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Pioneers in gender-lens investing and ESG-investing, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) considers strategies for gender, diversity and inclusion as material lending and investment criteria. Using the EDGE solution allows the IFC to gain a snap-shot overview of their clients’ gender equality status, to clearly convey the value of gender equality and to embed effective metrics for bringing about transformation. We speak with Amy Luinstra – Regional Lead, East Asia Pacific, Gender and Economic Inclusion Group – about how the IFC works with EDGE to support its lending and investment activities.

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Why do you consider gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace as material criteria in your investing and financing activities?

“The short answer is that companies with better gender balance make more money and face fewer ESG risks. But the broader answer is that our work on gender is motivated by both a sustainable development case and a business case.

As part of the World Bank Group, we have twin goals to eliminate extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. And neither of these are possible without significant progress on gender equality, so it’s part of our mission. Fully including women in the economy is a development accelerator. World Bank research from March 2020 found closing lifetime earnings gaps between women and men could yield a gender dividend of USD 172 trillion.

From an IFC perspective, we’re financing companies and therefore the business case is also important. We have consistently found that companies with better gender balance perform better. Recent research we conducted with publicly listed companies in East Asia found that those with gender-balanced boards earned two percentage points higher returns than those with all-male boards. Another study on private equity and venture capital in emerging markets in 2019 found that gender balance in senior investment teams led to 10% to 20% higher returns compared with funds that have a majority of male or female leaders. Clearly, the payoff from gender diversity is real. That’s why we work with the private sector to assess gender diversity, conduct research, and then address the gaps.”

What will lead to large scale adoption of gender balance, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and on boards as key scoring and reporting indicators?

“I think that understanding the business case I just referred to, and acting on it, is crucial. We observe that companies displaying strong leadership for gender balance issues understand the business benefits. But there are also social and reputational payoffs.

Reporting on consistent gender metrics is important. One example is stock exchanges that have implemented ‘comply with gender targets or explain’ provisions in their listing guidelines. This can activate a competitive spirit. This extends beyond stock exchanges to reporting requirements set by governments, and from gender balance targets to wider transparency related to gender-smart policies and practices. Consistent metrics, including those EDGE uses in its certification, are key because they help set the benchmark and can ignite a competitive spirit which generally tends to accelerate progress.

In addition, awards programs or certifications, like Employer of Choice awards and EDGE Certification, can be strong motivators. They are particularly useful when they’re backed up by verifiable objective criteria. In most countries that we work in, there is competition to attract and retain the best talent. Being verified that you’re an employer of choice or certified is a big selling point in tight labor markets.”

How is EDGE Certification specifically contributing to advancing the ESG agenda with your portfolio companies?

“EDGE Certification is an important part of the toolkit we offer to companies. Many companies, across diverse sectors, find certifications valuable and the market responds to them. The IFC often supports certifications that align to our values, objectives, sustainability framework and performance standards – and we ask our portfolio companies to attain these where they are relevant.

EDGE Certification is one we encourage among our portfolio companies, and it can be supplemented by IFC gender advisory services. If we review the portfolio of companies that the IFC has taken through EDGE Certification, we see it represents a range of sectors and geographies, which tells me EDGE is a broadly applicable solution.”

Which characteristics of the EDGE Certification solution do you feel are particularly valuable?

“I think what the IFC finds valuable might vary from what the companies attaining certification find valuable.

One of the things I love about the EDGE Certification and its assessment process is the mix of data sources that generate very helpful data sets, either for benchmarking or data visualization. One specific example is the career transitions chart that depicts gender disaggregated data from the previous year’s exits and entries, recruitments and promotions. It shows, in one picture, where a company is positioned currently and where it needs to focus to accelerate progress.

An independently verified certification sends a clear signal to the market that there’s a business case for gender equality. One example is a construction company in the Pacific that finds its EDGE Certification valuable when it comes to winning public tenders. It specializes in social infrastructure, schools and health clinics, and the government responds positively to the EDGE Certification verification of their commitment to gender equality. Another example is the appeal EDGE Certification offers potential employees in a tight labor market. Therefore, the business case, or the specific advantage of EDGE, varies by market and by sector. Still, EDGE Certification also has characteristics that make it appealing to a broad range of companies, economies and geographies.”

