#ThePowerOfYou: Chris' Story of Allyship
Chris Aldersley, Chief Operating Officer at Cranswick plc stars in the fourth video in a new series which will share inspirational stories of the people who work in the meat industry. ‘The Power of You’ series will share the authentic experiences of men and women in the sector, showcase inclusivity best practice and help to foster a sense of empowerment and confidence within women at every career stage.
The video sheds light on the benefits of being an ally in the meat industry. Chris talks about the benefits of being a mentor and how that has helped influence his own career trajectory. The video also explores how implementing benefits like flexible working can help to attract and retain more women into an organisation.
Chris says “Something that I saw, particularly in my early years was that when people went off to start a family, they left the industry. To lose talented people due to family commitment and the lack of flexibility is a huge loss in the industry. What I see a lot more of today is flexible working to help parents with school pickups and across the holiday periods. This means that younger people can see that there a lot more opportunity and that this is a great industry to work in.”
The video is part of ‘The Power Of You’; a global campaign backed by leading meat businesses launched to help empower women who work in the meat industry, foster the involvement of male allies and drive action towards a more inclusive sector. The campaign will run across social and digital channels, including LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and X (Twitter), throughout 2023 and 2024.
The campaign is launched as a direct result of Meat Business Women’s 2023 Global Gender Representation report. The report found that 53% of people working in the industry believe that inclusion has moved up the agenda since 2020. There has been an increase in women at board level, director and CEO level roles however, the number of women in the total global meat workforce has dropped overall, and progress is stagnant at more junior levels. Although the industry is making progress, there is still more to be done. To really shift the dial, the report findings tell us that all genders need to work together to create a more inclusive future.
