Why are we even talking about female empowerment?

Words by Rachel Zammit Cutajar | Photography by Julia Boikova

With discussions of girl-power on the rise in every sphere, female empowerment seems stronger than ever. Different opinions hailing from a diversity in character, as well as nationality, colour and religious affiliation, affect the company’s bottom line. Rhi Burns, Chief Commercial Officer at Zimpler, believes that every candidate should be hired on merit, but until we can even out the score, we need to applaud every victory of the fairer sex.

When you live in Malta, it’s rather impossible to get away from the hype of Eurovision, and this year’s buzz came with mixed reviews over Malta’s representative, Destiny Chukunyere, and her choice of bubble-gum pink outfit. Though there was plenty of scrutiny, many applauded the plus-size singer for her message of female empowerment. But whether it’s onstage or in the boardroom, is this really a conversation we still need to be having in this day and age?

Research has shown time and again that the more female managers a company has, the more profitable it is. Economy and society have every interest in tapping into all the talent in their midst, and yet according to United Nations statistics, at the current rate of progress, we won’t reach gender parity until 2063. “We shouldn’t need to celebrate the appointment of a female CEO. This should be a non-story. A person with the right qualifications and the right attitude got the job. So what? But unfortunately, this IS something we need to celebrate, and we need to keep talking about if we’re ever going to get to a place where there are equal numbers of women on boards, equal numbers of men in nursing roles and the world evens itself out a little,” Rhi said.

The All-In Diversity Project puts female participation in the iGaming industry at 40% at executive board level, with just a little less than half that number in non-executive board positions at 22.5%, and even fewer female CEOs, at just 15%. Developed in partnership with the Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice at Oxford Brookes University, the All-Index 2019 Annual Report looked at data from 26 organisations across the industry, which together represent more than 100 global gambling brands.

Rhi Burns, AnnaMaria Anastasi, Sarah Louise Nunn

Rhi believes there is a benefit to hiring women on her team, so much so that the Malta team at Zimpler is made up solely of women. “This happened quite by accident, and the standing joke is that you have to be a woman to get a job with this team. We’re almost considering hiring a man just to prove otherwise!”

The three teams that Rhi manages form and an even 50-50 split, and the company as a whole employs women at a rate of 40/60. “I believe in hiring the right candidate for the job, regardless of gender, however, I have seen benefits in working on a female-strong team.”

“With our headquarters in Sweden, we tend to follow their policies even in Malta. The great maternity & paternity care gives women a fighting chance in the boardroom, as well as extra leave available for parents when their children are sick.”

Zimpler have always had a flexible working attitude towards both genders. “We believe in treating our staff with respect that they deserve, not just because we’re all human, but also because when people are happy at the workplace, they can achieve so much more, which in turn increases profitability for the company. Whether you have a sick child to take care of, or you need to take your cat to the vet, we allow flexibility that makes room for people to manage their own work-life balance. As this works for women – who tend to be the primary caregivers in the family – it also works for our male employees.”

The All-Index reports male domination in industries such as technology and those involving trading and risk roles, while women were more likely to hold positions in hospitality and human resources, which The All-In Diversity Project has put down to “traditional stereotypical assumptions” in the workplace. As a payment platform for iGaming companies and e-commerce sites, Zimpler operates in the male-dominated world of fintech. “Working as a young woman at such a high level in this industry has had its challenges, but we generally find the men working closest to us to be quite accepting. We have, however, refused candidates based on their attitudes towards working with – and taking instruction – from women. Building the right team is essential for getting the job done in the most efficient manner, and the problems dealing with difficult characters far outweighs those associated with hiring someone that needs technical training.”

According to the All-In Diversity Project of 2019, 83.3% of companies ran equal opportunities policies. “We are a small company of around 50 employees, so we don’t really have an equal opportunities policy per se. Nonetheless, we do encourage diversity at every level. The Malta team is made up of women from the UK, Poland, Russia and Malta, and our characters are very different, so we push each other to do different things.

“From a sales team aspect, you can have hunters or farmers. If your team is solely made up of hunters, you’re going to be liable to risk. But if you only employ farmers, then things are bound to move very slowly. It’s important to maintain diversity when it comes to nationality, ethnicity, and religion, just as it is important to maintain diversity in individual personalities.

Though quotas have proven to be effective in speeding up female participation in the boardroom (Norway saw an increase from 6% female participation in 2007 to 42% by 2016 following the implementation of quota legislation), Zimpler does not impose any such quotas. However, they do work towards a higher female participation rate. “We don’t want a company of bald Swedish men, solving only bald Swedish problems. To provide a service that is truly efficient you need input from lots of different people, and closing the gender gap is one way we can create solutions that work for a larger customer base.”