Adevinta expands its 2021 Women in Leadership programme as part of its commitment to develop talented women into successful senior leaders


Barcelona, 16 June 2021: Today Adevinta kicks off its third Women in Leadership programme, a year-long accelerated development scheme designed to get more talented, high-potential women ready to succeed in leadership roles. 

This year, the 2021 Women in Leadership programme will expand to three new cohorts of 20 women from 9 countries, taking the original programme of 18 participants to more than 75 talented women professionals. The programme will also be extended to employees from the eBay Classifieds Group (‘eCG’), subject to the closing of Adevinta’s proposed acquisition of eCG. 

Sponsored by the Senior Executive team, last year’s programme adapted quickly and continued virtually through Covid without interruption, with the second cohort completing in November 2020. Women from this programme have registered an 11% promotion rate of role expansion, (and 31% in 2019), compared to the company average of less than 5%.

Commenting on the programme, Nicki Dexter, Senior Vice President, People & Communications at Adevinta said: “Developing and retaining talented women will always be a cornerstone of Adevinta’s success. Beyond promoting our women leaders to the next level, we hope to offer them the right support and training to equip them with the skills to face more complex and challenging work situations. Businesses often underestimate the different pressures that women may encounter in front-line managerial positions, and this can deter them from progressing further with their career aspirations. We want to support our talented women to achieve their professional ambitions.” 

The 75 women professionals were selected from across Adevinta’s central team and from 10 local marketplaces, spanning 11 countries, which include: Adevinta Hungary, Jojofas, (Hungary), Leboncoin (France), Distilled SCH (Ireland), Kufar (Belarus), Segundamano (Mexico), Subito (Italy), OLX Brazil, (Brazil), Willhaben (Austria), and six brands in Spain – Milanuncios, Fotocasa, Habitaclia, InfoJobs, Coches.net, Motos.net. 

Women in Leadership Sponsor, CEO of Adevinta Spain, Gianpaolo Santorsola, said: “As a diverse group of local brands, we speak different languages, operate in different ways, and we embrace our diversity. I am strongly convinced that our talented women leaders are what makes Adevinta stronger as an organisation. As an ally and a fervid advocate of equality, having the opportunity to be involved in a project that nurtures our female leaders of tomorrow, for me, is a huge privilege.” 

Herenia Casas, Head of Customer Satisfaction, participated in the programme in 2018 and is now responsible for a large team of professionals and supports clients across Fotocasa, Habitaclia, Coches.net, InfoJobs, and Milanuncios with problem-solving, moderating advertisements, supplying products and services. 
She said: “My journey started with an assessment to identify my strengths and development needs. The scheme offered an intense learning opportunity that helped me define my working and leadership style.

“Having the opportunity to share challenges, experiences and stories with other women in similar positions across the business has opened a world of opportunity for me. With this supportive group of like-minded women behind me, I feel empowered to navigate this new and complex stage in my career.”

Nicki Dexter concludes: “Adevinta’s proposed acquisition of eCG will involve a compelling investment in terms of broadening our diverse pool of talent from across the two companies. To ensure that Adevinta remains at the forefront of recruiting the best people, we are continuing to invest substantially in belonging & inclusion initiatives, improving our employees’ experience and enhancing our appeal as an employer of choice.”

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Notes to Editors

Media contacts:

Mélodie Laroche
Head of Corporate Communications
T: +33 (0) 6 84 30 52 76
melodie.laroche@adevinta.com

About Adevinta
Adevinta is a global online classifieds specialist, operating digital marketplaces in 9 countries. The company provides technology-based services to connect buyers with sellers and to facilitate transactions, from job offers to real estate, cars, consumer goods and more. Adevinta’s portfolio includes more than 30 digital products and websites, attracting 1.3 billion average monthly visits. Leading brands include top-ranked leboncoin in France, InfoJobs and Milanuncios in Spain, and 50% of fast-growing OLX Brazil. Adevinta spun off from Schibsted ASA and publicly listed in Oslo, Norway in 2019. Adevinta is majority owned by Schibsted ASA and employs 4,700 people committed to supporting users and customers daily. Find out more at Adevinta.com.