Meeting with Ewa Urbaniak, Factory Director L’Oréal Russia
Eve le blog : Hello Ewa, You’re the head of L’Oréal’s plant in Russia. What is your background? What academic training, what career path lead to a position like this?
Ewa Urbaniak : I am an Electrical Engineer. I graduated from the Technical University in Lodz in Poland and studied also in France (ICAM Lille: Management).
I started as an intern in the Soprocos plant (France), and after 6 months I became Production Engineer in the Kosmepol Plant (Poland). My whole career is in the production area. I was Manufacturing Manager and Production Manager in Kosmepol and in Karlsruhe (Germany). Before taking on my current role, I worked two years as Plant Director for L’Oréal in Israel.
Eve le blog : Do you consider manufacturing operations and productions as a “male dominated” industry? Have you faced obstacles as a woman, to make your place in it? Do you think that it is still more difficult for a woman to achieve a great professional career?
Ewa Urbaniak : Yes, the industry is still dominated by men, especially when we look at the high managerial positions. We see a lot of women starting their careers in the industry and after that they disappear. Why? Is there a glass ceiling? Theoretically yes but it can be broken through. In the last years I see more and more women in the production area that are very successful and become more visible.
In my professional life I have never faced obstacles as a woman to get to my position today. I am a woman, I am a Plant Director, I have 2 small children and I live abroad. Yes, it is an organizational challenge, sometimes not easy and I need support from the family but it is possible because I want it.
Everyone needs support to achieve a great career. If the organization is ready to enable women to take leadership positions, this support can be received directly. It demands from the organization a deep analysis of its culture and an individualized approach and solution. And I do not want to discriminate in favor of women but empower women.
On the other side sometimes we (women) put the obstacles to achieve the goals that we want and we can achieve in our heads ourselves.
Eve le blog : L’Oréal takes a very active policy for professional equality. How do you concretely implement this policy in your management of the unit you lead?
Ewa Urbaniak : When I hire a person for a new position I select the best candidate for the job on the basis of skills and professionalism, regardless gender, religion etc. and I have seen great work done afterwards. We can benefit both (men and women) when gender equality is practiced in the workplace. The diversity strengthens our creativity and helps us develop.
I am very proud that L’Oréal Russia is the first company to be awarded EDGE certification in Russia, EDGE stands for Economic Dividend for Gender Equality. This is a milestone for the subsidiary, a recognition that rewards a collective effort towards gender equality and also an incentive to further develop gender parity within the company.
Interview by Christina Hillebrand (L’Oréal) and Marie Donzel, for the EVE blog, with the involvement of Stéphanie Oueda (L’Oréal).
