Philip Morris Japan Ltd. (PMJ) has extensively recruited female talent to achieve greater diversity in its workforce. In 2018, 40 percent of total new hires were women, which is 2.5 times more than figures from five years ago. The increase was even more dramatic in the field sales force, where the new hire percentage of women rose from 3 percent to 44 percent in five years.
PMJ offers various opportunities for female candidates to meet women already working in the company to learn about their stories and achievements, including the fact that the ratio of women in senior leadership positions has also seen a sharp rise. It stood at 36 percent in 2018, more than double from more than half a decade ago.
PMJ's Manager of Transformation and Organization Effectiveness Mathilda Lumbantobing pointed out that it is easy to voice the importance of closing the gender talent gap, but it's difficult to make it happen if nobody in the organization knows exactly where they are. "We've set clear targets that leaders are accountable for achieving, to improve the representation of women at all levels in the organization, and we're tracking and regularly reporting on the progress," she said.