SMIC in gender-inclusive index
TWO Filipino companies have been acknowledged by Bloomberg for its commitment to provide a gender-inclusive work environment.
Apart from Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), which announced its inclusion in the 2020 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) on Tuesday, SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) has also been recognized by the global list of 325 companies.
The 2020 Bloomberg GEI was released Tuesday evening, Philippine time, and covered companies with headquarters spread across 42 countries and regions. It is the first time the index included firms from the Philippines, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Poland and Russia.
SMIC, in a statement yesterday, said the recognition is a “milestone and honor” for the company as it “(puts) importance in fostering an inclusive work environment across our businesses, in our supply chain and in the communities we serve.”
SMIC President and Chief Executive Officer Frederic C. DyBuncio was quoted as saying: “The inaugural inclusion of SMIC indicates our commitment to gender equality through measurement and data transparency.”
Bloomberg started doing the annual GEI in 2016, where it tracks the financial performance of listed companies working to improve gender equality in the workplace.
It looks at the five key pillars in the companies at reviews: female leadership & talent pipeline, equal pay & gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies and pro-women brand.
In the statement announcing the 2020 Bloomberg GEI, Bloomberg Chairman Peter T. Grauer said there is an effort from the company to provide “more in-depth metrics from a broad range of public companies across 50 industries.”
“This level of transparency into how companies are tackling gender equality in the workplace and their local communities is fueling financial decision-making around the world, and is supporting the business case for an inclusive corporate environment,” he was quoted as saying.
Other companies that joined SMIC and RLC in the 2020 Bloomberg GEI are American Express, The Coca-Cola Company, First Pacific Co. Ltd., L’Oréal, Nestlé S.A., Nokia, Procter & Gamble and Unilever.
SMIC booked a 26% growth in attributable net income to P33.1 billion in the first nine months of 2019, driven by the robust performance of its core businesses.
Shares in the company at the stock exchange lost P1 or 0.10% to close at P1,025 each on Wednesday. — Denise A. Valdez
