Vanessa Chocteau: “Balance, Wealth, and Society”

What are the three words that come to mind when you hear the word “parity”?

Balance, Wealth, and Society.

Balance for a balanced perspective: the more we mix approaches—in terms of gender, but also age, culture, background, and frames of reference—the more likely we are to be relevant and helpful.

Wealth, because diversity simply creates synergies. That’s the principle: 1+1 = 3. In homogeneous groups, we add together; in diverse groups, we multiply.

Society, because a group like ours must reflect the world around it and the needs that society expresses. The issue of gender equality is unavoidable in today’s society, and it is equally unavoidable in the workplace.

When did you realize that you still had a long way to go?

Within the La Poste Group, I’m in charge of the startup accelerator. Since 2015, we’ve been supporting a cohort of about 15 startups each year. At first, we never had more than 9% female founders. We wanted to address this issue without resorting to affirmative action. We did a lot of groundwork on how we communicate, how we identify startups, and how to reduce our biases when evaluating proposals. As a result, in 2020, we were able to increase the percentage of startups founded by women from 9% to 50%.

What wish would you make for the future?

Let’s ensure gender parity is achieved everywhere and at every level. The Rixain Law (Editor’s note: a law requiring that at least 40% of members of large companies’ executive bodies be women) is a good start, but it must serve as a catalyst to advance gender diversity in all spheres of influence and decision-making. I’m thinking in particular of those in the financial sector and in politics, but also in all areas of “soft power” (Culture, entertainment, etc.) that have a fundamental role to play in changing attitudes. It’s up to each and every one of us to promote gender diversity!