On November 1, AmCham together with the US Embassy The Hague hosted a conversation on Women's Economic Empowerment with U.S. Ambassador Shefali Razdan Duggal, Karien van Gennip, Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Natalia Wallenberg, CHRO at Ahold Delhaize, Wieteke Graven, Founder at Stichting Het Potentieel Pakken and Jeroen Tiel, CEO at Randstad Nederland.
In her remarks, Minister van Gennip stressed the importance of creating equitable opportunities, and providing the support there were it is most needed. The Netherlands is not heading the lists and has a long way to go still - in equal pay, in hiring of minorities, in making fulltime work attractive, in promoting leadership opportunities for women and other groups. During the discussion, the impact of (Dutch) culture and persistent bias were addressed, the importance of flexibility on the side of employers, the need for embracing multiple leadership styles. Policy can help, and the U.S. has been leading the way. Our speakers could give multiple examples of how U.S. corporations have been giving attention to the topic of diversity, inclusion and belonging for decades already. This is an issue that needs continued action, and on that journey we can learn a lot from each other.
AmCham cordially thanks all speakers for their passionate contributions. Our sincere thanks also go out to Citi for supporting this event. View all event photos here.
