Canadian financial services firms were well represented on an annual global list of companies committed to gender equality and the advancement of women in the workforce.
National Bank of Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia, Sun Life Financial Inc., Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Manulife Financial Corp. and Bank of Montreal (BMO) all were included in Bloomberg LP’s gender equality index, which selects 230 companies from around the world on the quality of their transparency in gender reporting and other gender-equality metrics. The list, which doubled in size since 2018, includes firms from 10 sectors across 36 countries and regions. The 230 firms collectively employ more than 15 million people, including seven million women.
“Greater transparency around workplace inclusion helps firms demonstrate accountability to their employees, investors and communities,” Peter Grauer’s, Bloomberg chairman, said in a statement. “Bloomberg’s standardized gender reporting framework serves as an underlying tool to guide disclosure, allowing companies to measure and manage gender equality across all their operations and businesses. It also provides these leading organizations an opportunity to inspire each other and develop best practices.”
Only 10% of eligible companies currently disclose their workplace gender policies and practices, Bloomberg says.
“Through workplace initiatives that have led to 40% of senior BMO leaders being women, educational tools that help women to take control of their finances, and our commitment to provide $3 billion in capital to women-led businesses, BMO is a leader in supporting and empowering women,” Cam Fowler, president of North American personal and business banking, BMO, said in a statement.