How does implementing the EDGE solution with clients dovetail into the wider gender advisory work being done by the IFC?

“We find EDGE Certification is an excellent entry point for us to start working with companies because it offers a comprehensive snapshot of where the company is positioned on gender equality. An assessment for EDGE Certification helps us identify a client´s priorities on gender equality, then we can help address these priorities.

For example, the EDGE employee survey can reveal underlying issues within the corporate culture, such as sexual harassment or bullying behaviour directed toward women. We can then begin working to create respectful workplaces, which includes not only work on an anti-bullying and anti-sexual harassment policy but also awareness-raising, training and a wider effort to embed a more respectful workplace culture. In summary: EDGE is a good entry point for us to help clients through a range of interventions that can help boost their gender-balance performance.”

Do you offer the EDGE solution to clients across a range of industries and geographies? And is there a particular example that stands out?

“Yes. We use EDGE with client companies across the globe and in sectors ranging from construction to tourism, food processing, banking and the garment industry. Our five most recently EDGE-certified clients are from diverse countries and sectors, from Papua New Guinea to Brazil, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. No matter the location or industry, we use the EDGE assessment to see where the bottlenecks are and then work with companies on addressing those bottlenecks.

One example that stands out is the EDGE Certification for a garment industry company in Vietnam. The EDGE Assessment allowed us to identify issues in the way men and women were being promoted. While there was more-or-less gender balance across different levels, there was an imbalance in promotions, so equality in the career pathway was not working.

We guided the client through the process of identifying desired key skills and career pathways, helping them to ensure equal opportunities for women – who usually joined as sewing machine operators – to make clear how they could advance. We also helped the client in effectively disseminating information to staff about skill-development opportunities to move into senior management-level positions. It’s important to note that this is a company whose overall EDGE results were positive. EDGE Certification strengthens the case for this client to become an employer of choice, and it also allows us to work with a client to further improve.”

Yes, we are very excited about the potential of EDGEplus to help us address intersectionality issues, which are always present even if clients are not demanding to address them yet. There has been strong interest in markets where we’ve engaged on topics related to disability inclusion as well as sexual orientation and gender identity. But I think, right now, for most markets intersectional equity is something we as the IFC are often raising with the clients and not something they are demanding. But this will change, and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to work with the EDGEplus tools to start to put analytical rigor behind this analysis.

Are you working with companies on intersectional equity?

“Yes, we are very excited about the potential of EDGEplus to help us address intersectionality issues, which are always present even if clients are not demanding to address them yet. There has been strong interest in markets where we’ve engaged on topics related to disability inclusion as well as sexual orientation and gender identity. But I think, right now, for most markets intersectional equity is something we as the IFC are often raising with the clients and not something they are demanding. But this will change, and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to work with the EDGEplus tools to start to put analytical rigor behind this analysis.”

The data we collect over time with our clients show both operational and reputational improvements as a result of the work we do. It’s important that the IFC itself is EDGE Certified. We’ve been working with the tool for six years and this adds to our credibility in the market. We know first-hand that the metrics really do motivate senior management. And, as an organization ourselves, we’ve made a lot of progress in the last six years. All of this helps our reputation in working with clients—if we had a dramatic gender imbalance in our leadership team or workforce, then we would not be able to credibly deliver these services.
The second point I wanted to make is about COVID-19, because its impact on gender balance in the workforce is pronounced and negative. And this is true for every country and economy in which it’s been studied. In some markets unemployment rates are now more than double for women what they are for men. A study by McKinsey Global Institute found that women are losing jobs 1.8 times as quickly as men. Even companies we’ve worked with to ensure the COVID impacts are not gender related are still seeing gender imbalance. We just see women dropping out of the workforce. And this makes standardized solutions such as EDGE important to make organizations aware of the inequities from the COVID impact.

Are there any other points you would like to make?

