The 2019 Gender-Equality Index highlights 230 firms that are trailblazers in their commitment to transparency in workplace gender reporting
ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ: WLTW), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, today announced that it is one of 230 companies selected for the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) which distinguishes companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality. The index doubled in size from 2018 and includes firms from 10 sectors headquartered across 36 countries and regions. Collectively, these firms have a combined market capitalization of USD9 trillion and employ more than 15 million people, of which 7 million are women, around the world. Thirteen markets are represented for the first time this year and include Argentina, China, Israel and South Africa.
John Haley, CEO Willis Towers Watson, said, “I am delighted that Willis Towers Watson has been recognized by the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index for its commitment to advancing women in the workplace. We strive to be an employer of choice for diverse talent and have taken an important step with our global commitment to gender parity in leadership by 2030 through our Paradigm for Parity pledge.”
“Gender equality is central to Willis Towers Watson’s wider commitment to inclusion and diversity. One of our objectives as a company is to attract, retain and develop the very best talent to serve our clients. Inclusion and Diversity has a direct impact on our ability to achieve this objective. An inclusive culture – one that embraces diverse ideas and perspectives – is critical to our ongoing, collective success.”
Bloomberg’s standardized reporting framework offers public companies the opportunity to disclose information on how they promote gender equality across four separate areas – company statistics, policies, community engagement and products and services. Reporting companies that score above a globally-established threshold, based on the extent of disclosures and the achievement of best-in-class statistics and policies, are included in the GEI. Demand for products and services using ESG data has seen a significant increase over the last years, as a growing number of investors are looking to incorporate environmental, social and governance data into their investment decisions. Still, currently only 10% of eligible companies are disclosing their workplace gender policies and practices.
“We applaud Willis Towers Watson and the other 229 firms tracked by the index for their action to measure gender equality through the Bloomberg GEI framework,” said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg and Founding Chairman of the U.S. 30% Club. “Willis Towers Watson’s GEI inclusion is a strong indicator to its employees, investors and industry peers alike that it is leading by example to advance ongoing efforts for a truly inclusive workplace.”
Disclosures from firms included in the 2019 GEI provide a wide-ranging and comprehensive look at how companies around the world are investing in women. According to GEI data:
- Women had a 40% increase in executive level positions between fiscal years 2014-2017.
- 60% of firms conduct compensation reviews to identify gender-based variations in pay to close their average 20% pay gap (18% on average in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Middle East regions and 26% in Asia-Pacific).
- 34% have programs in place to recruit women looking to return to work after a career break.
- For U.S. employees, the average number of weeks of fully paid primary leave offered is 13 weeks, and the average number of weeks of fully paid secondary leave offered is 5 weeks.
- 43% of firms cover gender reassignment services in health insurance plans.
- 68% of firms evaluate all advertising and marketing content for gender biases prior to publication.
The Bloomberg gender reporting framework is voluntary and has no associated costs. The GEI is a reference index. All public companies can submit data to Bloomberg. Those with a security listed on a U.S. exchange and a market capitalization of USD1 billion or greater are eligible for index inclusion. For more information on the GEI and how to submit information for next year’s index visit:
https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/solution/gender-equality-index/
Bloomberg subscribers can access the GEI at {BGEI Index DES <GO>}. Terminal users will have access to the fully updated index on Friday, January 18, 2019.
