Name: Lauren Lofano
Title: Director, People & Culture Business Partnerships
Organization: Arc’teryx
The theme of International Women’s Day 2025 is “Accelerate Action.” What does this theme mean to you personally and professionally, and how is your organization embodying it?
“Accelerate Action” means moving faster and on a steeper growth scale. For women, it means removing barriers, amplifying voices, challenging the status quo and taking action to traditional women’s programming for her today, tomorrow, and years from now. It’s also a commitment where thoughts and words aren’t good enough – it’s a commitment to act on this steep growth trajectory.
And we need to acknowledge that we have ongoing and ever evolving challenges for women. We need to continue our forward movement, celebrate our wins, and acknowledge that we haven’t figured it all out yet – but we’re trying.
Here at Arc’teryx, I’m so lucky to work with incredible women on a daily basis; women who inspire me to do better, live to the fullest, and thoughtfully challenge my perspective. We work with extraordinary women athletes and ambassadors that actively take steps to address challenges that women within their sports are facing like Robin Van Gyn, Sandy Ward, and Michelle Parker.
Can you share a specific initiative or program your organization has implemented to support women? What inspired its creation, and what impact have you seen so far?
Disruptive evolution is part of our brand’s DNA. One example is our flexible hybrid practice for our head office employees. We give our people the space and discretion to choose what works best for them. For women and parents, we’ve heard incredibly positive feedback about this practice; it gives space for the various aspects of life to be cohesive and balanced. Simply put, we trust our people to do the right thing and what’s needed to be successful in their role and with their team.
We also recognize that not all our roles have the ability to do this due to the nature of work, including for our incredible group of employees who develop, manufacture, ship, and sell our product around the world. We’re committed to doing the right thing, listening, and creating action plans with our people across all environments.
How has your organization’s participation in Maturn’s programs supported women in your workplace? What outcomes or impacts have you seen as a result?
We currently participate in the Maturn Motherhood Leadership Coaching Program for women returning into the workplace. For one, the program allows connection between mothers within a larger community, creating a beautiful network of support and confidants. Second, the amount of care and feeling seen by our organization and our leaders has been echoed by many mothers. And third, the program vocalizes topics that may not be traditionally talked about or even acknowledged.
While we may not be able to control a sleepless night before a morning meeting or the heartbreaking experience of a challenging daycare drop off, it certainly gives space for thoughtful navigation for mothers as they experience parenthood in their own, unique way and brings attention and brings support to the mental load of rebalancing life, the experience of guilt or stress, and (re)-establishment of boundaries.
Looking to the future, what bold steps do you believe are necessary to truly accelerate action for women in the workplace? How is your organization preparing to take these steps?
Thinking about parenthood specifically, organizations can take a bold step forward in creating greater flexible work arrangements. For example, job-sharing opportunities, gradual entries for employees returning to work from maternity and parental leave, and return to work programs for parents out of the job market for an extended time due to childcare decisions.
Another hot topic is support for the female life cycle, including perimenopause and menopause – two topics that are starting to be talked about in wider circles but are barely scratching the surface – family planning, and gender affirming care.
At Arc’teryx, we are committed to making sure there are more women at every level, simply put.
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