Barilla and the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) scoop this year’s 2021 Premier Catalyst Award for accelerating progress and inclusion for women in the workplace.
Both companies are commended for their commitment to creating workplaces that work for women by the non-profit. “We applaud Barilla and RBC for these initiatives that have proactively cultivated inclusive cultures for women and everyone within their organisations,” stated Lorraine Hariton, President and CEO of Catalyst. “Their singular commitment to increasing the representation of women in their leadership ranks – and holding themselves accountable to develop and empower talent in the face of challenges – demonstrates that progress won’t pause.”
Commenting on the award, Barilla Group’s CEO Claudio Colzani stated: “We are honoured to be recognised by Catalyst for our global efforts at Barilla to advance gender equality in the workplace; enhanced by our achievement of Gender Pay Equality around the Barilla world. This award is a reflection of Barilla’s effort to boost a culture of diversity and inclusion in our employees, partners and the communities in which we eat, live and work. As we have more to do, we will continue with resilience on this path to create an even more inclusive company for all.”
BARILLA ACHIEVES GENDER PAY EQUALITY
Italian-owned family firm Barilla has accelerated progress and inclusion for women, and achieved gender pay equality last year. From 2013 to 2020, women’s representation increased in Barilla’s direct reports to the CEO from 8% to 28%. From 2014 to 2020, women’s representation also increased in direct reports to the global leadership team from 23% to 36%; direct reports to senior leaders from 40% to 47%; and all women in leadership positions globally increased from 33% to 38%.
Furthermore Barilla achieved gender pay equality in 2020 globally for all employees. It was also one of the first companies in Italy to achieve many inclusion milestones; such as formalising flexible working around the world; and becoming the first Italian company to support the United Nations Standards of Conduct for Business Against LGBTQ+ Discrimination in the Workplace. Barilla, is now a model of inclusion for women, as well as LGBTQ+ employees and all underrepresented groups working, confirmed Catalyst.
RBC SPEAKS UP FOR INCLUSION
RBC’s Speak Up for Inclusion encourages everyone in the business community to call out discrimination; and give space to the voices and experiences of people from underrepresented groups in the workplace. This global culture change initiative began with a refresh of the bank’s five-year Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Blueprint, which outlines RBC’s overall strategic diversity and inclusion priorities. It is driven by RBC’s Diversity and Inclusion Center of Expertise (D&I CoE); and supported by senior leaders on the bank’s Diversity Leadership Council, which is chaired by RBC’s President and CEO Dave McKay.
Thanks to RBC’s D&I initiatives women’s representation has increased, especially across leadership levels. For example, women’s representation on RBC’s board of directors increased from 31% in 2015 to 38% in 2019; and as of the end of RBC’s fiscal year 2020, it was at 47%. RBC’s leadership development programmes, such as Women in Leadership and Ignite, ar also helping to advance high-potential women and people of colour. Its 41 Employee Resources Groups (ERGs) – with over 27,000 global members – advise RBC’s D&I strategy; and play a major role in grassroots workplace inclusion efforts.
PROGRESS WON’T PAUSE
Both Barilla and RBC will receive the premiere 2021 Catalyst Award on 17-18 March 2021. This year, the theme for the Catalyst Awards virtual event is ‘Progress Won’t Pause – Equity Can’t Wait.‘ Catalyst is expecting more than 5,000 attendees to attend the virtual event and awards, which will be chaired by Accenture’s CEO Julie Sweet. Delgates include executives from top global corporations, professional firms, governments, NGOs and educational institutions. This year’s event, sponsored by Target Corporation, will focus on:
- Gender Partnerships.
- Advancing Women.
- Lead for Equity and Inclusion.
- Future of Work.
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