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DALLAS, March 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of International Women's Day 2019, Kimberly-Clark is celebrating its ongoing commitment to advancing women in senior leadership roles and supporting social programs that empower women and girls.

Over the past 10 years, Kimberly-Clark has increased the number of women in senior management positions by 66% through a concerted effort to recruit, retain and promote a diverse roster of top talent.  Today, women make up 35% of the company's management roles globally, up from 21% in 2009.

To build on this progress, the company is expanding its professional development programs, which provides eligible women with 12 months of intensive leadership training, on-the-job development, and mentoring and coaching by senior leaders.  In addition, the company offers a range of benefits including flex-time and family leave to help employees manage work/life commitments, and recently launched a company-funded program for working mothers to ship breast milk to their children when they are away from home on business.

Many of these ideas have grown out of the Women's Inclusion Network, an employee resource group linking Kimberly-Clark women worldwide. First established in 1995 as the Women's Interactive Network, the group was recently renamed to "Inclusion" to reflect its members' belief that women's issues are everyone's issues.

"Kimberly-Clark has a strong track record of men in senior leadership engaging in the issues that matter to women," said Erin Martin, chair of the Women's Inclusion Network chapter in Neenah. "By continuing an active dialogue around diversity and inclusion, we are building a stronger organization that is better able to anticipate and meet the needs of consumers around the world."

Kimberly-Clark and its trusted brands also are driving social programs to advance equality and opportunity for women and girls worldwide. Access to clean, safe toilets is essential to helping women and girls manage their periods with dignity. Through the company's Toilets Change Lives program, Kimberly-Clark is partnering with nonprofit organizations to bring sanitation facilities and hygiene education to communities in eight countries.

Kimberly-Clark co-founded the Toilet Board Coalition, a group of leading companies, government agencies, sanitation experts and nonprofit organizations, which aims to develop commercially sustainable and scalable solutions to the sanitation crisis. Over the past year, the Coalition's Accelerator program for sanitation entrepreneurs serving low income markets nurtured innovative solutions like the Toilet Integration Bus that recycles aging transportation buses into portable public women's sanitation centers.

"Access to sanitation is a women's issue," said Alessandra Castro, Global Marketing Director for feminine care and Accelerator program mentor for the Toilet Integration Bus, "The lack of toilet facilities and access to products for period management leads many girls to drop out of school upon reaching puberty, denying them the education that will enable them to realize their true potential. When women and girls have access to toilets, clean water and education, they have access to dignity, health and safety."

Earlier this week, Kimberly-Clark was once again named one of the 2019 NAFE Top 70 Companies for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives. The award recognizes corporations that have moved women into top executive positions and created a culture that identifies, promotes and nurtures successful women. The company is also listed on Working Mother Magazine's 100 Best Companies, based on female representation, parental leave, family support, women's advancement and work-life balance.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people's most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what's important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Viva and WypAll, hold the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build stronger communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company's 147-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark