Cyprus 4.0: Andrie Penta

Andrie Penta’s primary responsibility is to assist organisations in creating and maintaining a skilled, motivated, and productive workforce by offering pertinent and efficient training programmes that address the unique requirements and objectives of the organisation. “Coaching, training, advising and team-building exercises can all help achieve this,” Penta said.

Andrie Penta is a Master Trainer for Door Training & Consulting, a world leader in human performance enhancement with a global presence in 53 countries. In the past, she was responsible for establishing the first Ronald McDonald House® on the island.

Please provide a brief business description, summarising what your business/organisation does, its purpose, and what makes it unique.
“Door Training & Consulting is a 40-year veteran of training and consulting corporate executives. A total of 600+ facilitators, coaches, trainers, and consultants work with it globally, and it has trained more than half of the Fortune 500 firms.

“Its emphasis on developing training solutions that are based on the KPIs of the clients is what sets it apart. Training courses cannot be purchased off the shelf. After carefully analysing the training needs, everything is designed from scratch. Every workshop or training is designed to be interactive and outcome-driven (ROI in mind).”

How does an increase in the number of women in the workforce benefit businesses and organisations?
“It goes without saying that businesses and organisations have a greater range of opinions the more varied their personnel is. Having more women in the workforce can lead to several advantages. For instance, collaboration will increase since women typically have a more inclusive and collaborative approach at work. Better teamwork and communication may result from this, which may boost output and efficiency.

“According to research, businesses with a more diverse workforce—including women—have higher rates of employee retention. This is due to the fact that when employees realise that their company is devoted to diversity and inclusion, they feel more valued and supported.

“It is true that women prefer to treat their profession with more creativity and innovation. This might spark the development of fresh concepts and methods that would aid companies in maintaining their competitiveness and adjusting to shifting market dynamics. I personally feel that businesses and organisations can profit greatly from a rise in the proportion of women in the workforce.”

What does it mean to be a female pioneer in your industry, in this day and age?
“Being a female pioneer in any field may mean overcoming barriers, challenging the status quo, dealing with prejudice and discrimination, being mentally tough by enduring hardship and paving the way for future generations of women. It is particularly significant in the modern world, since gender equality is still far from being fully realised in many professions and jobs.

“Talking from personal experience, it entails making efforts to break down the glass ceiling and providing other women with chances to prosper in industries that are male dominated. In the end, being a female pioneer involves pushing for greater gender diversity and inclusion, utilising your voice to influence change, and encourage others to join you on the path to a more equitable world.”

How would you describe the gender dimension in Cypriot society based on your own experience?
“It is still common in Cyprus for males to be expected to provide for the family while women are expected to take care of domestic duties. This may result in fewer opportunities for women to pursue careers, especially leadership ones.

“While being ranked 72 out of 156 countries for gender equality (according to the International Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021) may demonstrate progress, however there is still a significant gender gap in terms of political empowerment, health, and economic participation and opportunity.

“Our island is still inclusive of women who are underrepresented in leadership roles in both the public and commercial sectors and who are more likely to have part-time or low-paying occupations.

“Nonetheless, great initiatives to solve these problems have been made in recent years, such as the introduction of the Gender Equality Commissioner, as well as legislation and regulations that support gender equality and women’s empowerment.”