The Ringier Group’s EqualVoice initiative is committed to greater visibility of women in media coverage, in order to give their voices equal representation. Publisher Michael Ringier and CEO Marc Walder head the project, which was initiated by CFO Annabella Bassler.
“Our initiative has only just begun, but I am extremely pleased that it has already prompted a change in attitude both within the Ringier Group and beyond,” says Ringier CFO and EqualVoice initiator Annabella Bassler. “The highly positive reception to our initiative is also reflected in the prestigious members of our Advisory Board. Now with Pascale Baeriswyl and Yann Borgstedt, we have managed to further build on the specialist expertise within the committee and increased our extensive links in all business fields in our country.”
Pascale Baeriswyl has been head of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York since June 26, 2020. As a diplomat with an international network, she has an extensive track record in both multilateral and bilateral relations. The former State Secretary has made an impact in the areas of peace and security – for instance, in new protecting power mandates and peace efforts in regions such as Columbia, Mozambique, the Middle East and Nepal. Pascale Baeriswyl has been committed to equality of opportunity for more than three decades. As a student, she worked on issues of gender equality, before working at the Swiss National Science Foundation for a number of years and as a project manager in the field of non-violence. As a diplomat, the situation and rights of women has always been a focal point of her foreign postings and trips, and she has launched numerous projects in this area. During her time in Bern, she was committed to equal opportunities and organized numerous networking events to promote links between women in the private sector and the administration, foreign ambassadors and Swiss politicians. An important focus of her current role in New York is implementation of Agenda 2030, particularly Goal 5 on gender equality. Pascale Baeriswyl is convinced that images and words help shape our consciousness, and that media work is therefore central. She looks forward to bringing her expertise and network to the pioneering project EqualVoice.
Yann Borgstedt is a Swiss entrepreneur and philanthropist. In 2005, he established the Womanity Foundation, which concentrates on strengthening the role of women in Afghanistan, Brazil, India, the Middle East and South Africa, and supports such initiatives as “Girls Can Code” in Afghanistan. Yann Borgstedt advocates for the visibility of women in the Middle East by addressing in radio broadcasts the issue of gender equality and the role of women in present-day society. In recognition of his contribution to the strengthening of the role of women, Yann Borgstedt was welcomed as the first European and one of the few male members of Women Moving Millions (WMM). WMM is the largest organization of individuals who contribute USD 1 million or more to women and girls’ resources, and has increased the power of women’s philanthropy to accelerate progress toward gender equality. Along with EqualVoice Advisory Board member Carolina Müller-Möhl, Yann Borgstedt also sits on the board of EDGE, a Swiss organization that advocates for equality of professional opportunity between men and women.
Annabella Bassler: “Like the EqualVoice Initiative, Pascale Baeriswyl and Yann Borgstedt are convinced that women and men can achieve far more together. Yann Borgstedt goes even further. He once said that we are doomed to failure if we do not get men to change their way of looking at women. The key to success is to emphasize that empowerment of women is beneficial overall, rather than a loss or threat. It enables men and women to function as equal partners with the common goal of improving their society. We could not have wished for better role models for implementation of the goals of the EqualVoice initiative.”
Core of the EqualVoice initiative
“Instead of promoting quotas, we are using our journalistic and technological influence to advocate and implement gender equality – supported by the members of our Advisory Board who are each role models in their fields – in real, everyday situations,” says Annabella Bassler. “Equal treatment of women and men is a highly relevant concern in our society. So it is all the more important that we, the Ringier Group, drive this issue forward throughout Swiss society and make our contribution.”
Diverse EqualVoice Advisory Board
Since it was launched in November 2019, the EqualVoice initiative’s Advisory Board has attracted numerous prestigious members: Simona Scarpaleggia (Head of “The Future of our Work” global initiative INGKA Group (IKEA)), David Allemann (CEO and co-founder of On), Nicole Burth (former CEO of Adecco Switzerland), Ingrid Deltenre (media manager and board member), Christiane zu Salm (media entrepreneur and advisor), Franziska Tschudi Sauber (CEO of Weidmann Holding AG), Tanja Grandits (Michelin-star chef, “Chef of the Year 2019”) and Carolina Müller-Möhl (President of the Müller-Möhl Foundation) and Dr. Sabine Keller-Busse (Group Chief Operating Officer and President UBS Europe, Middle East and Africa).
