CaixaBank has created a diversity advisory committee whose purpose is to provide new perspectives to encourage diversity and equal opportunity in all of the Bank's areas of activity, both internal and external.
The committee consists of leading executives in their respective fields, five of whom are independent of the bank and associated with preeminent companies in their sectors: Koro Castellano, Director of Amazon Prime Video in Spain; Vanina Farber, economist and political scientists who teaches Social Innovation at the Swiss business school IMD; Carmina Ganyet, Corporate General Manager at Colonial; Therese Jamaa, Vice-President of Huawei Spain; and Teresa Sanjurjo, Director of the Princess of Asturias Foundation. Representing CaixaBank on the committee are Juan Alcaraz, Managing Director of Business; David López, Director of Human Resources; and Anna Quirós, Director of Culture and Development.
The creation of an advisory body exclusively dedicated to diversity, a pioneering initiative for a large business in Spain, is part of CaixaBank's commitment to encourage diversity and inclusion in all its activity, both internally, within its organisation and professional teams, and externally, through initiatives directed at its customers and society at large. This commitment boasts significant acclaim; in fact, CaixaBank is among the top five companies in the world in Bloomberg's Gender Equality Index 2022.
The committee members will meet every four months to offer CaixaBank their vision and experience on essential matters to promote diversity. The topics they will periodically consider include, for example, strategies to boost the presence of women in managerial posts; initiatives to showcase CaixaBank's diversity policies internally and externally; how to promote an inclusive culture within an organisation; identifying bias; and promoting initiatives for inclusion.
Gender equality: a strategic goal
As the end of FY 2021, 41.3% of executive positions were held by women, one of the highest percentages in the sector, and CaixaBank expects to close out 2022 at 41.6%. As part of its 2022-2024 Strategic Plan, the bank has set itself the goal of having women occupy 42% of executive posts in 2024.
In addition to the new advisory committee, the bank has various instruments and initiatives created to boost diversity, such as Wengage, a Group-wide project developed by people from every area of the organisation that relies on meritocracy and on promoting equal opportunity. Wengage includes initiatives to promote diversity, such as women mentoring women, through which the female executives at the Group advise other women on their careers. Wengage also implements external activities for customers and for society intended to promote diversity and equal opportunity in several areas: leadership and entrepreneurship, innovation and education, sport and rural settings.
In addition, CaixaBank has an Equality Plan to promote the principles of equal opportunity and the diversity of work teams, to enhance the presence of women in managerial positions, and to reinforce measures to balance personal and professional life. The plan features the scope of gender in managerial development programmes and in recruitment and training processes, and the fostering of teleworking and flexibility.
The company's Board of Directors also boasts one of the highest ratios on the IBEX35, with 40% of the directors being women.
Acknowledging the commitment to diversity
In addition to being recognised by the Bloomberg Equality Index, CaixaBank has earned significant accolades in the field of equality, such as the Equality in the Company Seal, managed by the Instituto de la Mujer, and the Family-Friendly Certificate presented by the Másfamilia Foundation. It has received recognition elsewhere, such as for the 25th anniversary of the FEDEPE Award (the Spanish Federation of Female Managers, Executives, Professionals and Entrepreneurs). Furthermore, in 2020 the Fundación para la Diversidad granted CaixaBank the award for the best practice of a major corporation for its diversity programme Wengage. In addition, CaixaBank ranks first in Spain in the 2021 EWoB Gender Diversity index. It is also part of the new IBEX Gender Equality Index.
CaixaBank is associated with the international programme Target Gender Equality and the Women’s Empowerment Principles, of the United Nations; and the Diversity Charter, promoting equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory measures. It is also a member of Closingap, the cluster that studies the economic impact of gender gaps in Spain.
It is also one of the entities associated with the STEAM Alliance for Female Talent “Girls on the Science Stand”, an initiative led by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to promote STEAM careers in girls and young women.
The bank's commitment extends to all the Group companies. As a result, CaixaBank Asset Management has been recognised as a “European leader in gender diversity” for the second year in a row, and as the "Asset Manager with the best gender representation" for the first time in the category of firms with 20-50 managers at Citywire magazine's Gender Diversity Awards.
