Aylin Olsun: Gender-Balanced Leadership Is Essential For Sustainable Growth

Recently published on the freight company Globelink-Unimar's blog, Aylin Satun Olsun, founding board member and 2018-2023 term President of PWN Istanbul, has underlined that among the objectives of its establishment is to organize awareness and support activities that will accelerate the achievement of gender equality and said: “Gender balanced leadership is essential for sustainable growth and a welfare society.”

During Globelink-Unimar's interview with Aylin, she shed light on the concerning status of women in Turkey, particularly considering the living standards of the 21st century. She emphasized the need for inclusivity and equal opportunities in all aspects of social life, rather than perpetuating discrimination. To delve deeper into this topic, during the interview discussions covered the activities and projects of PWN Istanbul.

Aylin spoke candidly about the last five years, and how PWN Istanbul has been actively inviting male CEOs from the business world to assume responsibility for promoting gender equality through the Equality Ambassador CEO projects.

Here's a transcript from the interview:

Could you please tell us about the founding purposes PWN Istanbul and its fields of activity? What is your team like?

PWN Global (formerly, European Professiona Women's Network) was founded in Paris in 2003. It has become a well-known network of business professionals, with succes not only in Europe but also in the Middle East, America, and South America. In addition to being a dependable, accessible, and sincere development platform for men and women, PWN also offers amazing professional networking opportunities.

Among the objectives of its establishment are to organize awareness and support activities that will accelerate the achievement of gender equality, to increase women’s employment and women’s representation in the business world, to support and encourage women’s leadership development, and to create solutions that will raise awareness in the context of work-life balance.

Operating in Turkey since 2013, PWN Istanbul has a member group consisting of 300 male and female professionals from corporate environmenets. With the projects it has conducted so far, it has brought together more than 3,700 participants by reaching profiles of women in different sectors and fields of expertise. All projects at PWN Istanbul are conducted voluntarily by members from different age groups in different sectors and specialties.

C-suite executives make up 34 percent of our member profile. All activities  at PWN Istanbul are flexible and action-oriented, with a deep sense of volunteering embedded in all we do. Our volunteer leaders are trying to accomplish the projects we have planned, with our working groups, in line with the two-year strategic plan. Membership, events, corporate partners, diversity and inclusion, strategic collaborations, entrepreneurship, technology, marketing, mentoring. We even have a PWN Youth strand that are invaluable in our volunteers’ working groups.

How do you evaluate the gender-balanced leadership rates in Turkey and their development over the years?

Gender-balanced leadership plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable growth and fostering a prosperous society. In the annual Gender Inequality Report published by the World Economic Forum, Turkey has witnessed a decline in its ranking, falling three places to 133rd position.

This decline signifies a concerning trend where women's socio-economic status is deteriorating. The political participation of women has decreased, fewer women are able to maintain long-term employment, and maternal mortality rates among young women are on the rise. These circumstances raise significant concerns, particularly when we consider the living standards of the 21st century.

To foster a society that thrives on inclusivity and equal opportunities rather than discrimination, it is essential to address gender equality in all aspects of social life. Creating awareness and fostering unity are crucial steps towards achieving gender equality. Therefore, through our Equality Ambassador CEO project, we have been urging male CEOs in the business world to assume responsibility for promoting gender equality. We are proud to have received a positive response, with over 100 CEOs becoming our equality ambassadors.

In the past two years, we have placed particular emphasis on engaging with young people. Our equality ambassadors at universities are actively involved in raising awareness about gender inequality through various initiatives. Moreover, we continue to conduct training programs for our corporate partners and the youth population under the umbrella of the PWN Academy, ensuring the journey towards gender equality is sustained.

As PWN Istanbul, what kind of development opportunity do you offer women?

PWN Istanbul, we provide women with a wide range of development opportunities. We offer mentoring programs, research reports, and regular activities. Our members have access to global and local development opportunities. We prioritize interaction and social learning among our members, offering an eight-week onboarding group, coaching through our Women's Circles practice.

We also organize training and workshops focused on entrepreneurship, equality, inclusion, and self-awareness through our PWN Academy. These initiatives aim to empower women and equip them with the skills needed to thrive in their professional journeys. 

In cooperation with Mercer's, When Women Thrive research is held biennially and we support this research as a strategic partner. Last year, we matched three hundred mentor-mentees in the process of peer mentoring, reverse mentoring, and university student mentoring. We attach significant importance to accelerating interaction and social learning among our members. For a year and a half, 170 members of our Women’s Circles practice have been involved in eight-week communication circles (PAC Group Coaching).

Could you tell us about PWN Istanbul's short and medium-term goals, strategies, and projects?

Certainly. Our strategic plan  focuses on three key areas: Networking : Connect,  Action, and  Impact.

We aim to strengthen the bonds among our members, encourage women, and create a positive atmosphere. Our monthly events, mentoring services, and women's circles will continue to foster interaction and support. Rather than expanding our corporate partners, we will concentrate on programs that enhance our sphere of influence with existing partners.

During this period, we will emphasize our Health Leaders program, Equality Ambassadors, Micro Entrepreneurship and Young PWN initiative. We have also recently established an entrepreneurship working group to develop innovation and creativity competencies among young people. Ensuring our digital transformation is a key focus for PWN Istanbul in the new term.

 We are organizing sectoral programs. The first phase of the “Women Leaders in Global Health Development Initiative,” implemented by Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Centre (BÜYEM) and PWN Istanbul. Within the scope of the program, senior leaders of many health and pharmaceutical companies, members, and volunteers of PWN Istanbul, come together with the participants. The program also offers the opportunity to complete the Harvard University additional modules and the “Women in Leadership: Emerging Leaders” online certificate program. This program makes us extremely excited. I can say that it has made a significant contribution to the network in terms of talent development in the sector.

We also kicked off Entrepreneurship program started n 2022. With our Let Us Start Again program in cooperation with Datassist, our project to get women who quit their business life back into employment will continue.

What impact do you think the recent rapid transformation of the business world will have on women in the workplace? 

Unfortunately, the gender equality scorecard of the Pandemic in Turkey is not very bright. Serious problems such as domestic violence, increased housework and unemployment were experienced by many women during the global Pandemic.

I still believe that, in time, this period will be effective in changing perceptions of social roles. The effects of COVID-19 and quarantine measures on gender inequality continue to be discussed in public. Unexpected changes in the labour market really have created potential to reorganize the division of labour and responsibility at home.

Academic studies focusing on the impact of unexpected crises in contemporary life on the gendered division of labour show that gender roles can change to adapt to behaviour or circumstances. The transformation in the business world has accelerated after the pandemic and I believe that this transformation will have positive effects on women. To change perceptions, it is necessary to persist in legal and social change programs.

Date: First published by Globelink-Unimar in November 2022, republished by PWN Global in July 2023

Translation by: Hazal Eylul Secilmis
Copy edited by: Rebecca Fountain, Marketing Consultant, PWN Global