Jennifer Mercadal Wendling
Banque Palatine
Chief of staff, institutional life, and CSR.
Jennifer Mercadal Wendling, Chief of staff, institutional life, and CSR. at Banque Palatine, shares insights from her participation in the recent Paris conference organized by Qorus and Huawei.
Can you talk about the key focus areas at Banque Palatine that you discussed?
Certainly. Palatine is emphasizing four main areas:
• Gender parity
Our balanced gender governance is reflected in a 50% Rixain Law index in the executive team and the general management committee. The board of directors also maintains gender parity.
We reached a professional equality index of 95% in 2022. Currently, women hold approximately 47% of executive positions and about 40% of management roles.
Additionally, we have launched the Palatine Women Project, a supportive program specifically designed for women athletes transitioning into entrepreneurship.
I lead a diverse group called Palatine Pluriel, boasting around 140 members, including one-third who are men. This network is dedicated to empowering women, encouraging them to overcome personal barriers associated with education and sociology.
• Ambitious HR policies
Acknowledgment at the 2022 Social Dialogue Awards, attainment of the ‘Employee caregiver’ label, and the integration of ESG criteria into variable remuneration are some of our recent achievements.
Our emphasis on strong internal communication is reflected in initiatives such as sessions with inspiring personalities who come to talk about their passion and their profession, and webinars from the general management. These recurring events and the general management's guidance are elements that reduce stress and generate a climate of trust within the bank.
• CSR expertise
Our experts are actively guiding mid-size companies and private clients through their energy transition and commitment implementation. We're also introducing a co-ownership loan with the specific goal of helping our customers to reduce their carbon footprint.
• Reducing carbon footprint
Pioneering efforts include providing reconditioned smartphones to all employees and relocating our administrative headquarters to a new High Environmental Quality (HQE) building.
