Senior gender diversity

Companies that effectively incorporate diversity into their management teams will be better able to attract and retain talent, better reflect the composition of society as a whole, and be more likely to be successful in a competitive global market over the long term. Ten investors engaged with companies in their own national markets (US, Canada, Brazil, Sweden, UK and Italy) to encourage greater representation of women at board level and in senior management, and to promote greater disclosure by companies on the topic of gender diversity. Over 26 meetings were held by investors with target companies and, based on analysis of the total 45 companies in the target list, marked improvements were measured in 2011 versus 2010 in companies’ policies and implementation activities to promote gender diversity, including enhanced nomination charter language.