Grupo Bimbo, a Mexican group, fosters female participation and empowerment in the workplace at its subsidiary, Ideal.
Ideal, a subsidiary of Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo, has made significant progress in female representation in recent years. Women’s participation in supervisory positions is up 45%. It has more than doubled since 2020 for executive and management positions; women currently hold 35% of senior management positions.
The company’s Talent Attraction area has been critical in promoting gender equality. Fifty-seven percent of employees at the Calama sales center are women. In Los Andes, the figure is 40%.
Verónica Maldonado, Head of Talent Development at Ideal, remarked that efforts begin with hiring interns: «We have been hiring 25% of interns since 2023; 36% of these new hires have been female, which supports growing female talent at the company and contributes our grain of ‘flour’ to a more equitable future.»
«Ideal knows gender equality and diversity are fundamental to nurturing a better world. We aim to make a lasting impression on our employees and the communities where we operate. The company values diversity as an engine for sustainable development. We foster a culture of equity and inclusion where everyone has a sense of belonging, is free to be themselves and, most importantly, enjoys equal opportunities,» said Maldonado.
In global terms, Grupo Bimbo signed the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles and the company committed to having women in 40% of leadership positions by 2030. As Maldonado commented, «Female leadership significantly impacts Ideal’s organizational culture. Diversity, especially gender diversity, fosters creativity and innovation and strengthens a culture of collaboration. We are looking for more and more women to join the company at all levels. Ideal offers role models and encourages women’s professional development.»
Pro-diversity measures
Ideal has implemented several gender equality and diversity initiatives. For example, 64% of company leaders have attended the «Leading a Culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion» training seminar, and 100% of executives have received training at gender equity workshops.
«We collaborated with PRODEMU to hold talks for leaders—especially those in operations areas like production, sales and logistics—aiming to eliminate bias in hiring and increase female participation. We made sure hiring shortlists were diverse in terms of gender, age, nationality and people with disabilities,» Maldonado noted.
Another of the company’s key initiatives is the Horneando Talento (Baking Talent) program, which promotes gender equity among interns and has averaged 46% women since 2021. The company also holds cultural awareness training cycles for all employees that address issues like unconscious bias and co-responsibility in care.
Finally, Ideal seeks to enhance female leadership through training and networking events with programs like Rompiendo el Molde (Breaking the Mold).
The contribution of foreign companies
According to Maldonado, foreign companies have an opportunity to contribute to diversity, equity and inclusion.
«Having a parent company (Grupo Bimbo) that operates in 35 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa gives Ideal a global perspective that enables us to learn from different contexts and cultures. This broad perspective helps us implement best practices in diversity, equity and inclusion, adapting successful strategies from other markets and anticipating demands in an increasingly interconnected context,» he concluded.
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