Promotional image for Louis Vuitton Iconoclasts line
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s United States-based brands are furthering their commitment to gender equality with the signing of the United Nations’ Women’s Empowerment Principles.
Marc Jacobs International CEO Sebastian Suhl, Donna Karan for Donna Karan International and Pierre-Yves Roussel, chairman and CEO of LVMH Fashion Group were among those that made their devotion to female workplace equality official. This is part of LVMH’s larger efforts to boost diversity among its employees, which includes nurturing talent through professional developmental programs.
Diversity dedication
LVMH’s European houses signed the WEPs in November 2013. These principles and guidelines include establishing policies and leadership for gender equality, equal wages, creating a safe workplace, investing in education and setting goals and publicly reporting on them.
Part of the WEPs calls for participating companies to be leaders, showcasing their commitment to women’s empowerment as well as being active in their respective communities.
LVMH has a number of initiatives set up to help women advance within the company. Human resource policies promote equality in recruitment, training, pay and maternity and paternity leave.
Marc Jacobs Commute post highlighting female manager
EllesVMH fosters growth through networks and coaching programs.
Through these efforts, 74 percent of the workforce and 36 percent of the brands’ executive committee members are women.
In a branded statement, Chantal Gaemperle, group executive vice president, human resources and synergies, said, "We are proud that already half of our brand presidents in the U.S. are women, but we recognize the need to continually enhance development opportunities within the organization. Building on the WEPs signing in Paris by 32 of LVMH’s Global CEOs, the group today counts 40 signatures that are a testament to our commitment to empowering our talent to reach their full career potential."
As of press time, 800 CEOs had signed the WEPs.