Celebrating International Women’s Day: Coats’ Ongoing
Commitment to Gender Equality and Inclusivity

On this International Women’s Day, we, the team at Coats, would like to take a moment to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of all women. From the factory floor to the boardroom, the dedication and hard work of our female colleagues are integral to the success of our organisation. Reflecting on this important day, we want to reaffirm our commitment to promoting gender equality, providing equal opportunities, and fostering a thriving work environment. We firmly believe that inclusivity and diversity are not just desirable goals but necessary for any organization committed to progress. At Coats, embracing diversity is not just a corporate ethos, it’s woven into the very fabric of our culture.

International Women’s Day at Coats has been celebrated with meaningful events, campaigns, company-wide initiatives, and festivities worldwide. It’s more than just a date; it symbolises our commitment to promoting gender equality and diversity within and outside our business.

‘Coats for Her’ Programme

Our program, ‘Coats for Her’, was proudly launched in 2022 to promote women’s empowerment. The initiative comprises five key programs designed to encourage more women to consider careers with us and support the growth and development of our female talent.

Through our “Coats for Her” initiative, we are striving for gender parity. The program’s goal includes an updated recruitment policy, hiring guidelines, and a recruitment campaign that seeks to ensure full female representation at all stages of recruitment. The initiative aims to increase the visibility and profile of women across the organization through spotlight stories on our Coats Link communication platform.

Encouraging equal opportunity on shortlists for new job openings across our organisation is a top priority of our Women in Leadership Fast-Track Program. The program aims to empower female employees through various initiatives, including mentorship, leadership development, and assistance returning to work after maternity leave. Our Return-to-Work Program involves pregnant moms, HR teams, and managers to facilitate a smooth transition back to work. Additionally, the ‘Coats for Her’ program leverages the expertise and enthusiasm of our top executives in five separate endeavours to support the professional development of women at Coats.

In 2021, Coats India and Shahi Exports joined hands to provide skill development training to women in Madurai. The objective was to equip these women with the necessary skills to make them employable. After the training, these women were also connected with suitable job prospects. To facilitate this skill development, several groups were organised. One group comprised thirty women, and the training occurred from February to April 2021. Additionally, two groups of sixty women from the neighbourhood were given tailoring training by a local organisation that specialises in skill development.

Our ‘Women in Tech’ initiative was launched in 2019 by our Digital and Technology function. It aims to dispel stereotypes about women in technology through various initiatives such as mentoring and collaborations with recruitment agencies. We have also been engaging with external organisations that have well-known D&I programs.

We aspire to set up talent acceleration programs that will help foster the next generation of female, multicultural, and millennial leaders. As part of our efforts, we routinely measure our demographics. In 2019, there was a significant increase from 3% to 33% in the number of women at the board level, and we also saw an increase from 1% to 24% of women in senior positions.

Jackie Callaway, our Chief Financial Officer, is one of four women on our Board of Directors. Two of our Directors are from ethnic minority backgrounds. As of December 2022, we comply with the diversity goals outlined in our revised policy and the recommendations made by the FTSE Women Leaders Review and the Parker Review.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day and beyond, we want to reaffirm our commitment to creating an inclusive workplace where diversity is celebrated, and every voice is heard. We aim to build a more equitable and gender-diverse organization within our company and across industries worldwide.