“The data we collect over time with our clients show both operational and reputational improvements as a result of the work we do. It’s important that the IFC itself is EDGE Certified. We’ve been working with the tool for six years and this adds to our credibility in the market. We know first-hand that the metrics really do motivate senior management. And, as an organization ourselves, we’ve made a lot of progress in the last six years. All of this helps our reputation in working with clients—if we had a dramatic gender imbalance in our leadership team or workforce, then we would not be able to credibly deliver these services.

The second point I wanted to make is about COVID-19, because its impact on gender balance in the workforce is pronounced and negative. And this is true for every country and economy in which it’s been studied. In some markets unemployment rates are now more than double for women what they are for men. A study by McKinsey Global Institute found that women are losing jobs 1.8 times as quickly as men. Even companies we’ve worked with to ensure the COVID impacts are not gender related are still seeing gender imbalance. We just see women dropping out of the workforce. And this makes standardized solutions such as EDGE important to make organizations aware of the inequities from the COVID impact.”

EDGE Certified companies are serious about putting gender and intersectional equity at the heart of their business strategy. We sat down with Christopher Bylone, Global Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at International Flavors & Fragrances, to ask about today’s hot topics in DE&I.

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EDGE: What’s currently at the forefront of organizational DE&I agendas?

Christopher: Discussions on best-in-class strategies are focused on ‘equity’. At IFF equity is about recognizing the roadblocks impacting historically underrepresented groups in the workplace and purposefully working to remove them. Full equity means all colleagues across the workplace’s diversity spectrum have equitable access to and opportunity for advancement at every stage of the employee life cycle, including talent acquisition and career development.

It’s no longer enough to only focus on diverse representation. Organizations must be intentional about equitable practices at all levels. And this intentionality must focus on intersectionality. While focusing on gender equality is vital for creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture, it’s not enough. A DE&I strategy that’s not examining the equitable representation of women of colour, women working with a disability, LGBTIQ+ women, trans women, non-binary or individuals of other intersections, will do so at its detriment.

EDGE: How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted DE&I advancements in organizations?

Christopher: Initial concerns were that the pandemic would negatively impact engagement, as employees and managers both took time to fully understand this new way of working. But it’s led to a shift in the way organizations think about how work gets done.

A senior IFF leader shared a great story: the shift to home office saw an already top-performing team member dramatically improve the quality of his work and outperform his peer group. She got curious and asked him what changed. His response altered her way of thinking on remote work. He told her that, as a person with autism, being in the traditional office environment takes a lot of his energy. Now that he can work from home, he can take the energy he has spent just dealing with the buzz of the office and direct it into his work.

We need to capture these positive transformations. The pre-pandemic culture of hiring-for-fit must be replaced with selecting talent that will add value to the organizational culture. This new normal is an opportunity: it opens up pipelines of talent previously ruled out by geographic limitations. Fully understanding how to access these new talent pools will take time, but it’s an opportunity to further diversify the workplace.

EDGE: Which of the positive changes and achievements do you believe will be sustainable?

Christopher: I would reframe this question to “Which of the positive changes and achievements do you believe MUST be sustainable?” Intersectionality is key here. Our world becomes increasingly complex and interconnected every day. Each of us have unique identities and experiences that shape who we are and influence our perspectives and our interactions. Too often, individuals belonging to underrepresented groups find themselves having to temper certain aspects of their identities in order to make themselves more acceptable in the workplace.

For example, in some workplaces, Black employees state they are expected to wear their hair in ways that are deemed ‘appropriate’; women also report being taken more seriously by their peers when they adopt traits that are considered more traditionally ‘masculine’; LGBTIQ+ individuals often say they have to conceal their sexual orientation or gender identity for fear of being discriminated against, or in some cases, prosecuted by the laws of their country. And for individuals that stand at the intersection of multiple such identities, this struggle becomes particularly poignant.

As an organization with a deeply held commitment towards equality and equity for all, it is imperative that IFF provides a safe space for our employees to bring their whole and authentic selves to work. It would be disingenuous of leaders to expect employees to section-off different parts of their identities and experiences to fit in with the way an organization measures progress made on diversity, equity and inclusion.

