The Implementation of Gender Equality is a Moral Obligation that Sintesa Group Believes Can Contribute to the Success of the Organization

Sintesa Group has come a long way in the 100 years since its establishment. Although it started out as a family business, the company who currently has 17 subsidiaries continues to transform to adapt with the dynamics of the business world as well as to hone resiliency to become a leading company. From a family company, Sintesa has continued to develop into a strategic investment holding company with 4 main business pillars: Consumer Goods, Industrial Products, Energy and Property.

One of the transformation milestones in the Sintesa Group journey is the establishment of a vision as a Sustainable Excellence company. This commitment is applied in the business development strategy to the value chain in the subsidiaries through the Road Map of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Sintesa for the Earth.

One of the SDGs commitments that becomes the focus of implementation in the Road Map is Goal 5: Gender Equality. Sintesa Group believes that the company has a significant role in promoting and implementing a collaborative culture based on equality. The application of gender equality is a moral obligation that is believed to contribute to productivity and growth so that it becomes the driving force for organizational success.

Various initiatives were also carried out to encourage the company to create a comfortable working environment for employees who have multiple roles as well as support changes to achieve gender equality in the Sintesa Group’s work environment. One of them is by joining the Indonesia Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (IBCWE). The intensive assistance, consultation and coordination provided by IBCWE makes the Sintesa Group easier to map targets and key indicators in the SDGs Road Map, especially for Goals 5 related to gender equality.

Moreover, the assistance provided by IBCWE led to one of the Sintesa Group subsidiaries – PT Tira Austenite, Tbk to be one of the first seven Indonesian companies to receive EDGE certification in 2019.

To get EDGE certification, PT Tira Austenite, Tbk had to go through a fairly detailed audit process that includes various elements, namely Recruitment & Promotion, Leadership Development, Training & Mentoring, Top Talent, Managers with Profits & Loss, Board Composition, Equal Pay, Employment, Flexible Work Option, and Parental Leave.

Furthermore, EDGE certification becomes a navigation guide to ensure policies and corporate actions that promote gender equality can become a work culture, and develop directions for accelerating the implementation of gender equality in the work environment, such as standardizing equal pay policies, recruitment and promotion, flexible working, equal employment opportunities to leadership development.

“Internally, this certification has succeeded in encouraging all components of the company to be more concerned with gender issues, such as discrimination against women in the workplace to sexual harassment issues. Thanks to this certification, PT Tira Austenite has the opportunity to meet and discuss with other companies in Southeast Asia and communicate with institutions such as Investing Women in order to gain insights on the implementation of gender equality in companies,” said Selo Winardi as the President Director of PT. Tira Austenite, Tbk.

The implementation of EDGE certification at PT Tira Austenite as a subsidiary of the Sintesa Group serves as a guide for other subsidiaries in implementing similar policy standardization, which began in stages since 2020. Among other things, evaluating policies related to gender equality and inclusiveness on an ongoing basis so that they can become strategic guidance in the strategic investment company Sintesa Group that are applicable to all subsidiaries.