Vedanta Aluminum set to achieve 30% women employee ratio by FY25: CEO

Vedanta Aluminium has said it is on course to achieve the goal of having 30 per cent women employees among its workforce by the end of the next financial year, much ahead of the timeline of 2030 set by the company.

The total headcount of Vedanta Aluminium is over 25,000 -- both direct and indirect employees -- of which 22 per cent are women (direct employees), according to the company's CEO John Slaven.

"The company is on track to achieve a ratio of 30 per cent women employees on its rolls by the end of FY25. Notably, the milestone is set to arrive five years sooner than the company's stated target of 2030, with women professionals already comprising 22 per cent of the total number of employees," Slaven told PTI.

 

He said that the global manufacturing industry must invest in women professionals to take advantage of benefits from diverse perspectives, directly resulting in better decision-making, well-rounded offerings for diverse markets, and superior customer service.

"Working at Vedanta Aluminium offers women professionals the assurance of equal access to opportunities," Suneela MVS, Head - Project Management Office, Growth Projects at BALCO (a unit of Vedanta Aluminium) said.

The company's policy also includes hiring of spouse, a year long sabbatical to help take care of infant children, and flexible working hours.

Additionally, the company has introduced night shifts for women at its Odisha operations through the 'Shree Shakti' initiative, becoming one of the few companies in the state to do so. Besides, employees live in townships having all modern amenities within the proximity to the plants.

"Vedanta Aluminium provides women employees the necessary springboard needed to advance their careers," Hemant Raghav, Head - Plant Security, Vedanta Jharsuguda, said.

The company has been actively working to address the gender gap in the metals industry through equitable workplace practices.

Vedanta Aluminium, a unit of Vedanta Ltd, produced more than half of India's aluminium in FY'23.