EDGE: The ESG agenda is in the spotlight. Has this allowed DE&I professionals access to new conversations in their organizations?

Christopher: From my network of fellow DE&I professionals, across multiple industries and regions, I know the conversation has shifted from fighting for measurable KPIs to providing guidance on what to include. We’ve gone beyond just ‘diversity’ KPIs: they remain integral, but there’s a strong need to also incorporate ‘inclusion’ KPIs in the tracking and reporting that is done.

DE&I has also shifted from being the ‘right thing to do’ to being increasingly demanded by external stakeholders such as investors, customers and prospective employees. In fact, research by McKinsey & Co shows organizations frequently outperform their peers financially when they are highly diverse across multiple identities, can effectively manage that diversity and foster an inclusive culture. It’s therefore logical that companies are expected to deliver transparent reports on workforce diversity and robust plans and practices to ensure continued equitable representation at all levels, including senior leadership.

EDGE: How can employees advance the DE&I agenda within their organizations? And can employee advocacy shape the long-term strategy DE&I professionals champion?

Christopher: This is a particularly exciting question. When I start my day, I ground myself in the belief that I am working on behalf of the 24,000 IFF employees all around the globe. We believe a best-in-class DE&I program is employee led – it is our DE&I volunteers who make it possible for us to create the positive change needed.

Structure is an important way to make this happen. Unlike many other organizations, we don’t have an ‘Executive DE&I Committee’ comprising of only Executive Committee members. Instead, our ‘Global DE&I Steering Committee’ comprises employees from all global locations and levels and works on behalf of the Executive Committee. The global agenda is then translated into regionally and community relevant plans by our ‘Regional Inclusion Councils’ (RICs) and ‘Colleague Communities’ (also known as ‘Employee Resource Groups’).

As a US-based DE&I professional, I am always asking myself, “How will this action/decision have a positive impact on the shop floor employee in Singapore or Chile or Slovenia?” The answer to this question is the very reason we have the RICs and Colleague Communities. They allow direct involvement of the very employees who will be impacted by new decisions or utilise new platforms. It’s crucial we involve individual contributors at every stage of the process – this ensures we create and sustain a program that is truly inclusive of their voice and expectations.

Chin Loo Low, Head of Asia Pacific Region EDGE Strategy, on the impact of ESG trends and the Covid-19 pandemic in APAC.

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Gender balance, diversity and inclusion have gained traction in APAC over the last decade. What are the driving factors?

“Diverse teams are a recognized business advantage and there is an impatience and demand for diversity from stakeholders, including employees, investors and policy makers. The question is, why then are some companies still willing to rate poorly on gender equality in the workplace?

This is where sustainability reporting and ESG trends are influential. A big corporate theme over the past decade has been ESG. In Asia, rapid growth in large developing countries like China and India have come at the cost of the environment. This is no longer acceptable. Companies are now compelled by mandatory sustainability reporting to disclose carbon emissions, labour practices and material risks arising from their businesses and supply chains.

Gender balance, diversity and inclusion put the ‘S’ in ESG and companies are starting to prioritise it more. Organizations realise now they need to assess the material risks that arise out of poor social practices and governance. Thankfully legislation is finally catching up, with progress being made in sexual harassment laws, compulsory paternity leave and quotas of women on boards, for example.”

“The pandemic has compounded the age-old problem of how women cope with the double-barrel syndrome of having to work and, in many cases, also act as primary caregivers.

Lockdowns around the globe have increased care burdens and taken women out of the workforce. The UN estimates that the pandemic could roll-back 25 years of progress in the area of gender equality. Unless something is done to address this, we face stark repercussion due to greater gender inequality, including a significant increase in risk of women dying from poverty and slower economic growth.”

How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted this?

“The pandemic has compounded the age-old problem of how women cope with the double-barrel syndrome of having to work and, in many cases, also act as primary caregivers.

Lockdowns around the globe have increased care burdens and taken women out of the workforce. The UN estimates that the pandemic could roll-back 25 years of progress in the area of gender equality. Unless something is done to address this, we face stark repercussion due to greater gender inequality, including a significant increase in risk of women dying from poverty and slower economic growth.”