Ringier AG, Corporate Communications
The Ringier Group’s EqualVoice initiative is committed to greater visibility of women in media coverage, in order to give their voices equal representation. Publisher Michael Ringier and CEO Marc Walder head the project, which was initiated by CFO Annabella Bassler.
“Our initiative has only just begun, but I am extremely pleased that it has already prompted a change in attitude both within the Ringier Group and beyond,” says Ringier CFO and EqualVoice initiator Annabella Bassler. “The highly positive reception to our initiative is also reflected in the prestigious members of our Advisory Board. Now with Pascale Baeriswyl and Yann Borgstedt, we have managed to further build on the specialist expertise within the committee and increased our extensive links in all business fields in our country.”
Pascale Baeriswyl has been head of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York since June 26, 2020. As a diplomat with an international network, she has an extensive track record in both multilateral and bilateral relations. The former State Secretary has made an impact in the areas of peace and security – for instance, in new protecting power mandates and peace efforts in regions such as Columbia, Mozambique, the Middle East and Nepal. Pascale Baeriswyl has been committed to equality of opportunity for more than three decades. As a student, she worked on issues of gender equality, before working at the Swiss National Science Foundation for a number of years and as a project manager in the field of non-violence. As a diplomat, the situation and rights of women has always been a focal point of her foreign postings and trips, and she has launched numerous projects in this area. During her time in Bern, she was committed to equal opportunities and organized numerous networking events to promote links between women in the private sector and the administration, foreign ambassadors and Swiss politicians. An important focus of her current role in New York is implementation of Agenda 2030, particularly Goal 5 on gender equality. Pascale Baeriswyl is convinced that images and words help shape our consciousness, and that media work is therefore central. She looks forward to bringing her expertise and network to the pioneering project EqualVoice.
Yann Borgstedt is a Swiss entrepreneur and philanthropist. In 2005, he established the Womanity Foundation, which concentrates on strengthening the role of women in Afghanistan, Brazil, India, the Middle East and South Africa, and supports such initiatives as “Girls Can Code” in Afghanistan. Yann Borgstedt advocates for the visibility of women in the Middle East by addressing in radio broadcasts the issue of gender equality and the role of women in present-day society. In recognition of his contribution to the strengthening of the role of women, Yann Borgstedt was welcomed as the first European and one of the few male members of Women Moving Millions (WMM). WMM is the largest organization of individuals who contribute USD 1 million or more to women and girls’ resources, and has increased the power of women’s philanthropy to accelerate progress toward gender equality. Along with EqualVoice Advisory Board member Carolina Müller-Möhl, Yann Borgstedt also sits on the board of EDGE, a Swiss organization that advocates for equality of professional opportunity between men and women.
Annabella Bassler: “Like the EqualVoice Initiative, Pascale Baeriswyl and Yann Borgstedt are convinced that women and men can achieve far more together. Yann Borgstedt goes even further. He once said that we are doomed to failure if we do not get men to change their way of looking at women. The key to success is to emphasize that empowerment of women is beneficial overall, rather than a loss or threat. It enables men and women to function as equal partners with the common goal of improving their society. We could not have wished for better role models for implementation of the goals of the EqualVoice initiative.”
Core of the EqualVoice initiative
“Instead of promoting quotas, we are using our journalistic and technological influence to advocate and implement gender equality – supported by the members of our Advisory Board who are each role models in their fields – in real, everyday situations,” says Annabella Bassler. “Equal treatment of women and men is a highly relevant concern in our society. So it is all the more important that we, the Ringier Group, drive this issue forward throughout Swiss society and make our contribution.”
Diverse EqualVoice Advisory Board
Since it was launched in November 2019, the EqualVoice initiative’s Advisory Board has attracted numerous prestigious members: Simona Scarpaleggia (Head of “The Future of our Work” global initiative INGKA Group (IKEA)), David Allemann (CEO and co-founder of On), Nicole Burth (former CEO of Adecco Switzerland), Ingrid Deltenre (media manager and board member), Christiane zu Salm (media entrepreneur and advisor), Franziska Tschudi Sauber (CEO of Weidmann Holding AG), Tanja Grandits (Michelin-star chef, “Chef of the Year 2019”) and Carolina Müller-Möhl (President of the Müller-Möhl Foundation) and Dr. Sabine Keller-Busse (Group Chief Operating Officer and President UBS Europe, Middle East and Africa).
Ringier AG, Corporate Communications