BBVA, included in the 2022 Bloomberg Gender Equality Index
For the fifth year in a row, the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index (2022 Gender Equality Index) has included BBVA in its annual report that analyzes companies’ commitment to this issue. The firm lists the bank due to the diversity and inclusion that helped it improve its rating by five points from the last edition. Garanti BBVA, the Group’s subsidiary in Turkey, is also part of the index.
The report underscored the bank’s policy of gender pay parity between men and women and its promotion of an inclusive corporate culture. BBVA is one of the 418 companies from 45 countries and regions that are part of the index, representing a variety of sectors, including the finance, technology and services sectors, which make up the majority of the companies represented on the index.
“At BBVA, we work for a corporate culture, free of prejudice, where our male and female employees can thrive with complete equality and freedom, also in terms of gender. We feel that the private sector should be an agent of change, and part of the solution in aspects like inclusion,” explained Carlos Casas, the Global Head of Talent and Culture at BBVA. The executive said that: “Bloomberg’s recognition encourages us to continue working in this direction and confirms that we can only respond to a diverse society if that value is integrated in our teams.”
The main objective of the Gender Equality Index is to monitor the performance of companies committed to transparency in the presentation of gender data. This reference index measures gender equality through a 60 question survey based on five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies and a pro-women brand.
"We are proud to recognize BBVA and the other 417 companies included in the 2022 GEI for their commitment to transparency and setting a new standard in gender-related data reporting,” said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg. “Even though the threshold for inclusion in the GEI has risen, the member list continues to grow. This is a testament that more companies are working to improve upon their gender-related metrics, fostering more opportunity for diverse talent to succeed in their organizations”.
Commitment to female talent and technology
Currently, women hold 32 percent of the leadership positions at BBVA. Every quarter, the bank’s Chair and CEO review the figures on female promotions at the different levels of the organization in order to examine whether the adopted measures are producing positive results.
Promoting gender diversity is a priority line of work for BBVA, specifically in the technology area. Aware that the gender gap in the tech world is a problem that affects society as a whole, over the past year, the bank has participated in education initiatives that aim to inspire girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Three that stand out are the global agreement with Inspiring Girls, to give visibility to female leaders among young girls, the sponsorship of the Female Technology Olympics (OIFem) in Spain, and the organization of workshops for employees’ children in collaboration with #girlsgonna and Technovation to give them a closer look at the world of technology.