“Because APAC is so diverse and its cultures so different, companies operating in the region should adopt region-wide best practices. Companies recognising that employees are their best asset should seek the status of ‘employer of choice’. How do you demonstrate this? Through setting a framework of policies and practices that develop employees to their fullest potential, regardless of race, language, gender, sexual orientations, etc. But it needs to be structured, with metrics to track, report, analyse and benchmark workplace equality.”

APAC is a huge and hugely diverse region. Given this, how can ESG metrics help bring consistency to assessments of workplace equality?

“Because APAC is so diverse and its cultures so different, companies operating in the region should adopt region-wide best practices. Companies recognising that employees are their best asset should seek the status of ‘employer of choice’. How do you demonstrate this? Through setting a framework of policies and practices that develop employees to their fullest potential, regardless of race, language, gender, sexual orientations, etc. But it needs to be structured, with metrics to track, report, analyse and benchmark workplace equality.”

Where do you think progress needs to be made when it comes to ESG ratings?

“Environmental performance has been prioritised over the ‘S’ in ESG. This is because the risk climate change poses to business operations is more tangible and more heavily regulated. In contrast the social components of ESG – such as diversity and inclusion, health and certain workplace issues – require catch-up on the regulatory and legislation side.

Progress is being made. Let’s take a look at Singapore as an example. Only in 2014 were laws against sexual harassment introduced. New mandatory paternity benefits reflect shifting mindsets and cultural attitudes towards recognising parenting as a joint responsibility. In the corporate domain, there has been a push for more women on corporate boards. Companies are also increasingly called upon to disclose societal impact as well as environmental.

Ultimately, if we want to transform workplaces, then building in-house capacity to understand social indicators is good governance. It improves an organizations ability to interpret and use ESG data for risk management and capital allocation. And it allows this to occur as part of ‘business-as-usual’.”

Are there any stand-out ESG success stories you’d like to share?

“EDGE methodology is used by the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, Equileap Indices and Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. These recognise companies who are taking concrete actions and I encourage you to look at the companies in Singapore that score highly in these indices.”

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EDGE Certified Foundation

Responsible investment, including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing, is becoming increasingly mainstream. The last 18 months have seen an exponential increase in the number of institutional investors and funds incorporating various ESG metrics. It’s estimated that in excess of USD 17.5 trillion worth of professionally managed portfolios now include key elements of ESG assessments.

Gender equality, diversity and inclusion sit behind the ‘S’ in ESG and we believe that investing according to ESG principles could be an important accelerator towards equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This is an area where EDGE Certification brings transparency, consistency of metrics and independent verification of a company’s efforts and progress. We asked Lombard Odier Group, Ardian and Equileap to share their thoughts on the importance of ESG and how working with EDGE methodology has brought about positive change for their organizations.

Lombard Odier Group

Lombard Odier has directly seen how a diverse and inclusive workforce fosters creativity and innovation. In our experience, diverse teams, by definition, naturally move away from groupthink and thrive in bringing together independent and opposing ideas. This intangible asset supports our DNA: creating different world perspectives for our clients and ourselves.

Why do you consider gender balance, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and on boards amongst key ESG investment criteria?

“Lombard Odier has directly seen how a diverse and inclusive workforce fosters creativity and innovation. In our experience, diverse teams, by definition, naturally move away from groupthink and thrive in bringing together independent and opposing ideas. This intangible asset supports our DNA: creating different world perspectives for our clients and ourselves.”

Which are the most important factors that could contribute to a large-scale adoption of gender balance, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and on boards as key ESG scoring and reporting indicators?

“Embedding diversity in the everyday culture and strategy of the organization, with the board and senior management setting the tone. This is required to engage employees, create understanding about where the barriers are and to build alternatives that support inclusion. Diverse recruitment and promotion, data monitoring and transparent reporting are also key.”

As a leader who has taken concrete steps toward gender equality, how did EDGE Certification support your organization in its journey towards gender balance, diversity and inclusion?

