Nissan Motors has won the 2008 Catalyst Award, the annual worldwide prize that honours exceptional initiatives from companies that support and advance women in business.

This is the first time that a company headquartered in Asia has won the award which was conferred on the strength of a Nissan programme called Women in the Driver’s Seat: Gender Diversity as a Lever in Japan. 

“Nissan worldwide is very conscious of the role of women in business and in the automotive market,” said Toru Hasegawa, managing director at Nissan Middle East. “Nissan Motor is determined to promote women and spread gender diversity in its workplace. We empower women who are great leaders and present innovation to our company. With this, we tend to inspire and encourage other manufacturers to embrace gender diversity.”

Since 2004, women in Nissan management positions have increased from 36 to 101 and the percentage of women managers in the design, planning and product planning function has doubled. 

The percentage of female sales staff at Nissan dealerships has also increased, while the percentage of women in manufacturing plants more than doubled.

Components of the initiative include career advancement support through specialist career advisors for women only, as well as ergonomic adjustments to equipment and other improvements in facilities and working conditions at plants that allow women to contribute fully.

The business case for having women as decision-makers and in positions of influence was developed in response to research by Nissan identifying women as influencers of two-thirds of all car purchases.-TradeArabia News Service