Johnson & Johnson scores well on female exec opportunities

By Simon Pitman

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Anita roddick

Johnson & Johnson was the only US-based business involved in the personal care arena to be named amongst the top ten businesses for female executives.

The company was given the top honors by the National Association For Female Executives (NAFE) in its annual list for - heralded for the fact that nearly half of the New Jersey-based company’s workforce is female.

The NAFE honors list went on to highlight that nearly two thirds of the staff working in production and logistic positions at the company are female, as are two of the top five earners in 2009.

Johnson & Johnson was also commended for its active role in supporting education for women, highlighted by the fact that it has specific programs to support females moving into senior-level global assignments, together with programs to support women moving from specialist to strategist positions.

Exec boards need male and female members

“Smart companies are corralling women into profit-and-loss management and are reaping the benefits,”​ said NAFE president Betty Spence in a statement.

“Our recession has demonstrated that women manage risk better than men, in part because they tend to garner input from others, which puts brakes on rash behavior. Companies need to include women and men in their decision-making process.”

NAFE honored a total of 50 companies for their positive treatment of female executives, which also included Avon, Procter & Gamble, Pfizer and Palmolive-Colgate.

Why are there not more female execs in personal care?

Although the personal care industry is generally more focused on serving female consumers, industry analysts have expressed surprise at the lack of representation by female executives in top ranking positions.

The most high profile female executive in the industry is Avon CEO Andrea Jung, who has been credited with turning the company around thanks to a comprehensive restructuring program that has been implemented since 2005.

Other key female executives include the late Dame Anita Roddick, founder and CEO of the Body Shop, the late Mary Kay, founder of Mary Kay Inc and Leslie Blodgett, CEO of Bare Escentuals

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