“The EDGE certification, integrated since 2014 in our strategy of increased gender diversity, helps us to get a clear view of achievements and areas of improvement.”

– Patrick Odier, Senior Managing Partner at Lombard Odier Group

Ardian

Why do you consider gender balance, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and on boards amongst key ESG investment criteria?

“We believe that inclusion and diversity are powerful ways to strengthen organizations. We are convinced that inclusive and diverse companies are more creative, innovative and likely to outperform. Diversity and inclusion are strategic objectives for Ardian and amongst key ESG criteria for our portfolio companies.”

Which are the most important factors that could contribute to a large-scale adoption of gender balance, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and on boards as key ESG scoring and reporting indicators?

“This topic is already at the top of the agenda for companies like Ardian. We don’t want to wait for the legal framework to change to take concrete actions. We need to address consistency and comparability between industries, as well as to work on how to measure not only diversity but also inclusion.”

As a leader who has taken concrete steps toward gender equality, how did EDGE Certification support your organization in its journey towards gender balance, diversity and inclusion?

“Our first EDGE Certification process was key for us as it resulted in the publication of our first inclusion and diversity charter, in which we set concrete and measurable objectives to be reached by 2022. Being in contact with so many organizations gives EDGE a view on best practices, which is very useful.”

– Jérémie Delecourt, Member of the Executive Committee and Head of Corporate and International Development at Ardian

Equileap

Gender equality is a main factor that falls under the ‘social’ category of ESG. Research has clearly shown that companies with an inclusive, gender-balanced and diverse workforce perform better overall and have a more efficient decision-making capacity. But gender equality must be reflected at every level of the company – board, executive, senior management and workforce. We believe all ESG criteria are important and can positively influence each other.

Why do you consider gender balance, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and on boards amongst key ESG investment criteria?

“Gender equality is a main factor that falls under the ‘social’ category of ESG. Research has clearly shown that companies with an inclusive, gender-balanced and diverse workforce perform better overall and have a more efficient decision-making capacity. But gender equality must be reflected at every level of the company – board, executive, senior management and workforce. We believe all ESG criteria are important and can positively influence each other.”

Which are the most important factors that could contribute to a large-scale adoption of gender balance, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and on boards as key ESG scoring and reporting indicators?

“Factor number one is transparency. We cannot change what we cannot measure. We believe companies should publish gender related information and we actually evaluate them on whether they disclose their gender composition throughout the company, their gender pay gap and policies that promote gender equality.”

Why did you decide to include EDGE Certification as a scoring criteria in your index?

“We wanted to include EDGE Certification as one of our scoring criteria because we want to see companies go through a gender audit. The EDGE Certification is a rigorous, independent assessment and a universally applicable methodology.”

– Diana Van Maasdijk, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Equileap

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EDGE Certified Foundation

Organizations around the world continue to struggle to address a costly gender gap:

• Only 47% of women are in the workforce vs. 74% of men
• Women earn 12% less than men
• Only 28% of managerial positions are held by women
• Only 18% of Chief Executive Officers are women

This gap is even more pronounced for women of colour, part of the LGBTQ+ community and women working with a disability:

• In the US, minority women earn between 38% and 45% less than white men, and between 21% and 30% less than white women
• In the US, only 0.6% of LGBTQ+ women hold vice president roles compared to 1.9% of men; and 0.6% of LGBTQ+ women hold Senior vice president and C-Suite roles compared with 2.9% of men
• In Europe, monthly earnings of both women and men working with a disability are found to be around 5% lower than those working without a disability

Furthermore, pressure is growing from employees, ESG investors, consumers and legislation to close this gap. At EDGE we’re committed to helping organizations transform their workforces by measuring, accelerating, and certifying gender balance and diversity and inclusion. ESG Research strives to collect the most relevant data to drive companies’ sustainability strategies and inform investors of companies’ ESG performance. Diversity and inclusion have become central in assessing the “S” in ESG.

This transformation begins with data. That’s why EDGE and S&P Global are pleased to announce the launch of our first global diversity data availability survey.

