Mars, Inc. has launched #HereToBeHeard, a campaign to raise the voices of women and advance gender equality in businesses and the workplace.

As part of the companysFull Potentialplatform for action on gender equity in its workplaces, sourcing communities, and the marketplace, #HereToBeHeard asks women everywhere: What needs to change so more women can reach their full potential? The responses will inform the concrete actions Mars will take both within its value chain and in broader society to close the gender opportunity gap.

Victoria Mars, Mars Board Member and ambassador of Mars Full Potential program:Women have played a powerful role in our history and leadership at Mars. But we have more to do. Were striving to empower more women within our workplace, and across our extended value chain.

The magnitude and urgency of gender inequality in society demands more action. If global business doesnt listen and step up now, then when? Business can have an outsized impact on driving change at scale. At Mars were seizing this opportunity to expand the conversation and drive action. The #HereToBeHeard movement is about ensuring that all womens voices have a chance to be heard and translating what we hear into impact plans that advance gender equality.

To kick off the conversation, Emmy award-winning actress and hostTamera Mowry-Housleyjoins a roster of inspiring women influencers includingPoppy Jamie,HaniSidow,Helen Wu&KellieGerardiwho will lend their experiences and invite women to share their voices and vision at beheard.mars.com.

Emmyaward-winningactress and hostTamera Mowry-Housley:Its unacceptable that so many women continue to face disproportionate barriers and roadblocks at work, at home and in their daily lives. If were really going to ensure every woman reaches her full potential, we have to consider the diversity of our backgrounds, our talents and our experiences. All our voices deserve to be heard.

I think its brave for a major corporation like Mars to say weve not done enough and that its time to listen up. Thats why Im excited to help Mars elevate the voices of many of the women who go unheard.

Currently, women make up 51 percent of the worlds population and could contribute$28 trillionto the global GDP, and yet so often their voicesgounheard. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, the United Nations estimatedit would take more than a century to close the gender opportunity gap. Now, the pandemic has set progress for gender equality back by 25 years. Its impact has been particularlydevastatingfor women in minority groups who for far too long have been overlooked in the conversation.

The initial phase of #HeretoBeHeard, where womens voices will be collected, will run through March; after which the submissions will be analyzed by the Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative (FOMI) atOxford UniversitysSad Business School. The results will be shared with the world in a study byOxfordthis summer and will inform the action plans of Mars Full Potential platform, including policies Mars can implement and advocate for in its commitment to unlock opportunities for women.

Launched last year, the Full Potential program aims to drive gender equality for all through a range of actions. By putting inclusivity and diversity at the heart of its efforts, Mars has:

We want to hear your voice. Visit beheard.mars.com to learn more, complete the short survey and continue the conversation with #HereToBeHeard.

The #HereToBeHeard Hub can also be found in the following translations:

#HereToBeHeard Quotes for Attribution

CEO of CARE,Michelle Nunn:In our work with Mars in the cocoa-growing communities in Cte dIvoire andGhana, we see first-hand how the voices of women are suppressed. Many face poor access to education, a lack of opportunity to gain dignified work and in some cases violence. At CARE we strongly believe that women should be given the simple right to voice their opinion on how to make the world a better place. That is why we are very proud to lend our voice to Mars #HereToBeHeard campaign.

Madeline Di Nonno, Chief Executive Officer of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media:We are proud tosupport #HereToBeHeard, an important global campaign which aims to give women and girls the opportunity to have their say. #SeeitBeit!

ProfessorAndrew Stephen, Associate Dean of Research, LOral Professor of Marketing and Director of FOMI at Oxford Sad: Were delighted to welcome Mars to the Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative, and thrilled to be working with them on #HereToBeHeard. The work will help to address elements of gender inequality in business and will inform tools and actions to help address these imbalances. We hope that these findings will become part of a meaningful and evergreen resource for the public and other communities in business and beyond.

ABOUT #HERETOBEHEARD#HereToBeHeard is a global campaign from Mars, Incorporated which drives change on gender inequality, in support of Goal Five of the UNs Sustainable Development Goals. It is part of Full Potential, Mars platform for action on gender which aims to empower women and close the gender gap in the places we work, the communities where we source our ingredients and in the way we create our advertising. For more information on the Full Potential platform and the #HereToBeHeard survey, visit beheard.mars.com andmars.com

For more information about Mars, please visitwww.mars.com. Join us onFacebook,Twitter,LinkedIn,InstagramandYouTube.

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