Vivo Energy Ghana, the marketer and distributor of Shell branded fuels and lubricants, last Friday, marked this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) with a call on women to take their personal branding seriously to be able to take advantage of life opportunities.
International Speaker and Brands Coach, Ivy Heward-Mills, who threw the challenge, urged women not to be complacent, but apply themselves to constant learning, particularly at the workplace to be able to climb the professional ladder.
Speaking on the topic “Business Etiquette as strategy for personal branding,” Ms Heward-Mills said women could earn their stripe on merit and the only means of attaining that, was through constant learning.
“If we are looking to rising to the top, we need to put in effort; add value to yourself, learn everything within or even outside your specialty, develop a robust professional presence because the only thing that can prevent you from achieving your aspirations is your own self,” she stated.
Ms Heward-Mills reminded career women of being ambassadors of their companies wherever they found themselves and must carry themselves as such.
She urged them to “be deliberate about packaging or presenting yourself as the professional you are and need to be remembered for.”
“Be mindful of your physical appearance, always err on the side of professionalism, and make yourself your project because you cannot pour from an empty cup. Let us take advantage of every opportunity to learn,” Ms Heward-Millssaid.
The Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Mr Kander Maiga, expressed the company’s resolve to increase the percentage of women employees from its current 27.1 percent to 35 percent over the next five years.
The decision, he said, was a deliberate attempt to contribute to the attainment of this year’s IWD theme; “Break the bias” and allow for more women to be involved in decision-making process within the company.
“I cannot fathom why only 27 staff of the company are women with just 3 percent out of the 27percent in leadership positions. That is not good enough.
We are deliberately pursuing this target and hope that one day we will get more women to fill key positions and bridge the inequality gap in the company,” Mr Maiga said.
As part of the ceremony, an all-employee panel discussion on the theme; “Gender equality today in the workplace for a sustainable tomorrow” had four panelists sharing their views on female empowerment, importance of women in corporate sustainability and tips for personal growth and development.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
