The Spanish Women’s Institute for Equal Opportunities and the Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Associations (CEOE) are now accepting applications for the sixth edition of the “Promociona Project – Executive Programme for Women in Upper Management“, which once again will have ESADE as an academic partner.

The objective of this initiative, co-funded by the European Social Fund, is to increase women’s representation in top executive positions. The project aims to identify and promote female talent by developing and strengthening women’s capacities, professional skills and leadership, while also raising awareness in the business world. To date, 437 female executives from more than 260 companies have taken part in the project, and 45% of participants from the first four editions have received a promotion.

Companies: the key to promoting female talent

One of the differential values of Promociona is the intense collaboration of the participants’ employers in each edition of the project. The companies are responsible for selecting and supporting their candidates. They agree to actively monitor the participants’ promotions and to provide the project with access to top executives for cross-mentoring processes involving the other participants.

Moreover, each edition of the project has two patrons: a man and a woman who are well-known figures in the business world. Previous patrons include Marcos de Quinto, ‎Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the Coca-Cola Company (2013-2014); Ignacio Garralda, President of Mutua Madrileña, and Patricia Abril, President and General Manager of McDonald’s Spain (2014-2015); Belén Frau, CEO of IKEA Italy, and José Crehueras, President of the Planeta Group and Atresmedia (2015-2016); Maria Helena Antolín, Vice President of the Antolín Group, and Luis de Torres, former President of Sodexo Iberia (until October 2016) and current CEO of Sodexo LatAm & Brazil (2016-2017); and Helena Herrero, President of HP Spain and Portugal, and Paulo Soares, CEO of Campofrío (2017-2018).

Applications must be submitted by 27th April 2018 through the platform www.proyectopromociona.com.