«As a father, I have a very real interest that my daughter has every opportunity to pursue and fulfill her own personal purpose and career ambitions. Advancing gender equality is a key part of this.»
Bruno Patusi, Managing Partner Financial Services Organization EY Switzerland
Interview with bruno patusi
«Stronger when equal»: We are all stronger, when equal. What does this mean for you personally?
At EY, we are focused on creating long-term value – for our people, our clients and society. Diversity, equity and inclusion are right at the heart of building high performing teams.
My experience shows when we bring these attributes together, we are more successful in the market and more attractive for talents. This also drives our ability to innovate and deliver value to our stakeholders and to empower our people to seize opportunities and shape their own exceptional career.
What advice about creating a diverse and inclusive workplace would you have liked to have as a young leader?
Regardless of position or age, we are all leaders – how we lead teams but also how we lead our personal selves in interactions with our colleagues and clients. As a leader we need to continually self-reflect and seek feedback to evolve how we lead and respond to the changing environment in which we live and operate.
My mentors encouraged me to adopt this mindset early in my career, which I now share with our talents, so they can be even more impactful over the long-term.
«Advancing the gender balance in our workplace is the responsibility of all of us. I am personally very focused on coaching the next generation of leaders.»
How should we raise our children in order to get to gender equality faster? How would you advise young people who want to have a career and a family?
The advice I am giving to young people is to be clear about their values, needs and long-term goals so that they can define the flexibility they need for integrating life and work while keeping track of their career aspiration. When they look for an employer, they should pay attention to the culture and employee value proposition. Is a firm only stating their values or are they living it? What are the flexibility options?
At EY, we have built a talent proposition that is flexible and impactful in enabling people to shape their own career experience. For parents, we have implemented a framework that considers their flexibility needs and supports their career aspiration while becoming and being a parent. We have people at all ranks, from graduates to partners, who use and benefit from this flexible model.
Regarding your second question: Our children are a catalyst for change. The next generation will help us accelerating and closing some of the gaps faster. My daughter, aged 12, is growing up with a mindset of no limits – anyone can do everything!
10 years Advance, engaging for a gender equal workplace. What is your wish for progress in gender balance in the next 10 years? And how do you see the role of leaders on this journey?
As a father, I have a very real interest that my daughter has every opportunity to pursue and fulfill her own personal purpose and career ambitions. Advancing gender equality is a key part of this.
Advancing the gender balance in our workplace is the responsibility of all of us. I am personally very focused on coaching the next generation of leaders. They are well positioned to lead and harness diversity, equity and inclusion and to accelerate our journey towards a better working world.
At EY Switzerland in recent years, we have opened up all our leadership and development programs to the next generation, focusing on transformative and inclusive leadership skills. The feedback from our up-and-coming talents, both female and male, is very positive and a sign that we are on the right track.
How much time do you invest in domestic chores?
Raising a family and running a household alongside a career is a constant balancing act. My wife returned to work a few years ago. We are leveraging hybrid working models to flexibly manage between business, home and private life. Equally, as children grow and develop, what they need from us as parents evolves. This reinforces the importance of flexibility at work to respond to these changing needs.
As a family, we share a lot of the domestic work. My wife and I both enjoy cooking and keeping our garden in good shape, while our daughter often takes our dog out for a walk.
ey HAS CHOSEN THE «ADVANCINE» «WAYS TO EQUALITIES» by sultana savvi
Partner companies of the exhibition could choose an «Advancine» as part of their sponsorship, which will continue to inspire employees, managers and customers alike after the exhibition at the company headquarters.
Discover the artwork «Ways to equalities» by Sultana Savvi!
in discussion with EY
How is Gender Diversity connected with the business success of your company?
Diversity is one of the key factors for our firm’s ability to minimize blind spots, drive better decision-making, and encourage truly innovative thinking. We are committed to maximizing the power of all differences and realizing the full potential of all our employees to deliver long-term value to our people, our clients and communities. For more details, you can read the EY Global Executive DE&I statement.
EY DE&I Statement
what are your three most successful initiatives and measures to balance the gender representation in management?
Inspiring EY leaders to be accountable for creating an inclusive culture
To hold leaders and ultimately all employees in Switzerland accountable for creating and embedding an inclusive culture we linked the respective behaviors to the Transformative Leadership framework of our corporate NextWave strategy.
Re-writing the leadership norms
To boost the career aspirations of our younger talents, we implemented a systematic approach which gives our people new perspectives and boosts their desire to lead. At the same time, this approach radically improves the probability that people in power recognize, encourage and reward potential.
Using storytelling to build psychological safety
Storytelling is one of the most powerful forms of communication; it grabs attention, raises empathy and opens new perspectives. At EY, we use storytelling to build an equitable and inclusive culture that naturally encourages women to pursue their own path.
Why did ey choose THE artwork «ways to equalities»? What is the message that you would like to convey to your employees and beyond?
«Ways to equalities» expresses the conviction and positive feeling about the journey to equality. It connects the female journey with equality for all people and visualizes our purpose of Building a better working world.
discover exciting videos from ey
Diversity, equity and inclusiveness | EY – Switzerland
Explore four compelling videos here on «My Career: It’s mine to build».
«My Career»
Explore MORE CEO INTERVIEWS
Find the overview of all CEO interviews here.
Which statements make an impression on you personally?
FIND ALL THE ARTWORKS HERE
