Driving Impact with Intention: SAP Business Women Network Switzerland
#employeeresourcegroups
#maleallyship
#womenintech
In 2007, a group of women leaders at SAP recognized the need to elevate the role of women in technology and within our organization. These pioneers were trailblazers for women’s empowerment, at a time when gender diversity wasn’t on the corporate radar. Back then, only 18.2% of women held management positions at SAP. Over the years, the SAP Business Women Network (BWN) became the largest of 13 active Employee Resource Groups (ERG). In 2024, we are 17,000+ members – 100% employee-led & voluntary.
SAP BWN Switzerland is one of 95+ chapters worldwide, founded in 2016 by a handful of women. Today, we are 290+ members strong including 20% male allies. By sharing professional insights, best practices, education and experience, we help one another develop skills and career advancing opportunities to drive SAP’s success. The Swiss BWN Core team consists of 10 passionate members (including 4 male allies). We collaborate closely with HR and our male Executive Sponsor in the Swiss Management Board.
Fast forward to 2024, we are 29.8% women in management positions at SAP. In 2023, BWN Switzerland hosted over 20 events (internal & external), including Cross-company Allyship, He4She, IamRemarkable, Lunch&Learn, Community Days, Women in Tech customer events, mental health sessions, and our flagship event, Speed Mentoring. Centered around four key pillars (allyship, career development, employee engagement & partnerships), we are a driving force of our company culture.
This Best Practice was first published in the Gender Intelligence Report 2024.
At SAP, women were significantly underrepresented, particularly in leadership roles. Women often felt excluded from critical networking and decision-making opportunities. This lack of inclusivity extended to the absence of a dedicated forum for women to address issues uniquely impacting them. Consequently, women struggled to find mentorship, support, and the resources needed for career advancement. Regularly facing these barriers highlighted the urgent need for a structured platform where women could connect, share experiences, and advocate for change within the organization. The SAP Business Women Network (BWN) Switzerland was founded to bridge this gap, providing a much-needed space for women to collaborate, learn, and empower one another, fostering a more inclusive environment. The BWN Employee Resource Group (ERG) has been instrumental in driving a cultural shift towards greater gender equity at SAP Switzerland.
Making Allyship Part of your Company Culture
Alongside companies in the Circle X Community, we hosted a community event focused on integrating allyship into company culture. The cross-company event began with an introduction to how SAP runs allyship, followed by an engaging panel discussion featuring representatives from Microsoft, Horvat, Inventix and SAP. The conversation continued during the networking session and apero that followed.
Our primary goal is to foster an inclusive atmosphere and drive initiatives that empower women at SAP Switzerland to realize their full potential. We aim to enhance leadership skills, career development opportunities, and business acumen for both women and men. Building a strong professional network is crucial in establishing mutually beneficial relationships inside and outside SAP. We aspire to enhance SAP’s reputation as an employer of choice to attract and retain top female talent. Promoting the visibility of female role models at all levels within SAP is essential to inspire and motivate our community.
We aim to contribute to SAP’s Diversity & Inclusion KPIs, including achieving 30% women in leadership and 35% women in the workforce. Increasing allyships and fostering internal and external collaborations are key strategies to support these goals. By increasing the SAP BWN brand externally, we aim to attract new talent and create a more inclusive environment where women can thrive.
SAP Speed Mentoring
Finding a mentor can be challenging, but Speed Mentoring makes it easier. Each year, BWN Switzerland hosts this event where mentees engage in brief, focused conversations with various mentors, each offering unique perspectives. This innovative approach to professional matchmaking not only helps mentees find mentors but also provides a rapid-fire networking opportunity.
In our ERG, we are clustered along four strategic priorities: allyship, career development, people engagement, and partnerships. Here are some initiatives under these pillars:
1. Allyship:
2. Career Development:
3. People Engagement:
4. Partnerships:
Coffee Corner Co-Leadership with Managing Directors
We regularly host Coffee Corner sessions with leaders and inspiring colleagues. The first edition this year focused on Co-Leadership, featuring our Co-Managing Directors, Sabrina Storck and Thomas Schreitmueller. They shared their unique experiences in co-leadership, delving into the dynamics of their partnership. The discussion highlighted their successes, challenges, and the decision-making strategies that have shaped their journey as Co-Managing Directors.
SAP BWN Core Team 2024
Let us introduce to you the faces behind our SAP Business Women Network for Switzerland – our Core BWN Team. This picture was taken at our Kick-Off event this year, where we defined our four strategic pillars and established our organizational setup. As you can see, we are a diverse team in terms of age, gender, background, and roles, truly embodying the spirit of diversity. It is thanks to each team member and the time they invest alongside their regular duties that we can bring great initiatives, events, and platforms to our community in Switzerland.
Our approach yielded significant results:
We created awareness through various channels:
Our communication strategy focused on inclusivity:
To increase engagement, we diversified our events to appeal to a broader audience.
At SAP, we have a strong ERG culture that contributes to fostering DEI within our company. Beyond the SAP BWN, other active ERGs include:
These ERGs have dedicated platforms to communicate their objectives, events, and share updates. It is common practice for ERGs to organize joint events open to all employees and to participate in onboarding sessions to present their activities. This helps our ERGs increase our visibility and number of members.
SAP nurtures an intrapreneurial culture, encouraging employees to share ideas, make proposals, and contribute to decisions regarding the company’s management and work environment (e.g. IDEA community)
Additionally, SAP offers substantial family benefits:
For more information about this Best Practice, reach out to the authors:
Carina Erhard
Co-Lead SAP Business Women Network
carina.erhard@sap.com
Natalia Singer
Co-Lead SAP Business Women Network
natalia.singer@sap.com
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