Companies included in the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index:
| A.P. Møller-Mærsk A/S AB InBev Accenture adidas Adobe ADP Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Aetna, Inc. AGNC Investment Corp. AIA Group Limited Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. Alcoa Corporation Alliance Data Alliant Energy Allianz Alpha Bank American Electric Power American Express American Water AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. Anglo American Annaly Capital Management, Inc. Apollo Global Management, LLC ArcelorMittal AstraZeneca AT&T AU Optronics Avon Products, Inc. BAE Systems PLC Banco Bradesco S/A Banco Santander Bank of America Bank of Montreal Bank of Queensland Barclays BB Seguridade Participações S.A. BBVA BNP Paribas BNY Mellon Boston Scientific Corporation BT Group PLC BYD Company Limited CAE CaixaBank Campbell Soup Company CAPCOM Co. Ltd. Capital One Financial Corporation Centene Corporation Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. CIBC Cie de Saint-Gobain Cisco Citi City Developments Limited The Clorox Company The Coca-Cola Company Coca-Cola FEMSA Commercial International Bank, Egypt (CIB) Commonwealth Bank of Australia Core Laboratories CVS Health Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd. Daiwa House Industry Co. Ltd. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Danone Danske Bank A/S DaVita, Inc. DBS Group Holdings Ltd. Deutsche Post DHL Group Deutsche Telekom AG Diageo PLC Dominion Energy Don Quijote Holdings Co. Ltd. Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. DuPont Enagás S.A. Enbridge Erste Group Bank AG The Estée Lauder Companies Etsy Euronav NV Eversource Energy Evertec Fifth Third Bancorp First Data Corp. First Horizon National Corporation First Pacific Company Limited FirstEnergy Ford Motor Company Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. Franklin Templeton Investments Galp Gap, Inc. General Motors Gold Fields Goldman Sachs Grupo Financiero Banorte Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited The Hartford Horace Mann IAMGOLD Corporation Iberdrola ICL Illumina Incitec Pivot Limited ING Ingredion Incorporated Intesa Sanpaolo Itaú Unibanco Janus Henderson Group PLC JPMorgan Chase & Co. Just Eat Kao Corporation KASIKORNBANK PCL |
KB Financial Group, Inc. Kering Legal & General Group PLC Leidos Holdings, Inc. LendingClub Lenovo Lionsgate Lloyds Banking Group L’Oréal lululemon Manulife Marsh & McLennan Companies Mastercard Maybank Mediobanca MetLife, Inc. MINDBODY, Inc. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. Morgan Stanley Morningstar, Inc. Motorola Solutions MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc. National Australia Bank National Bank of Canada National Bank of Greece Nestlé Newmont Mining Corporation Nidec Corporation Nielsen NiSource NN Group Nokia Nordea Bank Northern Trust Corp NTT DOCOMO NVIDIA Old National Bancorp Orange Pampa Energía Pearson Pitney Bowes, Inc. PNC Financial Services Group Portland General Electric Praxair, Inc. Procter & Gamble ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE Prudential Financial Prudential PLC QBE Insurance Group Limited Radian Group, Inc. Rapid7, Inc. RBS RELX Group Robert Half Rogers Communications, Inc. Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC Royal Bank of Canada S&P Global Sanderson Farms SAP Schneider Electric Scholastic Schroders Scotiabank Sempra Energy Shinhan Financial Group Signet Jewelers Limited Silicon Valley Bank Singtel Sodexo Sonova SSE PLC Standard Chartered Bank Standard Life Aberdeen PLC State Street Corporation STMicroelectronics Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Sun Life Financial Swedbank Swiss Re Symantec Tahoe Resources, Inc. Taylor Morrison TD Bank Group Teck Telefónica Telia Company Terna Tokyo Electron Limited TransCanada Corporation Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş. UBS Unilever Unum Group UOB Group UPM-Kymmene Corporation Visa, Inc. Vodafone Group Voya Financial, Inc. Walmart Walmart de México y Centroamérica Wells Fargo & Company Welltower WESCO International, Inc. Westpac Group Weyerhaeuser Willis Towers Watson WPP Yum China Holdings, Inc. Yum! Brands, Inc. Zillow Group, Inc. Zurich Insurance Zynga, Inc. |
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About Willis Towers Watson:
Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ: WLTW) is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has more than 40,000 employees serving more than 140 countries. We design and deliver solutions that manage risk, optimize benefits, cultivate talent, and expand the power of capital to protect and strengthen institutions and individuals. Our unique perspective allows us to see the critical intersections between talent, assets and ideas — the dynamic formula that drives business performance. Together, we unlock potential. Learn more at willistowerswatson.com.
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