Five Aviation/Aerospace Stakeholders Launch Global Study on Women in Leadership

Five stakeholder organizations in the aviation and aerospace industry will launch a global study – “Soaring Through the Glass Ceiling” – to identify and promote means by which the aviation and aerospace industry can more effectively recruit and advance women into leadership roles. The study is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2019.

Women have made great strides in many professional fields and industries but there remains a gap at the leadership level. As an example, fewer than one quarter of the American aerospace workforce are women, with an even smaller percentage in leadership roles. More can and should be done to enable the advancement of women into important leadership roles in the global aviation and aerospace sector. The aim of this joint study is to identify the root causes of any barriers to advancement that may have hindered progress to date. More importantly, the study will highlight those practices and policies which have been successful in promoting gender diversity in leadership. In so doing, the study will surface and document best practices for all stakeholders to consider, whether at the overall industry level or at the level of specific industry participants or educational institutions.

Specifically, the multi-faceted effort will include

• A global survey of women, human resources leaders, organization leaders, and education leaders;
• Interviews around the globe with women, human resources leaders, organization leaders, and education leaders;
• Case studies on success stories within the industry; and
• Review of prior studies and literature on the advancement of women, both within and outside the industry.

These four streams of activity will be undertaken in parallel and the study’s findings will be shared broadly through each organization’s events, websites, and publications.

The five stakeholder organizations who have joined forces for this important project represent the key sectors within the industry and bring complementary knowledge of the issues and opportunities for women in the industry globally:

• Aerospace Industries Association (AIA)
• Airports Council International (ACI) World)
• International Air Transport Association (IATA)
• International Aviation Womens Association (IAWA)
• Korn Ferry – Civil Aviation Practice (NYSE:KFY)

Aerospace Industries Association (AIA); As the voice of American aerospace and defense, the Aerospace Industries Association represents manufacturers and suppliers across every high-technology manufacturing sector, providing strong advocacy essential to ensuring the current and future success of our nation and our industry;

Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, was founded in 1991 with the objective of fostering cooperation among its member airports and other partners in world aviation, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization. In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable. As of January 2018, ACI serves 641 members operating 1953 airports in 176 countries.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 290 airlines or 82% of total air traffic. IATA supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.

International Aviation Womens Association (IAWA)  is a global organization for women who hold positions of impact in the aviation and aerospace industry, promoting their advancement in the aviation and aerospace industries.

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm, synchronizing strategy and talent to drive superior performance for its clients. Korn Ferry employs more than 7,500 staff across 100 offices around the globe, partnering with 98% of the Fortune 100.  The Civil Aviation Practice serves clients in the aviation and aerospace industry globally including those in the airline, airport, aerospace, aerospace services and aviation services sectors.

Source: IATA / September 2018

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