Florent Huille: “When it comes to gender parity, I’m fairly optimistic.”

The team from the “Un Une” Parity Network met with him to learn more about his views on gender parity in the workplace and the barriers that prevent women from advancing to senior positions.

Hello, Florent, what are your thoughts on women in leadership and gender equality?

I began to develop my own thoughts on gender parity when I joined the La Poste Group and worked at Mediapost. At the time, I was deputy CEO alongside a woman who was herself the CEO. She had a very articulate and well-reasoned perspective on gender equality. I sought to better understand her commitment to the cause. At first, I thought that when it came to gender equality, things were changing very quickly and that the issue would be resolved soon. But through my interactions with her and by talking to people around me, I realized it wasn’t that simple. To make real progress on this issue, we need to adopt a very proactive policy.

In your opinion, should we go so far as to implement quotas on the Executive Committee and, to that end, recruit more women?

I’ve noticed within our Group that in some departments, gender balance is achieved, while in others, it is not. It seems necessary to establish certain rules because if we take too long, progress becomes harder to achieve. Gender parity is, unfortunately, a slow process, even though quotas—while they may be perceived as a bit harsh—have helped speed it up, particularly through recruitment. To give ourselves the best chance of doing things right and sustainably—preparing future generations, identifying talent, and promoting it—this is essential. There is no magic wand for achieving gender parity. It’s important to stay the course by ensuring that talent pools are filled everywhere and at every level.

Based on your observations, what are the barriers preventing women from advancing to senior positions?

It takes time to change mindsets and Culture and to support these transformations. But for me, one of the keys might be finding a better overall balance between personal and professional life. Work hours are often difficult to reconcile with a truly balanced family life. Unfortunately, in a couple where both partners are highly committed to their careers, those careers sometimes come at a high cost in terms of family balance, particularly for the children. It would therefore be beneficial to shift our mindset and adopt a more balanced approach to work so that we don’t have to sacrifice important moments in life. A couple should not have to choose between one partner’s career and the other’s in order to care for one or more children. Paternity leave represents a significant step forward in this regard. We can also hope that working from home—by saving time on commuting—will allow for a better balance between work and personal life and, consequently, a more equitable distribution of responsibilities.

What does the “Un Une” Parity Network mean to you?

This Parity Network is of great importance because it champions an issue of public interest loud and clear. It would also be useful and beneficial for everyone—and men in particular—to engage in the conversation about gender parity, in order to foster a spirit of emulation and spark workplace discussions that can create value. If the same people are consistently the ones speaking out on these issues, there is a risk that they will no longer be heard. It is not enough for the Human Resources department to be involved in gender parity. Gender parity is everyone’s business, and as managers, we have a responsibility to lead by example and remain vigilant, because our stance and the image we project to our teams also play a key role. For example, at the end of a meeting, a bad joke or an awkward remark can have a devastating effect on everyone’s attitude by implying that gender parity is an unimportant and unhelpful issue for the company. It is therefore essential to foster the right momentum, to be attentive to all internal signals, and above all to verify concretely each year that progress is being made. The company’s economic health depends on it. Studies consistently show that companies are better managed when gender parity is upheld within their executive committees. There’s no doubt that there’s still a lot to be done—we’re only at the beginning of this change—but I remain optimistic; we’re making progress.