The Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter (WIAAC) has welcomed its latest signatory, JetBlue Airways.
JetBlue joins the Charter’s 240 signatories in supporting improved gender balance across the aviation and aerospace industry. Supporting organisations include aviation, aerospace, airlines, airports, trade bodies and more. The airline has pledged to improve preparation and progression of women into senior leadership roles through a variety of recruitment efforts, development opportunities and education programmes for the next generation of aviation professionals, with an emphasis on greater gender parity. The Charter was signed by Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer at JetBlue.
JetBlue’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy focuses on creating greater access to select career paths, fostering equality by removing barriers to entry and growing a more diverse senior leadership team. Employee feedback was part of the impetus for JetBlue to re-examine and evolve its DEI platform, which is starting with a concentration on three areas: people, sourcing and brand, with plans to expand to other areas of the company. JetBlue’s DEI strategy includes an investment in crew members’ development, retention and growth, as well as long-term efforts to engage and work with minority and women owned businesses (MWBE). JetBlue is committed to achieving greater diversity in its leadership ranks, including increasing its representation of women at the officer and director level, from 32 per cent today to 40 per cent by the end of 2025
Diversity “affects ability to attract and retain top talent”
Charter signatory Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer at JetBlue, said: “At JetBlue, our goal is to reflect the diverse experiences, cultures and perspectives of the various communities we serve in all aspects of our airline. Diversity affects our ability to attract and retain top talent, while a more inclusive workplace drives better decision-making and innovation. Our greatest area of improvement is within our leadership ranks. With bold targets and new development programmes, we’re cultivating a more diverse workforce and charting a path to meet these objectives for both our crew members’ development as well as business’ success.”
Sumati Sharma, Co-Chair of the WIAAC and partner at Oliver Wyman, said: “JetBlue is a most welcome signatory to the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter. Their pledge to supporting improved gender balance within our sector comes at a crucial time as we rebuild the travel industry post-Covid. A recent Oliver Wyman report shows that there is a startling gender gap in the industry’s leadership, so this is a fantastic stride towards building the aviation and aerospace sectors of tomorrow. We look forward to working alongside this leading airline in creating more opportunities for underrepresented groups and driving wide-reaching, long-lasting change.”
WIAAC was launched at Farnborough Airshow 2018 with companies and organisations within the UK’s aviation and aerospace sectors making a commitment to work together to build a more balanced and fair industry for women.
For more information about WIAAC visit www.wiaacharter.com.
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