About Diafora

Diafora works with businesses and their governance to ensure that management teams make gender diversity an integral part of strategy – in terms of managerial and leadership models, resource development and market understanding.

Diafora’s acknowledged legitimacy can be traced to its comprehensive understanding of businesses, gained from numerous projects for managing strategy and business transformation.

It was through this experience and analysis of how to mobilize corporate talent that Diafora began to investigate women’s progression to positions of authority within organizations and their subsequent voice in management.

Diafora :

Aristote introduced the term Diafora for the poperties that distinguish different species of the same genus. ”

Key figures

Laurence Reckford

« DIAFORA’s young leaders programme has helped some 200 women at TOTAL to become aware of the issues surrounding female careers and also how to be vigilant and proactive in their professional lives. The benefits are not only for the women involved but also for the company: it sends a strong signal, which shows that the company is counting on them for the long term and this at all levels of the company »

Lysiane Beaujard

«Over the last three years, more than 300 women working for Danone have participated in DIAFORA leadership programmes. Learning to take a step back, having confidence in oneself, gaining in self-assurance, being dynamic, a real change has been triggered »
 

Benoît Potier

“I felt we had to act to give greater visibility to candidates within companies who show the potential to join corporate boards of directors. The BWP program demonstrates that it’s possible to identify top-caliber candidates and help them progress by benefiting from the experience of CEOs. It allows for a balanced approach over time, and it’s clearly given greater visibility to several participants. Plus, one of the program’s undeniable benefits is that it has made executives more aware of the need to prepare more effectively for the addition of women to corporate boards. The process will take time, and in my opinion it is more important to take fundamental steps rather than urgent action.”

Agnès Lemarchand

“As a senior executive at Lafarge for nearly 10 years, then as CEO of a British firm, formerly part of Lafarge, that was acquired with their leaders in 2005, despite a positive initial experience on the Supervisory Board at Mersen, I was the perfect example of a woman with little visibility in France and a limited network of contacts. Joining the BWP program opened the door to CAC 40 and SBF 120 companies and quickly made it possible for me to join the board at Areva. This is a relevant program; I salute the commitment of the two founders and the contribution of each of the CEOs involved, who donate their time to expanding women access to positions of responsibility.”

Estelle Brachlianoff

“The idea of joining a board had never crossed my mind until, to my great surprise, my Chairman suggested it to me! He was right, because it also enhances how I now view my role as executive. The BoardWomen Partners program helped me move from the idea to reality. The BWP program helped me gain confidence and understand what I could contribute to a board, but was also helpful for targeting those boards that might suit me better than others; moreover, it raised my profile for the purpose of joining that initial board. My conversations with mentees who had experienced the same doubts and who shared their enthusiasm were especially enlightening and inspiring. Over time, the program is likely to bring everyone to the realization that diversity on corporate boards is much more than just a legal obligation – it’s a key component in successful corporate governance.”

Bertrand Collomb (†)

« A better balance of men and women at all levels of corporate responsibility is an important objective. There are women in every company with the qualities to be excellent board members, but they are largely or completely unknown to the company’s president or nominating committee. Experience from this program shows that after mentoring by company presidents, these women quickly become ready to serve as board members. This program will not only help to increase diversity on boards of directors, but will also enable these women to broaden their experience and enhance their visibility, and in the process increase their likelihood of being appointed to executive committees »

Diafora