The objective of this survey is to capture a global view of company’s data collection practices related to gender identity, race/ethnicity, age, nationality, LGBTQ+, working with a disability, across industries and geographies. The results of this survey will inform both EDGE and S&P’s work supporting organizations around the world assess and benchmark current practices in this field.

Organizations of all sizes and from all countries across the DJSI universe are invited to participate. This voluntary and anonymous survey will be launched on the 2^nd of February 2021 and will stay open for at least 2 weeks.

More information can be found here.

For any questions, please contact:  and .

ABOUT EDGE STRATEGY: EDGE is the leading global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender equality. Launched at the World Economic Forum in 2011, EDGE has been designed to help organizations not only create an optimal workplace for women and men, but also benefit from it. EDGE stands for Economic Dividends for Gender Equality and is distinguished by its rigor and focus on business impact.

ABOUT S&P GLOBAL: At S&P Global, we don’t give you intelligence — we give you essential intelligence. The essential intelligence you need to make decisions with conviction. We’re the world’s foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics in the global capital and commodity markets, offering deep data and insights on critical business factors including ESG. Our divisions include S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Dow Jones Indices and S&P Global Platts. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com

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Schweizer Illustrierte published a recent interview with Simona Scarpaleggia, the global CEO of EDGE Strategy.

Read the full interview here to learn more about Simona’s mission in her new role as global CEO of EDGE Strategy, why certification is such a powerful tool to enhance gender equality in the workplace and the challenges of balancing career and family.

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Simona Scarpaleggia, global CEO of EDGE Strategy gave an interview with “PME Magazine”

Read the full interview here to learn more about Simona’s mission in her new role as global CEO of EDGE Strategy and why parity should not be postponed due to the corona virus.

Simona Scarpaleggia, global CEO of EDGE Strategy gave an interview with “Bilanz – Das Schweizer Wirtschaftsmagazin”

Mean it, do it, measure it

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“Mean it, do it, measure it” that is the credo of Simona Scarpaleggia when it comes to workplace gender equality.

Read the full interview here to learn more about Simona’s ambitions in her new role as global CEO of EDGE Strategy.

Handelszeitung

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According to an article in the New York Times, films seeking an Oscar award will have to meet Diversity & Inclusion guidelines in the future.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which oversees the Oscars, announced that it would add diversity components to the Oscar competition on camera and behind the scenes. From 2022 onwards, films seeking the highest award must submit a confidential “inclusion standard form”. In 2024, they must meet two of four diversity rules.

…at least one of the lead actors or a significant supporting actor must be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, whether that means Asian, Hispanic, Black, Indigenous, Native American, Middle Eastern, North African, native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

One example of how it will work is that in order to meet the onscreen representation standard, “at least one of the lead actors or a significant supporting actor must be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, whether that means Asian, Hispanic, Black, Indigenous, Native American, Middle Eastern, North African, native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.”

Thirty percent of all actors in secondary or more minor roles could come from two of the following categories: women, L.G.B.T.Q., an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, or those with cognitive or physical disabilities. Or the main story line must focus on an underrepresented group.

Or “Thirty percent of all actors in secondary or more minor roles could come from two of the following categories: women, L.G.B.T.Q., an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, or those with cognitive or physical disabilities. Or the main story line must focus on an underrepresented group.”

The aperture must widen to reflect our diverse global population in both the creation of motion pictures and in the audiences who connect with them
…be a catalyst for long-lasting, essential change in our industry.

This step is seen as part of an ongoing effort to accelerate inclusion both within the organization itself and in the films that it awards. David Rubin the academy’s president stated that “The aperture must widen to reflect our diverse global population in both the creation of motion pictures and in the audiences who connect with them“.  The chief executive, Dawn Hudson said the diversity and inclusion standards will “be a catalyst for long-lasting, essential change in our industry.”

Read the full article here.

Source: Sperling, N., “Academy Explains Diversity Rules for Best Picture Oscar”, The New York Times, Sept. 8, 2020.

Image Source: The New York Times, Matt Petit/Getty Images