(Posted 08th March 2024)
52% female employees, women very well represented in leadership positions at Brussels Airlines
On International Women’s Day, Brussels Airlines celebrates women throughout the entire company. The airline has 52% female employees. Women are also well represented at the top of the company: 9 out of 20 (45%) top managers are women; this number even increases to 2 out of 3 or 67% in the Management Board.
Brussels Airlines’ mission statement is: “We want to be the most reliable airline, making everyone feel at home”. That’s why gender equality is a core topic for the airline. 52% of the total workforce at Brussels Airlines is female. That is much higher than the 41% industry average in Europe1. Although women are well represented at Brussels Airlines, there is still a big difference between departments.
The Ground Operations department (check-in, gate, lounges, …) has the highest number of female employees (76%), together with the Cabin Crew department (72%). Departments with the lowest representation of women are IT (26%), Cockpit (10%), and Maintenance and Engineering (5%). However, Brussels Airlines has much more female pilots compared to the industry average of only 4%2.
Said Lauretta Verbist, Captain Airbus A330, Brussels Airlines: ‘It’s not a coincidence that Brussels Airlines has more women than the industry average. When I started my career 25 years ago, women in the cockpit were still a rare breed. But from the moment I set foot on board our aircraft, I’ve always felt supported and treated equally. I know this company embodies diversity, which helps attracting women and keeping them with us to develop their career.‘
Pascale Slootmans, Cabin Technician, Brussels Airlines also added her voice saying: ‘People still perceive working in a hangar as a ‘men’s job’. I hear a lot of women who would love to do a job like mine, but don’t dare to take the jump. Therefore, I believe: if you can see it, you can be it. It’s important to show that we do have women working in our hangar and encourage other women to join us.‘
Women well represented in leadership positions
?Management Boards of Bel20 (the Belgian stock market) companies currently only have 22% female top managers3. At Brussels Airlines two out of three Directors are women (the CEO, Dorothea von Boxberg and CFO, Nina Öwerdieck). Overall, 9 out of 20 (or 45%) top managers at the airline are women.
This is no coincidence. The success of the Lufthansa Group depends to a great extent on the varying skills, perspectives, and experiences of its employees. The most efficient and innovative workforce is one that is diverse and knows how to use this diversity competently and constructively.
Brussels Airlines has four Diversity and Inclusion communities. One of which, NTWRKX, is focusing on female empowerment.
Sarah Han and Susana Fouto, NTWRKX, Brussels Airlines said: ‘NTWRKX is all about creating awareness about stereotype thinking and unconscious bias. We all have these prejudices, and they affect decision making, also in the workplace. ? So, it’s important to talk about it and show inspiring examples of women who overcome these stereotypes and pave the way. NTWRK X isn’t just about women talking to women, we actively want to reach out to everyone at Brussels Airlines, because only together we can create true equality.‘
NTWRKX organises a workshop about stereotypes and unconscious bias on this International Women’s Day, in the presence of Tamara Makoni, an expert in this topic.
1 Source: Air Transport Action Group, ATAG
?2 Source: ICAO
?3 Source: De Standaard
