Mr. Warrick Cleine, Chairman & CEO of KPMG in Vietnam and Cambodia, talks about International Woman Day and gender diversity and why it's such a critical part of KPMG's strategy.

What role does gender diversity play in the context of issues that a workplace faces in today’s rapidly disruptive environment?

Businesses today face so many challenges and threats, be they digital, cyber security, or tax and legal issues. These challenges are best overcome when you bring together diverse people with a range of different perspectives and insights. Gender and cultural diversity is a critical part of discovering innovative solutions for complex problems. So, it is important for businesses to understand that inclusion and diversity isn’t just “the right thing to do” - there really is a strong business case and put simply: diverse teams perform better.

What are some of the specific initiatives KPMG is conducting to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8?

In line with this year’s theme for International Women’s Day of “Balance for Better”, at KPMG we have organized informal Koffee Club sessions for our staff to join, hosted by some of the firm’s women leaders across every office and including a number of external guests and friends. We also want to celebrate the creative talent of our female leaders and will be displaying a number of artworks to showcase stories of courage, strength, and inspiration. Finally, this year we are proud to be launching the “New Baby Pack” for our new KPMG mums and dads who have recently experienced the joy of the birth of a new addition to their family. It’s a small token to celebrate this personal milestone and to show our unwavering support as they transition from new mothers and fathers to working parents. 

Beyond merely celebrating International Women’s Day, what can other leaders do to advance gender diversity at their companies?

I think it’s important for us on International Women’s Day to reflect on and celebrate the progress that has been made individually with respect to your own organization’s diversity journey, but it’s also good to reflect on and look at what could be done further to make an even greater impact. Beyond any specific initiatives and programs that are implemented, in my view the more important aspect to building a truly inclusive and diverse culture is that leaders “walk the talk”. This is all about the leaders of an organization role modelling and leading by example to ensure that their behavior and actions promote inclusion on all fronts.

VN Economic Times