Florence Pavageau: “I am convinced that promoting gender equality is truly a matter of partnership between women and men.”

Hello, Florence. Tell me about your career path before and since you joined La Poste… and as a woman.

I spent seven years with the Caisse d’Epargne network. Then, in 2000, I joined La Poste as a marketing manager. More than twenty years later, I’m still working for the Group! I’ve been fortunate to hold many different positions (Retail Network, La Poste, Regional Affairs, Corporate), and I’ve always enjoyed managing teams, whether small or large. My role as Regional Delegate is my first position in the field. I particularly appreciate the fact that it’s as outward-facing (elected officials, business communities) as it is focused on the Group’s branches.

As a woman, I’ve never experienced overt discrimination… In fact, the fact that discrimination isn’t always direct makes it all the more insidious. I’ve been fortunate to have male bosses who’ve supported me, especially early in my career, when I might have doubted my own abilities. For me, this is the central issue, because ultimately few men ask themselves the following question: “Will I be up to the task if I take on a new position? Will I be able to balance everything?”—unlike many women. Since then, I’ve worked hard while building my self-confidence… I’ve also learned a lot about public speaking because, in my field today, too few women are willing to speak in front of a large audience. To do this, we have to be bold, knowing that we’re generally no worse than anyone else—far from it! So, even though I think things are getting better and better, we need to stay vigilant on this issue. And this isn’t limited to the workplace: we are collectively responsible for what happens, starting with how we raise our children. For the past few years, I’ve been trying to discuss these issues with my colleagues, in particular.

Were you already committed to gender diversity before you joined La Poste Group, or did that commitment develop over time?

To be completely honest, gender equality isn’t something I’ve been fighting for since I was young. Rather, my commitment to this cause has developed gradually within the Group. One of the events that prompted me to become more involved in the public sphere was undoubtedly my meeting with Ayumi Moore Aoki, the founder and President of Women In Tech, an international organization that advocates for gender equality in the digital sector. This inspired me to better organize the actions I could take on a daily basis, after realizing the significant challenges involved in this type of commitment.

Speaking of which, how did you go about promoting this parity at the outset? And how did you structure your efforts going forward?

I have always ensured pay equity to the extent that my circumstances allowed, and I have also built teams where gender diversity was the norm. When I took on my current position in Normandy, the team was all-male, so whenever someone left, I tried to restore a certain balance… Today, I don’t think anyone has any complaints! Since then, because I hold an outward-facing position and have the means to channel both internal and external energy, I’ve decided to take my efforts a step further. Within the Normandy Region, we have a strong working group focused on Employment Management and Career Paths (GEPP), and gender parity has been integrated into the various work packages. Specifically, I try to organize internal and external discussion sessions on the topic (such asthe “Women in Tech Normandie” event held in Rouen in 2019,which was attended by committed figures such as Dr. Chrystil Johnson, NASA’s Chief Financial Officer, and companies of all sizes; or, more recently, through breakfast meetings to discuss gender diversity. I have also joined the Normandy-based network “Femmes et Challenges,” which works to promote women’s entrepreneurship… as well as the “Parity Network,” of course.

Speaking of the UN·E. Parity Network, why do you think it’s important? How can we take it further?

What I particularly appreciate about this network is that it’s both national and regional, which I think is essential for a company like ours! What’s more, this network brings together not only women but also many men. For example, in Normandy, the Regional Director for the Seine and Eure departments is particularly committed to the cause, which leads me to say that I am convinced that promoting gender parity is truly a matter of partnership between women and men. More broadly, our company is truly exemplary when it comes to gender diversity, particularly because it promotes women’s representation in leadership positions and works to close the wage gap. We need to get this message out to the public, which will undoubtedly help us attract more young people who are highly attuned to these issues. To take this further, we need to highlight success stories, invite Postal workers to exchange ideas with employees from both large groups and small organizations, and certainly emphasize the positive aspects of quotas within the company, which will help us achieve gender parity more quickly.

Why do you think gender parity is a good thing in the workplace?

Quite simply because in an environment made up entirely of men, something is bound to be missing! Diversity and collaboration are sources of richness… and they’re also a guarantee of economic efficiency. Furthermore, this is a key issue in the digital sector today: few women lead startups (even though their numbers are growing) or spearhead fundraising efforts… in a sector that is, after all, innovative and creative. So we really need your talents, ladies!