British American Tobacco : WOW factor heralds ‘new beginning’ for women at CTC

CTC's 'Women of Worth' (WOW) forum is a leadership platform aimed at encouraging the career growth of female employees and amplifying women's voices within the company.

WOW will provide opportunities for women in the company to network, share knowledge and collaborate, helping to further shape a culture where everyone in the company feels empowered, supported and equipped to succeed.

CTC's Nilushi Kumaradas, President of Women of Worth, said: 'This is a new beginning at CTC. We know we can do more to harness the potential of our female leaders to take the business to new heights while at the same time enhancing our inclusive workplace culture to allow them to flourish. WOW stands poised not only to develop our female leaders but to help them work as ambassadors to attract and retain female talent across the organisation.'

Across BAT as a whole in 2018, 51% of our senior recruits and 33% of internal promotions were women, moves that have helped deliver stronger and more diverse leadership teams. And CTC has made huge improvements in this area, with 19% of management roles now being occupied by women. There is also 16% female representation in CTC's leadership team, with that figure rising to 31% on their extended LT.

Nedal Salem, CTC's Managing Director and CEO, said at the recent launch of WOW: 'Over the last few years CTC has made significant progress in enhancing female representation at senior levels, but we will keep pushing the boundaries to ensure more representation across the board. I am excited to see how 'WOW' will further facilitate the professional growth of women within the company, adding to the overall spirit and tenacity of CTC's workforce.'

Special guest speaker at the launch was Rezani Aziz, founder of the Federation of Women Entrepreneur Associations in Sri Lanka, who discussed the importance of a forum such as WOW.

Find out more about diversity initiatives at BAT, including Women in STEM, here. You can find out more about Ceylon Tobacco Company here .