda and the Code of Values, Ethics, and Conduct (COVEC) seek to build a culture based on positive behavior. «We are convinced that providing job opportunities and non-discriminatory practices to all people, strengthens the quality of our work environment and provides growth opportunities derived from improvements in productivity and innovation,» he explains.
Other initiatives include the «Inspira» program, which promotes female employees’ personal and professional growth, and the «A Coffee with the Boss» space, exclusively for women, so that they can have an open and trusting conversation with the company’s CEO about how they feel.
Stephanie states that women have something different to contribute to in all spaces they occupy. «We have a different way of seeing things, we are detail-oriented. Our insight and interventions create a balance within Progreso’s teams and that makes a big difference.»
