Patrick Noulette: “Our company is an ideal environment for achieving gender parity”

Hello, Patrick. What is your perspective on gender equality?

First of all, I find it unfortunate that this issue is still relevant today.
The concepts of competence and the responsibilities one carries should be the most important factors in determining choices.
How can we collaborate and learn from one another?
It would be better to think more in terms of a balanced collective in order to move toward a form of diversity that is almost spontaneous.
A strong collective where different perspectives clash and complement one another to achieve a more nuanced understanding of objectives and means—so that everyone can take ownership of them.
Gender parity must truly be viewed through the lens of cooperation and competence.

How has this perspective on gender equality taken shape throughout your own career?

My first managers at La Poste were women; they were all very dynamic and had an innovative management vision based on high standards as well as recognition of individual contributions.
On a more personal note, I was raised by my grandmother—an energetic woman with natural authority and strong values.
They all taught me a great deal.
Sexist stereotypes result in missed opportunities for both women and men and create a harmful divide that prevents progress.

It is said that one of the causes of the glass ceiling is not so much that women are subject to stereotypes as the fact that they have internalized those stereotypes. What do you think?

Indeed, the process of advancing to positions of responsibility can take longer, which may lead some people to feel they need to go above and beyond to prove themselves. It is also part of a manager’s role to create an environment where employees can express their needs, discuss conditions, and suggest potential paths that the employee may or may not choose to follow in their career.

As a manager and now an executive, how do you work in practical terms to promote gender diversity?

When I took on my current role, the team was predominantly male.
I decided to shift my hiring strategy slightly to achieve gender parity. Today, we have achieved gender parity in all roles except for executive directors.
To advance gender diversity, we must ensure balance at all levels and make sure that both women and men progress at the same pace in their careers.
The La Poste Group has long been proactive on issues of diversity and gender parity; my company is taking action to set an example.

You’ve already appointed women to challenging positions. Have you ever felt that you had to overcome what’s known as “limiting benevolence”—the tendency to sometimes spare women from roles considered difficult, at the risk of depriving them of an opportunity to demonstrate their talent?

I have, in fact, already been able to identify the potential of certain women on my teams based on their qualities, results, and ability to get others on board. With their consent, the goal has been to engage them in a professional development path, particularly through the Group’s “Impact! ” program, designed to accelerate development and strengthen leadership.
Certain positions then turn out to be opportunities—fantastic platforms for taking on challenges and achieving great success. For example, I recently appointed a woman to lead one of the most challenging regional divisions in my territory.

Countering “limiting benevolence,” as you put it, simply means making the best choice without taking into account factors other than competence.

With that in mind, what is your view of the “Un Une” Parity Network?

If we view this Parity Network as a modern tool for fostering the company’s proactive culture of gender diversity—to structure and drive a gender parity policy that is clearly understood as an essential driver of performance—then it makes perfect sense.

Some of the Gender Diversity Networks operate on the principle of “giving women a chance,” but the UN-E Network takes a very different approach; it is not about giving women something, but rather about giving companies the means to achieve their economic and societal goals.

A gender-balanced network is not a women’s network; it is a network that recognizes that we all stand to benefit from succeeding TOGETHER.