«Plurality of opinions expressed as a team view will on average always yield a better decision and a better decision-making process than a single decision made by a single individual including the CEO.»
Lukas Ruflin, CEO & Member of the Executive Committee Leonteq
Interview WITH lukas ruflin
«Stronger when equal»: We are all stronger, when equal. What does this mean for you personally?
I believe that as human beings we all deserve the same fundamental rights no matter what gender. This is something that is also put forward in constitutions around the world. What we know from research and from historical evidence is that teams make better decisions than individuals. And of course, a good team is created when each team member can contribute as an equal while at the same time being able to share his or her different viewpoint. This in combination makes us all stronger.
What advice about creating a diverse and inclusive workplace would you have liked to have as a young leader?
Plurality of opinions expressed as a team view will on average always yield a better decision and a better decision-making process than a single decision made by a single individual including the CEO.
«I would propose that people do not put career and family one versus the other. The question should be how to be able to do both, and not what compromise to make in one area in order to progress faster in the other.»
What would you tell young people who would like to have a career and a family? How should we raise our children to achieve gender equality faster?
I would propose that people do not put one versus the other. In order to live a happy life, both the career and the family are essential parts. The question should be how to be able to do both, and not what compromise to make in one area in order to progress faster in the other.
As we know children learn by example, and parents who treat their partner and their children – irrespective of their gender – the same will give, in my opinion, the best example so that these children will accept gender equality for what it should be – normal.
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 in so many other areas in life, it is both about more employers fully subscribing to the normality of gender equality, but it’s obviously also about the availability of a skilled work force.
For Leonteq, I very much hope that when we need to hire additional staff for our business that we will be able to select from a wide and diverse talent pool. In this context, I am convinced that by adequately training our leaders and addressing potential gender stereotypes, we will be able to further boost our employability.
How much time do you invest in domestic work? If you have a family or live in a partnership, is this work equally distributed? What is your preferred type of housework?
Well, I work quite a bit in the office, so the domestic work is limited. I also live alone so it’s unequally distributed which means I do everything. What I prefer most among those tasks is washing and cooking.
Leonteq engages as a sponsor of the exhibition «Equal?! Switzerland on the way to equality»
Get inspired by the 30 «Advancine» sculptures and large information walls with facts & figures around gender (in-)equality at the exhibition at Zurich main station (March 8-22, 2023), or explore the artworks online.
Book a guided tour in English here!
in conversation with leonteq
How is Gender Diversity connected with the business success of your company?
Increasing the talent pool
Gender diversity allows Leonteq to broaden its talent pool, which becomes even more important in times when there is a shortage of skilled workers. This, of course, is equally important as having talents from different geographies with different cultural backgrounds. While Leonteq employs individuals from over 50 different nations, I am also a strong believer in the added value of having more female employees on board.
In that context, we consider both our current gender diversity and our aspiration to further increase it, fundamental for the current and future business success of Leonteq. This is also why Leonteq has defined gender diversity as one of its 2026 ESG Targets within its sustainability efforts.
Boosting innovation, improving risk management and being attractive for female clients
Diversity per se is the fundament to bring in new and/or other beliefs and opinions and will also help us to promote innovation, because through diverse viewpoints we improve our decision-making and risk management. At the same time, we will be able to foster a more inclusive culture.
Additionally, gender diversity in our teams in general, and in our sales force in particular, will certainly help us to better understand our female clientele and increase such share of female clients.
what are Your most successful measures to balance the gender representation in management?
Graduate Program
We continue to broaden our talent pool and are already very proud of our annual Graduate Program with an intake of approx. 20 male and female Master Graduates. During the years 2021/2022, we increased our recruiting and brand awareness activities in Switzerland and Europe to attract more female talent directly from the university which will help us to diversify our pipeline already at the entry-level.
Conscious female talent development and stronger focus on our workplace culture
We believe that in order to balance gender representation in management we will have to continue to develop and promote female employees on all hierarchical levels. With this in mind, we recently established a new position for Education & Talent Development with a positive impact on the overall employee satisfaction and reinforcement of the fact that we take care of our people. Furthermore, we analyzed our workplace culture through an evidence-based methodology and are proud of the fact that we became «Great Place to Work» certified in Switzerland and Portugal in October 2022.
Benefiting from the Advance program and community
In 2022, we became a member of Advance, which will put us more in the spotlight in the sense that we are being held accountable to make a difference. The various workshops offered by Advance will support our (female) talents on their growth path and will ultimately help to retain them at the company.
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FIND ALL THE ARTWORKS HERE
Get inspired by the 30 «Advancines» artworks!
Which is your favourite one?
Overview artworks