BBVA joins the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index
BBVA has been selected to join the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index 2018, which recognizes companies’ achievements in gender equality policies, both regarding their employees and in support of social initiatives, along with their offering of products and services that prioritize this commitment. Garanti Bank, part of the BBVA Group, has also been included in the index.
The Bloomberg Gender Equality Index 2018 (GEI) is comprised of 104 companies from 24 countries and 10 different sectors of activity. Its purpose is to provide managers and investors with information on the commitment and performance of businesses in gender equality matters.
The GEI is published by Bloomberg, the prestigious international financial information agency, in partnership with third-party gender policy experts Catalyst, Women’s World Banking, Working Mother Media, National Women’s Law Center, and the National Partnership for Women & Families.
“We commend BBVA and the other companies included in the 2018 GEI for their efforts to create work environments that support gender equality,” said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg LP. “Their leadership sets an important example that will help all organizations innovate and navigate the growing demand for diverse and inclusive workplaces.”
Toni Ballabriga, Global Head of Responsible Business at BBVA, said “This index reflects how non-financial issues - such as gender diversity, a key commitment of companies’ CSR policies - are becoming increasingly important for the investing community.”
According to Ricardo Forcano, Global Head of Talent and Culture at BBVA, “For BBVA, our inclusion in the index bears witness to our far-reaching commitment to promote diversity. One of our priorities is that our organization become increasingly diverse and inclusive.”
Working group comprised of women and men.
As a result of BBVA’s gender-equality commitment, 54% of the bank´s workforce are women. In addition, women occupy 58% of the positions that generate business and profit for the Group. As for the composition of the Board of Directors, women hold 23% of the seats, a percentage that is expected to continue growing. BBVA is also one of the signatories of the EU Diversity Charter and the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles.
In Spain, the bank has been awarded the Gender Equality Seal for Private Enterprises by the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Gender Equality. BBVA also participates in the Ministry’s 'More Women, Better Companies’ initiative, which is aimed at increasing the presence of women in senior management positions. Also, Fundación Más Familia recently renewed BBVA’s Responsible Family Company certificate.
In Turkey, Garanti has rolled out an online gender equality training program for its employees, focused on how to identify situations of inequality in the workplace. Garanti has also promoted the Women Entrepreneur Executive School program, to train female entrepreneurs through the Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Center.
At the global level, in 2017 the bank launched its Women@BBVA initiative, aimed at female employees who are considered role models, both inside and outside the bank, thanks to their professional achievements.
A significant part of BBVA’s commitment to gender equality is channeled through the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, 61% of whose customers are women. Since 2016, the bank has participated in the U.N. Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Economic Empowerment of Women, which regards the Microfinance Foundation as a case study.