British American Tobacco (BAT) has been named as one of the most diverse and inclusive companies worldwide in a Thomson Reuters Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Index published today.

The index ranks the world's top 100 publicly traded companies that have the most diverse and inclusive workplaces, as measured by 24 metrics across four key categories: Diversity; Inclusion; People Development; and News Controversies.

More than 5,000 companies were assessed and BAT was ranked 41st globally. The Group was the only tobacco company to appear in the top 50 and was placed second in the global Food and Tobacco section.

Giovanni Giordano, Director, Group Human Resources, at BAT said: 'We are pleased to have achieved this Thomson Reuters recognition, as it reflects our ambition to create a diverse and inclusive culture which helps to strengthen our business and teams around the world.

'Diversity is at the heart of our strategy because it makes us a stronger business - one that's better able to understand and respond to the diverse needs of our consumers whilst providing different ways of looking at challenges, encouraging creativity and driving innovation.'

Thomson Reuters collated the D&I Index having conducted assessments of companies' publicly reported information. The key metrics across the four categories focused on areas such as gender diversity at all levels of the business; training and career development; flexible working; and employee satisfaction.

Debra Walton, Chief Product and Content Officer, Financial and Risk, Thomson Reuters, said: 'Our research shows companies that make investments and focus on environmental, social, and governance matters can have a stronger stock performance and better long-term profitability.'

Notes to editors:
For more information about the D&I Index, please visit: http://thomsonreuters.com/en/press-releases/2016/september/thomson-reuters-launches-di-index-reveals-top-100-most-diverse-inclusive-organizations-globally.html

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British American Tobacco plc published this content on 26 September 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 26 September 2016 12:15:04 UTC.

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