Nordea Bank : Bloomberg recognises Nordea’s gender equality focus

Nordea will be included in Bloomberg's 2017 reference index that measures gender equality in the financial services industry, showcasing our strong commitment to gender diversity. We are one of 52 companies - and one of only two Nordic banks - to be included in the index.

Each company in the Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality Index (BFGEI) earned a 60-plus score based on its underlying gender disclosures and supportive policies and programmes. Companies included in the index have a market capitalization of USD 1 billion or more and at least one security trading on a U.S. exchange.

'This is a great step in the right direction and further positions Nordea as a company that is serious about strengthening our gender diversity,' says Marianne Egelund Siig, Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Nordea. 'Gender equality work affects not only our employees and their performance but all of our stakeholders, from investors and suppliers to customers and the communities in which we operate.'

Bloomberg launched the first-of-its-kind barometer for the financial services industry last year to help investors make smart decisions and to show the rest of the industry that gender equality is a priority. The goal was to provide data and greater transparency around gender equality in the industry and to encourage additional market disclosure and awareness.

'Gender diversity and other CSR-related issues are becoming increasingly important for investors and creating diverse, gender-balanced organisations has been proven to deliver value to society, customers and shareholders. Sustainability is an integral part of our license to work,' says Rodney Alfvén, Head of Investor Relations at Nordea.

We have implemented tools, guidelines, policies and improvements to create an environment in which both women and men prosper, says Egelund Siig. For example, Nordea's recruitment policy requires that both genders are represented among the final three candidates when hiring for managerial positions, and gender diversity has been integrated into all leadership training. To achieve our goal of a gender-balanced organisation, we must continue to focus on increasing the number of women in senior leadership positions. While women comprise 54 percent of the total number of people working at Nordea, the number is only about 20 percent for executive managers.

'Closing the gender gap is not a quick fix,' says Egelund Siig. 'We are not yet where we want to be, but our commitment to being transparent keeps us on our toes. In the years to come, we will continue to forge ahead so that we can ultimately crack the code for gender equality, as part of ensuring a diverse and inclusive culture in Nordea'.

Read the Bloomberg press release here.