The Kering Foundation
The Kering Foundation was created in 2008 to combat violence against women. A pioneer on this issue, it seeks to break the silence and change mentalities through partnerships with local NGOs and awareness campaigns to support women survivors of violence.
To carry out its mission, the Foundation favors an approach that focuses on cooperation and jointly constructed initiatives. It forges long-term partnerships with local NGOs and social entrepreneurs. Awareness-raising actions are also organized internally and externally to change behavior and draw greater attention to a subject that remains taboo.
“Wherever women’s integrity and dignity are attacked, I believe each of us has a particular responsibility. Having long been involved in actions of solidarity with women, I want Kering to be at their side everywhere in the world.”
François-Henri Pinault
Kering CEO and Chairman of the Kering Foundation
Since 2012, the Kering Foundation has raised public awareness through its White Ribbon For Women campaign on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25. The objective is to mobilize support in this combat. In 2018, the seventh White Ribbon For Women campaign called on generation Z to stand up to cyberbullying with the hashtag #IDontSpeakHater.
Every two years since 2008, Kering Foundation Awards have been given to social entrepreneurs who have developed innovative ways to combat violence against women. Each award winner benefits from a six-month incubation progam with a social innovation expert, a financial grant and two years of mentorship under the guidance of Kering personnel.
In 2018, the Foundation supported seven projects. Among them, a digital app that makes it easier for women who are victims of sexual violence to file a complaint; an organization that helps women who have requested asylum to integrate economically and socially; and an innovative program working with men on healthy masculinity.
Press kit of the Kering Foundation Awards.
Awareness-raising is an important part of the Kering Foundation’s program to create a supportive work environment in the Group for women who have been victims of violence. To break the silence and change mentalities, the Foundation offers training sessions on domestic violence for Kering employees, with more than 1,200 staff members having already benefited. In parallel, training sessions have been held for members of the Group and brands’ Executive Committees since 2017.
In Europe, one in three women is a victim of physical or psychological violence during her lifetime. Companies thus have a responsibility to address this issue and offer victims of violence a welcoming work environment. That is why the Kering Foundation and FACE (Fondation Agir Contre l’Exclusion) have joined together to launch the European corporate network, CEASE, with the support of the European Commission. The objective is to combat violence against women and its repercussions in the workplace. On November 9, 2018, Kering and several major companies signed the Companies United to End Violence Against Women charter.
