INTERVIEW
AMW: The percentage of women taking an MBA across all AMBA’s Schools is 38%. This has increased from 32% in 2013. But Carlo, what are you doing within Prada to make sure there is a good balance of senior leaders? CM: This topic is defined in Italy by the (not very politically correct ) expression ‘pink percentage’. It is the subject of many debates, but I find that the arguments put forward don’t respect the principle of justice toward women. The prerequisite to address this is intellectual equality between men and women. This might seem obvious but is not. Then we need to analyse why, in so many fields, there is a cultural deficit. This is about to be overcome in developed markets, but there is still a long way to go, because the evolution of culture is slow and has little to do with the development of technology. Imposing ‘pink quotas’ on boards is an emergency law, with a temporary use to address the problem. I don’t think a woman’s dignity would be satisfied by her getting a role thanks to an obligation. Women should, quite rightly, get the role based on intellectual and professional skills. For Prada, the problem is easier because, in our sector, women are more skilled than men. In Prada, we have more women than men in every [area of the business]. The problem is more general across [business]. In mechanics, for example, the percentage of women is 7%, but in Prada it is more than 50-60%. We have women on the board
and directing many subsidiaries. We feel the problem has been solved for us by a natural situation, but across the rest of global industry, it is still a very big issue, and a potential opportunity for the future. AMW: Antonella, what are your thoughts on the mix of male and female students on MBA programmes? AM: We’re noticing an increase in women in our classes. We benchmarked against other Business Schools and are noticing that incentives to encourage women to enrol are usually through dedicated scholarships or dedicated courses focused on female leadership. I don’t like this approach, because the capabilities will ultimately be the same, and the problem is one of culture. Before joining an MBA, there is too limited a number of women taking engineering or economics courses, which is typically the background from which we would recruit students. Something has to start at high-school level to communicate how this career and learning journey is appropriate for women. We try to work with managers having a great career to a female target audience. AMW: Carlo, you have completed an MBA from an AMBA-accredited Business School. Could you tell us the one thing you wish you’d learned during the programme that would have made a difference to your career trajectory?
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