International Women’s Day interview
On International Women’s Day, Julie Leblan, one of the WIIN co-founders, is having a conversation with Jill Goldworn, Chief Revenue Officer & Denis Huré, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founders at the first club on how to empower women in the incentives and loyalty industry.
Below is a glimpse of a very “lively” call with laughs and great stories shared.
How do you support women in your organization?
Jill: As a woman co-Founder with over 50% of the team at the first club comprising women, one of the things I find most gratifying is women acknowledging, promoting and lifting other women up. Through our sponsorship of WiiN's celebration of International Women's Day delivering Melinda Gates audio book, The Moment of Lift, inspired by her quote "A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman." we are delighted to have an opportunity to highlight the work of a prominent female voice of our generation. Personally, I feel an obligation to recognize and promote female talent whenever possible and with so many obstacles to gender equality it's time to encourage the businesses we support to pledge for parity.
Denis: As the CEO of a company with a female partner and a majority of women, or I should say extraordinary women, and the father of 2 girls, I am amazed that in 2021 we are still at this level of gender inequality around the World. We need to keep changing minds, and to do this education is key.
Women should be as entitled to access knowledge and any type of position as men and men should understand they are, and this is achieved via education. In our company we support, encourage and in most cases pay for, continuous education and personal development for anyone to advance their career and personal well-being.
What can we do more?
Jill: Support, encourage and amplify women's voices in the Boardroom and in every aspect of their contribution inside the Company, a quote I resonate with is:
"We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced" Malala Yousafzai, writer & activist.
The theme this year for International Women's Day "Choose to Challenge", is calling on us all to think critically about our own thoughts and actions and how we can better promote gender inequality and celebrate women's achievements. I strive to do this every day in my own work and one of the ways I will continue to forward the conversation is by being a member and part of the mentorship program at WiiN not just to change minds, but to elevate and change the way women are seen and heard in their careers.
Denis: I do also believe in the power of example. All these great women demonstrate to all the generations to come, achieving great goals is possible by any woman.
A quote I resonate with by Coco Channel, French (like me) and born in Saumur (like me):
"A woman should be two things: Who and what she wants."
What is the future of incentives according to you?
Jill: The future of incentives in today's increasingly virtual world will be delivered how and where consumers want, and the demand is increasingly for smaller rewards delivered often, easy to earn and with a large selection of redemption options. In this pandemic environment, consumers undeniably prefer receiving incentives instantly and digitally and in most cases direct-to-mobile, and the need to redeem rewards early on in the customer life cycle is ever more important.
People are savvy about the myriad of choices and we want to drive them toward engagement and the desire to re-purchase and grow share of wallet. Brands are becoming more focused on developing a two-way relationship, providing personalized meaningful interactions and experiences and will be forced to become less and less transactional.
It's no longer enough for companies to offer rewards that take a year to earn, they need to be tied to an emotional experience for "a show me you know me" relationship that builds customer loyalty and long term value for both parties. At the first club, we are on the cutting edge of the incentive marketplace and currently offer 60 million choices of instant digital entertainment updated daily and delivered worldwide, all just a few clicks away.
We frequently add to our digital reward selection with meaningful new categories, see what's new and available for your customers and employees at thefirstclub.com.