Joint Interview: Béatrice Tourette and Élodie Guiu

Béatrice Tourette is the Director of Banking Operations at La Banque Postale in Clermont-Ferrand. She has been with the Group since 1993. Élodie Guiu is the Communications Project Manager for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Communications Division. She joined La Poste Group fifteen years ago. What do they have in common? Both Béatrice and Élodie are committed to gender equality in their professional lives, particularly through the UN·E Parity Network. This is the perfect opportunity to ask them a few questions.

What motivated you to get involved with the Parity Network?

Béatrice Tourette: When the “Un Une” Parity Network was created nearly two years ago at the national level, I immediately saw it as an opportunity to take a step further on an issue that had long been close to my heart: I’ve always sought to make my voice heard and help female colleagues take their rightful place. It’s true that this hasn’t always come naturally to most people: throughout my career as a manager, I’ve all too often seen highly capable women hold themselves back—for a variety of reasons, and sometimes due to a lack of self-confidence. And just because I decided to support them doesn’t mean I was able to fix myself in the process (laughs)! I still have those kinds of reactions sometimes… but I’ve been able to step back and see things more clearly over the course of my career. That said, if I’d realized certain things sooner, I might have done things differently. I think this imposter syndrome affects women in particular. I’ve rarely had to push men, whereas with women, you shouldn’t push them… but often have to pull them along (laughs)!

Élodie Guiu: It’s true that when I was coaching senior executives and leaders, I noticed that not all men and women had the same ability to sell themselves—or that organizations didn’t always give them the opportunity to do so! As for me, my commitment stems from my previous career: as an engineer in the electronics industry, I felt I had no career prospects as a woman. I had no “role models” around me—no women I could identify with. I have to say that back then, there were fewer than ten women for every 150 men in strategic meetings…! That’s why—and also out of personal conviction, as a parent—I began getting involved about a year ago when senior executives across the Group were asked to become ambassadors. One of the main reasons I chose to work at La Poste is that the Group is ahead of the curve on gender parity: from my very first weeks with the Group, I met female leaders in all kinds of roles—the “role models” I had been looking for. I appreciate that, despite its progress on this issue, La Poste continues to reflect on and strengthen its efforts toward gender parity, because there is still a long way to go at every level.

How do you put your commitment to gender equality into practice at La Poste Group?

Béatrice Tourette: In my opinion, the primary responsibility of an ambassador is to raise awareness about gender parity and bring the issue to the attention of the teams and members of the Group. Once I had done that on my end, with my teams, I asked myself what else I could do. That’s when I came up with the idea for “Café.e or Thé.e parité,” a monthly event at the regional level (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes). The idea is this: we discuss gender parity (observations, challenges faced, solutions) with complete transparency. It’s our way of bringing the national network to the local level. The concept quickly caught on with about ten ambassadors—including two men. Today, we are committed to ensuring that our Parity Network is as gender-balanced as possible, convinced that this issue concerns men just as much as women—though I’ll admit that, at the start, we began by targeting women primarily, simply because it felt more natural and allowed us to feel more comfortable discussing these issues.

Élodie Guiu: Yes, we know—and have seen—that it’s very easy to slip into an approach that’s “polarizing,” a kind of male-female opposition that we don’t want to go down that path. And it’s not always easy to find the right balance. Talking about parenting helps engage both genders; addressing everyday sexism—including that directed at men—is another way to approach the subject. We also want to bring as many organizations on board as possible, because it’s at the organizational level that real change can happen, not just at the individual level. Our conviction is this: the more we talk about it, the more progress we’ll make. We’re also fortunate to have the Group’s representative supporting us in our efforts: she acts as a liaison on this issue with local leaders, setting aside time at every meeting to discuss these topics. We also bring in external experts on the subject, always with the same goal in mind: to help break down existing stereotypes.

Béatrice Tourette: Actually, we’ve identified two areas of focus: first, thinking about how we can bring about change, and second, evolving ourselves on this issue… because, of course, we also perpetuate stereotypes! So it’s important for us to reassess our own attitudes regarding gender parity. Just because we’re closely involved doesn’t mean we’re setting an example! There’s a genuine educational approach here, as well as a desire to blend our different perspectives to learn from one another.

What message would you like to share? Or is there an idea, a quote, or a source of inspiration you’d like to share with the network?

Béatrice Tourette: To follow up on the previous question, I would say, “Diversity breeds richness!”

Élodie Guiu: I agree! Beyond gender parity, it’s the issue of diversity as a whole that interests us, especially when it drives performance and makes it enjoyable to work together. I’m proud to be part of a company that takes concrete action on these issues…

Béatrice Tourette: I’d like to add, “There’s strength in numbers!” Because when you’re all alone in your own little corner, you’re afraid you won’t know what to do and/or that you’ll come across as the “token feminist”… whereas when there are several of us, it sparks new ideas, strengthens our stance, our drive, and our ability to bring about change!