How Paramount Aims to Make Gender Equity a Focus
Paramount, which is a rare Fortune 500 company with a majority of female board members, has been trying to make good on its promise to put a spotlight on gender equity by making it part of regular company life by providing ongoing initiatives and adding new opportunities for debate and networking for employees, as well as showcasing programming that highlights the topic of gender equity to its TV and streaming audiences.
The message to staff: gender equity must and will be a continuous focus rather than an issue getting attention only once a year, such as on March 8’s International Women’s Day.
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“I could not be prouder of the work we are doing across Paramount to fight for equity with respect to gender and overall diversity to ensure that all our employees feel empowered at work to share their ideas and their perspectives,” Redstone tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Advancing the fight for gender equality is something I have always been very passionate about – as a woman, a mother, a grandmother and a business executive. In short, broader perspectives lead to more ideas, more excitement and better execution.”
Across the entertainment industry, companies have been focusing on developing gender equity and diversity initiatives. One key to their success often mentioned is that they must go beyond pure lip service.
“The women that I work with have authentic leadership styles that are true to their own personalities,” Beverley McGarvey, executive vp & chief content officer, Australia and New Zealand at Paramount Global, said during a company internal event in Sydney, Australia in late February that kicked off the Impact Series, a programming series for employees focused on gender equity as part of the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. “As a young, female leader coming up in the business, you don’t have to change who you are. You can find a [leadership] style that works for you.”
Other executives speaking on the panel drove home similar points. “Our commitment to gender equality has been a long and shared journey across the entire ecosystem at Paramount,” Marva Smalls, executive vp, head of global inclusion, highlighted at the event.
Pam Kaufman, president and CEO of international markets, global consumer products & experiences, added that “inclusivity is the backbone of our organization.” And Maria Kyriacou, Paramount’s president of broadcast & studios, international markets , emphasized: “What we can’t afford to do is be complacent.”
Tied to Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, Paramount’s internal offerings include the next event in the Impact Series in Buenos Aires, Argentina, featuring panels on such topics as Closing the Gender Gap and Male Allyship, “A Conversation with Shari Redstone” that will see the Paramount chair and controlling shareholder chat about her experiences and role, in-person and virtual employee events around the world “to promote conversations around women’s issues and gender equity,” as well as special screenings of female-led programming, such as Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and Yellowjackets, along with conversations with the creative talent behind them.
In terms of external programming and initiatives, Paramount’s Nickelodeon will this month launch a kids’ guide on NickHelps.com that will also be distributed through partners and schools. The guide, entitled “Women’s History Month: A Kids’ Guide to Empowerment,” will feature video inspiration from Nick News and the brand’s International Extraordinary Me series.
Meanwhile, MTV has commissioned 12 female visual artists from around the world to create MTV idents that reinvent the iconic MTV logo to live on international MTV linear and social platforms throughout March.
In addition, Paramount+ will showcase “Women Who Move Mountains,” a curated collection of programming available globally “to amplify the talents of women creators and talent,” while Pluto TV is offering “Women Take the Lead,” curated programming featuring movies, series and more that “foster gender equity and women empowerment.” Pluto TV will also offer advertising space for local organizations in Latin America and Spain to amplify campaigns and projects focused on gender equity and female empowerment.
“Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day celebrations are just one part of a steady cadence we put forth to amplify inclusion and equity here at Paramount,” Smalls says. “We are not just beginning our work toward a more equitable workplace during this month, our efforts truly transpire throughout the entire year.”
Helping drive the company’s inclusion work is that management is all in, from top executives overseeing various units to CEO Bob Bakish and Paramount chair Redstone, she argues. “It begins at the top with engaged senior leadership,” Smalls highlights.
And with the likes of Kaufman, Kyriacou, McGarvey, Smalls, general counsel Christa D’Alimonte, executive vp, global public policy and government relations DeDe Lea, controller and chief accounting officer Katherine Gill-Charest, chief people officer Nancy Phillips, chief research officer Colleen Fahey Rush and Paramount Advertising chair Jo Ann Ross, among others, that leadership includes successful women. As a result, employees can not only look at female executives inside the organization as role models and sources of inspiration, but also benefit from their insight and experience, Paramount insiders note. After all, mentoring relationships can help open up doors and opportunities for individuals. But the company also sees its focus on gender equity as benefitting key corporate goals.
Kaufman though emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all formula, underlining the importance of ensuring gender equity with a tailored approach to account for cultural differences around the globe.
“As a global organization, to be impactful in our work towards gender equity, we must consider local nuances and cultural implications of the markets in which we operate,” Kaufman says. “For International Women’s Day and beyond, we continuously gather input from our employees and invest in data-driven initiatives, both in terms of internal and external programming.”
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