To nurture the growth of talented female professionals, this consumer products company’s Colgate Leadership Challenge matches them with senior executives for a nine-day learning session in New York. As they advance, they may enroll in initiatives for developing executives, designed by the Nonprofit Center for Creative Leadership. And when they reach the level of senior manager, they become eligible for nomination to the Colgate Leadership Forum, a program that encourages discussion about the company’s vision and role in current trends.

Chairman, President & CEO: Ian Cook

SVP, Global HR: Daniel Marsili

% of senior managers who are women: 37%

% of corporate executives who are women: 30%

% of promotions to manager, senior manager and corporate executive positions that went to women: 35%

% of the top 10% of the company’s earners who are women: 34%

% of corporate executives with profit-and-loss responsibility who are women: 13%

% of the executives running divisions with revenues of more than a billion dollars who are women: 17%

% of executives who report directly to the CEO who are women: 8%

% of the members of the board of directors who are women: 20%

% of female workforce participating in mentoring: 8%

Strong word of mouth attracts employees to this consumer products company, which is famed for its compassionate benefits and work life policies. Anyone who works 20 hours per week merits health insurance, which includes coverage for in vitro and other fertility treatments. New moms receive nine weeks of fully paid leave. In nine locations, there are lactation rooms to support breastfeeding, and some sites have nurses that guide first-time moms. New fathers and primary adoptive caregivers get up to three fully paid weeks off to bond with their kids and may tap $5,000 in adoption aid per child.

Chairman, President & CEO Ian Cook

Senior VP, Global HR Daniel Marsili

Women managers/execs 37% 

Women among top earners 38% 

Women hires in 2010 40% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 9 

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? No

Offers affinity group for new mothers? Yes

Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly 48%

What we love it’s easy to see that multicultural women are receiving the right opportunities at this consumer products company. In a rare parallel, their representation in the upper echelons keeps perfect pace with their overall numbers: multicultural women represent 13% of all employees versus 12% of senior managers and 10% of the highest earners. Inspiration comes from participation in the company’s 13 employee network groups, which foster workplace alliances and help women sharpen their skills, giving them the confidence to pursue executive positions. As one example, women in the hispanic Action network recently attended a 90-minute session called “optimize your career Brand,” which showed them how to seize control of their professional destinies. Making advancement easier is up to $10,000 in annual tuition aid, available to all employees, on which the company spent $1.5 million in 2010. Its sponsorship of organizations such as the national urban league and hispanic corporate Achievers sends the message to employees of all backgrounds that they matter; so does the fact that company executives often serve on their boards.

Chairman, President & CEO Ian Cook
Worldwide Director, Global Diversity & Inclusion Eugene Kelly

At Colgate-Palmolive, multicultural women represent…
13% multicultural women
6% of corporate executives
12% of senior managers
10% of the top earners
12% of the company hires
12% of the company promotions
12% of the company losses
Not tracked participants in mentoring programs
20% of participants in affinity groups

In 2009, Colgate-Palmolive’s New York office launched a parents’ network, which has hosted sessions on bullying and parenting in the digital age.

Education is highly prized by this consumer products company, which generously grants its employees up to $10,000 in annual tuition aid for job related courses and offers their teen children college coaching and scholarships worth $8,836, on average, over the life of the gift. Small-group mentoring circles helmed by senior leaders help female employees understand what skills they need to advance, while talented women identified by the company's succession planning team earn assignments that broaden their knowledge and flexibility within the industry, along with constant coaching and training. Everyone benefits from the company's financial education workshops and free telephone counseling with financial planners; since both were introduced in 2008, at least 39% of employees have used them.

Chairman, President & CEO Ian Cook

Director, Global Employee Relations & Engagement Stephanie Yang Shao

Women managers, senior managers and corporate execs 35%

Women among top earners 31%

Women on board of directors 27%

Women corporate executive hires in 2009 100%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year* 70%

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year* 15%

Women promoted last year who utilized a formal flexible work arrangement Not tracked  

Do formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance? Yes

*Percentages reflect number of women participants versus company’s total female workforce.