BigChefs Makes New Commitments for a Gastronomy World Where Women Are Empowered.

BigChefs, a company focused on creating an inclusive and equitable work culture in the gastronomy world, announced new corporate commitments to women's representation in the workplace on International Women's Day, March 8th. With the goal of increasing the percentage of female employees to 45% by 2030, the company is taking concrete steps to strengthen gender equality and aims to integrate this approach more strongly into its corporate policies and human resources practices.

The company reflects the importance it places on the representation of women in business in its corporate structure. BigChefsThe company is among the member companies of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), a global initiative supporting gender equality in the business world. Within the framework of the Target Gender Equality Programme, implemented under the UNGC, the company developed its action plan based on two fundamental principles:

• High-level Corporate Leadership
• Employee Health, Well-being and Safety

In this context, the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) support statement signed by CEO Altan Kosova was published on the WEPs platform, formalizing the institution's corporate commitment to gender equality.

The target for female employee ratio is 45%.

At BigChefs today, women make up 35% of the total workforce, including franchises, and 33% of senior management positions are held by women leaders. Kitchen operations stand out as the area with the highest female representation within the company, with 50% of employees being women.

BigChefs aims to further improve these rates by increasing the percentage of female employees to 45% by 2030. To achieve this goal, new recruitment and career development policies are being implemented to increase the number of women employed and in leadership positions. The BigTalentDNA talent management project, implemented in the field, is positioned as a fundamental building block of a fair, inclusive, and sustainable human resources approach.

The company is also implementing new practices to support the physical and emotional well-being of its employees. The MultiSport program offers employees opportunities for sports and healthy living, while expanded health services aim to create a more supportive workplace culture. In addition, it was announced that the Meditopia Employee Support Platform will be launched, allowing employees to receive support from experts in various fields when needed. Through this platform, employees will be able to access support from specialists in different areas such as clinical psychology, dietetics, veterinary medicine, family counseling, physiotherapy, and child and adolescent therapy. Supportive services such as infant sleep health counseling and breastfeeding counseling, which female employees may need at different stages of their lives, will also be offered within this framework.

The aim of these implemented practices is to provide an employee experience that simplifies their daily lives, supports their well-being with a holistic approach, and makes them feel supported at every moment of their lives.

A new step towards equal education and opportunities.

BigChefs' approach to gender equality is not limited to internal policies. The company also invests in social responsibility projects that support stronger representation of women in the industry in the future.

In this context, BigChefs aims to contribute to stronger representation of women in the gastronomy sector. "Future Women Chefs" The project was launched. As the first step of the project, a donation was made to the project fund established within the Turkish Education Foundation (TEV) on March 8th, International Women's Day. With this support, the aim is to help young women studying in the field of gastronomy realize their dreams and take a stronger position in the sector.

Gamze Cizreli, Founder and Chairperson of BigChefs, said the following regarding the role of women in business:

“The presence of women in business is not just a matter of representation; it is also a force that shapes the culture, production methods, and future of organizations. When we founded BigChefs, and as we continue to grow it today, we believe that the labor and perspective of women are central to our business. Therefore, we set concrete goals to increase female employment within the organization and we also prioritize supporting the education of young women, contributing to the development of future female chefs and leaders.”