APG has won the Diamant Award Talent to the Top. The independent Monitoring Committee Talent to the Top praises APG for its gender diversity policy. This achievement is largely attributed to the commitment of CEO Annette Mosman and D&I Officer Maikel Dullens of APG on this topic.
Women in top positions, inclusive communication, and numbers that show APG's success in gender diversity: these are all points that the Talent to the Top award jury recognizes in APG's DI policy.
"It is impressive to see that APG also champions women in top positions more broadly. Regarding communication, APG Talks is a great example. Through this initiative, APG engages in discussions with top men and women about diversity and inclusion. In short, APG is taking the right steps forward and deserves the Diamant Award”, said the jury.
Social Responsibility
Maikel Dullens is pleased with the award, especially because he knows that APG takes its social responsibility seriously, in the broadest sense of the word. "Our figures are strong in relation to our targets: 50 percent of the board of directors is female, 40 percent of the supervisory board, and 35 percent in upper management. Company-wide, 37 percent of employees are female. We focus specifically on gender diversity, particularly in filling top and upper management positions. Externally, we also focus a lot on financial awareness and independence among women."
This latter effort is primarily credited to APG's top woman, Annette Mosman. "You need bosses who dare to take risks, and now I am one who does. You want to work part-time instead of full-time, or you don't want to take that promotion right now because of your family situation, but we are going to do it anyway. I hear what you're saying, I know who you are, you still deliver, so we are going to do it differently. You will get full-time pay, and we will evaluate after a year”, said Mosman in a video message presented during the award ceremony. She emphasized this with an example. "My former boss once said: how different is it that you pick up your children from school on Wednesday afternoon, while I am giving a lecture at the university on Friday morning? In both cases, we are not immediately available for the company. In both cases, we are doing what is good for ourselves, for the family, and for personal development. This enriches not only yourself but also the company."
Doing Even Better
Despite the good progress, Mosman (regarding women in business) and Dullens (regarding diversity and inclusion) see opportunities to do even better. "We are not there yet; there is still a lot to be done”, says Mosman in her video message. She refers to the women's quota that has been in effect since January 1, 2022; publicly traded companies are required to have at least one-third of their supervisory board composed of women. "That works. But for boards of directors, there is no such quota yet. Furthermore, it is important to have a pipeline of young talent. In other words, we must continue to encourage and inspire young women, from all generations, to keep moving forward."
Dullens sees this award mainly as an encouragement to continue on the path APG has taken. "This award is a recognition of the steps we have taken, but I must also be honest that there is still much progress to be made. We need to take our responsibility and focus more on intersectionality (the interaction between characteristics that can contribute to differences in power, inequality, and privilege, ed.). Moreover, cultural diversity, neurodiversity, and employees with a vulnerable labor market position deserve more specific attention. Especially in these times of increasing polarization and hardening in society, it is important that we continue to strive for an equitable and inclusive working environment for everyone."