Women in Europ Assistance - Interview with Katya Skorik, Head of Global Corporate Marketing
Our Women in Europ Assistance series focuses on women in senior positions, exploring their careers and sharing their advice for female corporate leadership
Get to know Katya, Head of Global Corporate Marketing:
After earning an MBA at Columbia Business School, Katya Skorik garnered expertise in strategic consulting experience with the Boston Consulting Group and the global payments industry at American Express prior to joining Europ Assistance in 2019 as Head of Global Corporate Marketing. She is passionate about women’s advancement in the workplace, and spent nearly a decade actively engaged in women’s networks at American Express, including serving as co-head of the Women’s Network for Vice Presidents and sitting on American Express’s Executive Women’s Network Steering Committee.
WHY DO YOU BELIEVE GENDER DIVERSITY IS IMPORTANT IN THE WORKPLACE?
In my experience it’s extremely helpful for gathering new and different perspectives. It also helps introduce diverse management styles and foster innovation. I recently read a study by Sodexo that examined women across all levels of management. The study found that gender-balanced teams are more successful in employee engagement, client retention and employee retention.
I feel that I’m lucky to have a diverse team, both in gender and in experience. I personally have had a rich experience in moving to New York from Moscow and now I’m in Paris. My team have worked in the UK, Germany and Italy, as well as France. This is a big advantage for us in our day-to-day roles and I believe also helps understand wider bias that we may have, including gender.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SUPPORT GENDER BALANCE?WHAT SPECIFIC INITIATIVES DO YOU BELIEVE WORK BEST?
I’ve mentored women and volunteered in women employee networks, helping organize and coordinate events. Over the course of my career I’ve always made an effort to guarantee gender balance is taken into consideration when recruiting new candidates.
I’ve seen three things work especially well in supporting gender balance in companies: first, having a strong, employee-led network; second, promoting unconscious bias training and awareness campaigns; third, deploying women leadership programs at both senior and entry levels.
WHAT IS EUROP ASSISTANCE DOING TO PROMOTE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE?
We have a process in place to make sure there is always at least one female candidate on any shortlist for top management positions, helping guarantee the opportunity is open to everyone. We also rolled out an unconscious bias workshop for EA employees in the holding company and among top management. Each year in March we celebrate #Beboldforinclusion, a day dedicated to boosting awareness of D&I issues company wide.
Of course, this starts with the leadership. All our managers take part in a dedicated leadership training programme and Diversity and Inclusion is a key part. I believe that having the right mindset, to challenge bias while being inclusive is an important way to promote a culture that makes the company a great place to work.