Women in the Aviation Industry: Is Gender Holding Them Back?

Welcome to the inspirational, informational, and transparent aviation careers podcast. Today we have a special guest who will attempt to answer the question: Is gender still holding women back in the aviation industry?

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Today we have a special guest, Arpad Szakal from London, UK. Arpad, an aviation lawyer by training, leads the Aviation & Aerospace practice at private executive search & assessment firm Cellence Plus based in London, UK.

Cellence Plus advises on organizational issues such as:

Leadership & Board Assessment
Succession Planning
Organizational Culture Shaping
Diversity Inclusion Strategy

Arpad conducts senior-level engagements for clients globally across the aviation and wider transportation & infrastructure sectors. He advises international clients on senior-level succession planning and all aspects of diversity, inclusion and employee engagement.

Prior to his career in executive search, Arpad worked at the Aviation Departments of two leading international law firms in London where he handled various EU regulatory matters including passenger rights.

Arpad regularly speaks at events and conferences on a host of Diversity & Inclusion topics including unconscious bias and gender equality.

He is an active member of The Aviation Club of The UK, the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and the Air League. His article “Is gender still holding women back in the aviation industry?” was recently published in the official magazine of the Royal Aeronautical Society Aerospace and forms the basis of our discussion today.

Arpad is also a glider pilot and flies whenever weather permits!

Welcome to the show Arpad!

In This Episode We Discuss:

Introduction – From Aviation law to Aviation executive search
The State of Gender Diversity in Aviation & Aerospace
- Women holding C-level positions in the industry is only 3%
- Only about 6% of commercial pilots are women
- The industry has a tendency to look within when hiring/promoting
- The traditional preference for leaders with technical/operational background
What are the main barriers to women’s advancement in the industry?
- Bias (conscious & unconscious)
- Gender stereotypes
- Lack of internal female role models and mentors

Enablers of the advancement of women in organizations – what can organizations do to build a more inclusive culture?
- Board and senior leadership must be aligned and promote D&I
- Formal Mentoring Programs
- Adequate support system
- Coaching both internal and external

Practical tips/advice for aspiring females to actively promote themselves and overcome barriers (asked leading women for their advice)
- Negotiate for yourself confidently (salary and promotion)
- Build your internal network of contacts and supporters
- Take advantage of organizations such as IAWA

Industry Initiatives to tackle Gender Balance
- IATA 25by2025
- Women in Aviation & Aerospace Charter
- ICAO’s Air Transport Gender Equality Initiative

The role of Executive Search Firms & Ways to embed D&I in Hiring
- Strive for a process that produces a diverse range of candidates
- Embrace a wider and deeper universe of target companies
- Educate stakeholders about the benefits of hiring from outside of the industry
- Challenge companies more to consider non-traditional candidates
D&I Best Practices in Hiring/Recruitment that can help organizations
- Don’t hire for cultural fit
- Write inclusive job descriptions
- Prepare for an inclusive job interview
- Challenge toxic attitudes
What can the aviation sector learn from industries that do get D&I right?
- Hold leaders accountable
- Connect D&I to business performance
- Embed D&I throughout the organization