Cummins leads on gender equality as company celebrates International Women’s Day
The Cummins Powers Women program to promote gender equality has now served more than 27 million women and girls around the world, having invested $23 million in the effort since its inception in 2018.
The company released new statistics on the program as it celebrates both the fifth anniversary of Cummins Powers Women and International Women’s Day March 8 with a range of activities both inside and outside the company.
"I am so proud to work for a company that believes in advancing women everywhere," said Mary Chandler, Vice President of Community Relations and Corporate Responsibility at Cummins. "Yes, building a diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce is vital to Cummins' success, plain and simple. But we've taken that commitment another huge step forward with Cummins Powers Women.
"When we started this program five years ago, we could not have predicted the incredibly important ways Cummins has positively impacted the lives of girls and women around the world, from helping to reduce the scourge of child marriage and domestic violence, to bringing curriculum into schools to teach boys about gender equality so they can later carry the torch of change in their communities," she added. "It's remarkable."
PARTNERING FOR ACTION
Cummins Powers Women partners with 10 global nonprofits in 18 countries to accelerate gender equality in educational attainment, economic empowerment, personal safety and legal rights.
The commitment has more than 1,300 Cummins employees engaged as Cummins Powers Women Ambassadors, and it has also gotten support from many of the company's Employee Resource Groups aligned along different dimensions of diversity. In addition, more than 24 leaders around the world have been engaged in the effort.
As part of Cummins' focus on gender equality, it has long put a spotlight on International Women's Day, held annually on March 8 to celebrate women's achievement and raise awareness about the discrimination they face. This year's theme, #EmbraceEquity, underscores the fact that gender equality needs each of us to play a role by actively supporting and embracing equality in our own areas of influence.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS
To kick off the week, Cummins President and CEO Jennifer Rumsey, along with Karen Quintos, Cummins Board Member and retired Chief Customer Officer of Dell Technologies, led an interactive discussion on March 6 to talk about work critical to achieving gender equality, both internal to the company and external to communities.
Next, Rise Up conducted a virtual panel on March 7 where its leaders shared impactful stories. Rise Up is one of the 10 global Cummins Powers Women nonprofit partners dedicated to advancing gender equality. It joins with visionary local leaders to provide training, funding and networks for meaningful and lasting change.
Thirty-six organized events are taking place throughout the week in the seven regions of the world where Cummins has a presence. Employees can sign up to attend, either in person at local sites or virtually from all over the globe, to listen to and interact with leadership on varying topics such as young women enrolled in trade schools, future female leaders, embracing equality and more.
While Cummins is pleased by the success of Cummins Powers Women and other efforts, the company knows there is much work to be done and remains committed to its focus on creating a more prosperous and equitable world.
Tamra Knudsen
Tamra Knudsen is a Brand Journalist for Cummins with extensive experience in the Capital Goods sector, serving over 20 years in various corporate communications roles. She began her career in accounting, moving into numerous positions within finance, marketing and administration, until she discovered her niche in the field of communications. Her passion is to create transparent and meaningful content that educates, informs and engages readers on a variety of topics for both external and internal audiences.
Tamra graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Parkside, with a BS in Business Administration and Management.
