Meat Business Women chair Laura Ryan.

A NEW mentorship initiative aims to improve career opportunities for women in the global meat industry and help meat businesses develop a strong pipeline of future female leaders has been launched.

The program created by Meat Business Women was launched this month to enable women working in the meat supply chain anywhere in the world to find a mentor, become a mentor or both.

Meat Business Women chair Laura Ryan said a strong mentoring relationship can be transformational for an individual’s career prospects and the meat businesses they work for.

“Our mentorship program makes it easy for our community around the world to connect, exchange knowledge and gain new skills, while helping meat businesses develop a strong pipeline of talent and future leaders.

“We have a growing number of female and male business leaders joining the platform to help support our launch,” she said.

In 2020, research by Meat Business Women revealed that women make up just 36 percent of the meat industry’s global workforce and hold just 5pc of chief executive roles.

MBW said the mentorship program will run on a purpose-built, interactive platform on meatbusinesswomen.org. To participate, women must be members of Meat Business Women.

To make the program as widely accessible as possible, Meat Business Women is offering individual memberships for the first time. Previously, women could only become members if their employer was a corporate partner of Meat Business Women.

Ms Ryan said the feedback from the body’s global community is clear

“Women want to take their career development into their own hands, no matter who they work for or where they are in the world.

“Becoming a member of Meat Business Women is a great way to connect with like-minded peers, acquire new skills and build your domestic and global networks.”

In addition to the mentorship program, MBW said the benefits of joining the body include:

• Market-leading suite of career development tools
• Access to bespoke monthly online masterclasses
• Trusted guidance on meat industry best practice
• Ability to network with an established global community through online forums and members directory

Meat Business Women conferences and events will also remain open to non-members.

Meat Business Women works in partnership with meat businesses to remove the barriers that stop women from reaching their full professional potential. It has the strategic backing of industry partners such as AMIC, B&L NZ and MIA. In 2019, it was officially recognised by the United Nations as a solution to one of its Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Visit meatbusinesswomen.org to join.

Identifying priorities for action

In other news, Australian Pork Ltd has launched new commitments to bolster female-driven careers in the pork and wider meat industry, following an online forum that identified key priorities relating to gender inclusivity for the industry.

A survey of 90 industry participants found that 60 percent of women working in the sector agree the biggest challenge they face is feeling accepted and being taken seriously in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

They also put forward their key priorities for women working in the sector:

• 45pc determined creating visibility of women in the industry was most important
• 30pc identify mentoring the next generation as a priority
• 10pc said the industry needed more opportunities for diversity and inclusion.

More than 70pc wanted to connect with other women in the industry in future, showing a willingness to work together and change things moving forward.

To help combat the inequality felt within the pork industry, APL chief executive Margo Andrae announced five key commitments to help bolster female-driven careers in the pork and wider meat industry.

APL committed to:

• Reviewing the business’ maternity and paternity policy, and continue to foster a more flexible work environment
• Registering at least four senior members to the Meat Business Women (MBW) Global Mentoring Program in 2021
• Putting Diversity and Inclusion on the agenda at key sector events, including APL’s Delegates Forum
• Continuing visibility of woman in pork across the supply chain on all APL’s communications channel
• Support MBW and territory partner, the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC), to create more inclusive networking opportunities, providing a platform for woman in the industry to connect.

“More and more women are choosing to work in the meat industry, which is why we have announced these pivotal commitments to support them on their journey. It something I am personally proud of,” Ms Andrae said.

The forum heard from Meat Business Woman Founder Laura Ryan, who tapped into the findings of the group’s Gender Representation in the Meat Industry report, released in late 2020.

“Our research findings suggest that when it comes to inclusion the meat sector lags behind many other sectors, with only 36pc of the workforce being women, worldwide,” Ms Ryan said.

However, this isn’t to say that APL is starting from scratch or resting on its laurels. APL already has a ratio of around 75pc female staff, and pledges to support their career paths and listen to their voices.

“It was great to see women across the supply chain tell their story, showcasing the different jobs women can hold in the industry,” Ms Andrae said.

“We’re proud of how far we’ve come, but there is more progress to be made. We will continue to empower women, helping them not only navigate the industry, but thrive in it.”