As a leading socially responsible company, Mlekoprodukt, is now recognized for one more thing.
For every company, the commitment to the principles of social responsibility is an imperative and measurability of success, in all fields. In its daily activities and work, the Mlekoprodukt Company recognizes the importance of a strong community and has set the empowerment of women as its long-term priority. To that end, winning the Cvet Uspeha za Ženu Zmaja Award for the most gender-sensitive company in Serbia, in the best women entrepreneurs category, given out by the Association of Business Women of Serbia, gave Mlekoprodukt a strong wind’s in its sails and has furthered fortified its mission to support women in the long run.
Mlekoprodukt encourages and nurtures gender sensitivity at every step, and cooperation with women entrepreneurs, who are the heads of dairy farms, is just one of the ways how Mlekoprodukt and the entire Savencia Group provide equal treatment for women and men, from financial compensation, through the right to obtain a position in a company, have various privileges, enable career advancement, and in particular, the employment of women in managerial positions. The company has been financing education and professional development and introduced online courses, including training on ethical behaviour and gender equality, among others.
“This award encourages Mlekoprodukt to continue to actively apply the principles of gender equality and women’s empowerment in its business”
The award criteria are very exact: when selecting companies that have demonstrated the strongest commitment to the principles of gender equality, each candidate company got a number of points on measures that are implemented within the company itself and those that support the economic empowerment of women in the local community. Companies that cooperated with business entities run by women got the highest number of points, with Mlekoprodukt scoring very high among the producers with whom it regularly cooperates. One thing that Mlekoprodukt is especially proud of is the fact that it cooperates with five dairy farms managed by women. In this way, Mlekoprodukt actively applies the Business Ethics Code, which implies gender equality in doing business with suppliers, but at the same time, facilitates respect and better understanding, as well as the development of more humane society as a whole.
The award was presented by Minister Zorana Mihajlović, who is also the head of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality. “The state is here to support women entrepreneurs because they are beneficial for the whole society. Together we can do much more to create equal opportunities for women and men. I presented the award for the most gender-sensitive company, which the Coordination Body and the Association of Business Women traditionally give out for the fourth consecutive year to companies that are implementing socially responsible business strategies and take into account the principles of gender equality,” said Minister Mihajlović.
Bojana Momčilov, Manager of Communications and Socially Responsible Business at Mlekoprodukt, said at the award ceremony, that gender equality and women’s empowerment is the company’s long-term priority.
„It is a great pleasure and a real privilege for me to receive such a significant recognition on behalf of the Mlekoprodukt Company. Needless to say, I am proud that Mlekoprodukt is recognized as the most gender-sensitive company, as this is a validation of our company’s long-standing policy to foster gender equality, empower women and treat every member of its team with due care, taking into account all our differences. We can see that the role and position of women in society are evolving, and Mlekoprodukt is an example of how gender equality is respected and implemented in the right way. Our management and employees will continue to move in the direction of social, professional and economic empowerment of women and achieving full gender equality. I would like to thank Minister Zorana Mihajlović and the Association of Business Women, led by President Sanja Popović-Pantić, for this recognition, which I dedicate to all women in our country”.