The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
NEW DELHI, MARCH 07, 2024
In a pioneering move ahead of International Women’s Day 2024, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s leading aluminium producer, has unveiled #TheFutureOfMetAL campaign, igniting a powerful social media movement aimed at championing women’s roles in metals and mining. Leveraging cutting-edge generative AI and captivating short films, the campaign seeks to inspire and attract more women to explore enriching careers in these traditionally male-dominated sectors.
The initiative responds to industry-wide challenges in increasing female representation, hindered by entrenched biases and a lack of relatable role models. #TheFutureOfMetAL boldly addresses this obstacle on two fronts: showcasing the industry’s allure as a destination for early-career women professionals and spotlighting inspiring role models from Vedanta Aluminium’s own ranks to provide aspirational glimpses into potential career trajectories.
With a vision to achieve gender parity, Vedanta Aluminium aspires to have women comprise at least one-third of its workforce in the near future. The first phase of the campaign, titled ‘Women of Mettle’, unveils a series of riveting short films featuring young women professionals tackling pivotal roles within Vedanta Aluminium, including night shifts on equal footing with male counterparts.
In the second phase, dubbed ‘The Future Female Series’, the campaign utilizes Generative AI technology to envision these trailblazing women transitioning into a technologically advanced future, symbolizing the enduring appeal and potential of careers in metals and mining.
The campaign is now live on all leading social platforms, viewable on these links: Women of Mettle: https://t.ly/DiL_g; The Future Female Series:https://t.ly/DxdPF
The campaign, accessible across all major social media platforms, showcases narratives that carry profound significance as women remain significantly underrepresented in these critical sectors, poised for exponential growth amidst India’s economic advancement and global energy transition.
The narratives presented in the campaign are significant as women continue to be grossly underrepresented in themetals, mining and manufacturing sectors. These industries are expected togrow exponentially owing to India’s rapid economic progress and the accelerating energy transition globally, which calls for a metal-intensive future. Vedanta Aluminium is also actively expanding its operations to cater to this growing demand. It will result in an explosion of new career pathways in these sectors. However, they face a widening talent gap, led by misconceptions that jobs in these areas necessitate physically intensive labour, which has in fact been negated with the introduction of technologies such as robotics and automation as well as improved processes.
In this context, #TheFutureofMetAL presents a more accurate picture of the manufacturing sector. Vedanta Aluminium already has an industry-leading number of women employees, and aims to ensure that 50% of all new hires are women. Those already on its rolls are fitting role models who could inspire innumerable others to explore careers in manufacturing. The campaign is therefore a uniquely creative ode to the increasing participation of women in an essential and fast-growing industry, leveraging the encouraging experiences of its women professionals to advocate for greater gender representation.
John Slaven, CEO of Vedanta Aluminium, emphasized the strategic imperative of boosting female participation within the organization, stating, “At Vedanta Aluminium, we are building an environment primed for high performance and innovation. Boosting female participation inour teamsprovides us withinvaluable access to a wider spectrum of opinions and perspectives. This in turn provides for well-rounded decision-making, enables us to cater to diverse markets and ensures superior customer service. Addressing the gender gapdoesn’t just make solid business sense, it also allows for equitable and sustainable growth.”
Vedanta Aluminium has spearheaded numerous initiatives to enhance women’s participation in the industry, including pioneering the deployment of women in night shifts in Odisha and instituting flexible working policies to support employees at different life stages. Additionally, the company’s residential townships offer world-class amenities, ensuring a vibrant family and community life for its workforce.
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, stands as India’s foremost aluminium producer, recognized for manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium and leading in value-added aluminium products critical to core industries. With its unwavering commitment to sustainable development practices, Vedanta Aluminium continues to pave the way for a greener tomorrow, positioning aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’.
