Willis Towers Watson selected for 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, recognizing commitment to advancing women in the workplace

The 2019 Gender-Equality Index highlights 230 firms that are trailblazers in their commitment to transparency in workplace gender reporting


ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ: WLTW), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, today announced that it is one of 230 companies selected for the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) which distinguishes companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality. The index doubled in size from 2018 and includes firms from 10 sectors headquartered across 36 countries and regions. Collectively, these firms have a combined market capitalization of USD9 trillion and employ more than 15 million people, of which 7 million are women, around the world. Thirteen markets are represented for the first time this year and include Argentina, China, Israel and South Africa.

John Haley, CEO Willis Towers Watson, said, “I am delighted that Willis Towers Watson has been recognized by the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index for its commitment to advancing women in the workplace. We strive to be an employer of choice for diverse talent and have taken an important step with our global commitment to gender parity in leadership by 2030 through our Paradigm for Parity pledge.”

“Gender equality is central to Willis Towers Watson’s wider commitment to inclusion and diversity. One of our objectives as a company is to attract, retain and develop the very best talent to serve our clients.  Inclusion and Diversity has a direct impact on our ability to achieve this objective. An inclusive culture – one that embraces diverse ideas and perspectives – is critical to our ongoing, collective success.”

Bloomberg’s standardized reporting framework offers public companies the opportunity to disclose information on how they promote gender equality across four separate areas – company statistics, policies, community engagement and products and services. Reporting companies that score above a globally-established threshold, based on the extent of disclosures and the achievement of best-in-class statistics and policies, are included in the GEI. Demand for products and services using ESG data has seen a significant increase over the last years, as a growing number of investors are looking to incorporate environmental, social and governance data into their investment decisions. Still, currently only 10% of eligible companies are disclosing their workplace gender policies and practices.

“We applaud Willis Towers Watson and the other 229 firms tracked by the index for their action to measure gender equality through the Bloomberg GEI framework,” said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg and Founding Chairman of the U.S. 30% Club. “Willis Towers Watson’s GEI inclusion is a strong indicator to its employees, investors and industry peers alike that it is leading by example to advance ongoing efforts for a truly inclusive workplace.”

Disclosures from firms included in the 2019 GEI provide a wide-ranging and comprehensive look at how companies around the world are investing in women. According to GEI data: 

  • Women had a 40% increase in executive level positions between fiscal years 2014-2017.

  • 60% of firms conduct compensation reviews to identify gender-based variations in pay to close their average 20% pay gap (18% on average in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Middle East regions and 26% in Asia-Pacific).

  • 34% have programs in place to recruit women looking to return to work after a career break.

  • For U.S. employees, the average number of weeks of fully paid primary leave offered is 13 weeks, and the average number of weeks of fully paid secondary leave offered is 5 weeks.

  • 43% of firms cover gender reassignment services in health insurance plans.

  • 68% of firms evaluate all advertising and marketing content for gender biases prior to publication.

The Bloomberg gender reporting framework is voluntary and has no associated costs. The GEI is a reference index. All public companies can submit data to Bloomberg. Those with a security listed on a U.S. exchange and a market capitalization of USD1 billion or greater are eligible for index inclusion. For more information on the GEI and how to submit information for next year's index visit: 

https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/solution/gender-equality-index/

Bloomberg subscribers can access the GEI at {BGEI Index DES <GO>}. Terminal users will have access to the fully updated index on Friday, January 18, 2019.

Companies included in the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index:

A.P. Møller-Mærsk A/S
AB InBev
Accenture
adidas
Adobe
ADP
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Aetna, Inc.
AGNC Investment Corp.
AIA Group Limited
Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.
Alcoa Corporation
Alliance Data
Alliant Energy
Allianz
Alpha Bank
American Electric Power
American Express
American Water
AMN Healthcare Services, Inc.
Anglo American
Annaly Capital Management, Inc.
Apollo Global Management, LLC
ArcelorMittal
AstraZeneca
AT&T
AU Optronics
Avon Products, Inc.
BAE Systems PLC
Banco Bradesco S/A
Banco Santander
Bank of America
Bank of Montreal
Bank of Queensland
Barclays
BB Seguridade Participações S.A.
BBVA
BNP Paribas
BNY Mellon
Boston Scientific Corporation
BT Group PLC
BYD Company Limited
CAE
CaixaBank
Campbell Soup Company
CAPCOM Co. Ltd.
Capital One Financial Corporation
Centene Corporation
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
CIBC
Cie de Saint-Gobain
Cisco
Citi
City Developments Limited
The Clorox Company
The Coca-Cola Company
Coca-Cola FEMSA
Commercial International Bank, Egypt (CIB)
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Core Laboratories
CVS Health
Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd.
Daiwa House Industry Co. Ltd.
Daiwa Securities Group Inc.
Danone
Danske Bank A/S
DaVita, Inc.
DBS Group Holdings Ltd.
Deutsche Post DHL Group
Deutsche Telekom AG
Diageo PLC
Dominion Energy
Don Quijote Holdings Co. Ltd.
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.
DuPont
Enagás S.A.
Enbridge
Erste Group Bank AG
The Estée Lauder Companies
Etsy
Euronav NV
Eversource Energy
Evertec
Fifth Third Bancorp
First Data Corp.
First Horizon National Corporation
First Pacific Company Limited
FirstEnergy
Ford Motor Company
Fortescue Metals Group Ltd.
Franklin Templeton Investments
Galp
Gap, Inc.
General Motors
Gold Fields
Goldman Sachs
Grupo Financiero Banorte
Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.
Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited
The Hartford
Horace Mann
IAMGOLD Corporation
Iberdrola
ICL
Illumina
Incitec Pivot Limited
ING
Ingredion Incorporated
Intesa Sanpaolo
Itaú Unibanco
Janus Henderson Group PLC
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Just Eat
Kao Corporation
KASIKORNBANK PCL
 KB Financial Group, Inc.
Kering
Legal & General Group PLC
Leidos Holdings, Inc.
LendingClub
Lenovo
Lionsgate
Lloyds Banking Group
L'Oréal
lululemon
Manulife
Marsh & McLennan Companies
Mastercard
Maybank
Mediobanca
MetLife, Inc.
MINDBODY, Inc.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.
Morgan Stanley
Morningstar, Inc.
Motorola Solutions
MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc.
National Australia Bank
National Bank of Canada
National Bank of Greece
Nestlé
Newmont Mining Corporation
Nidec Corporation
Nielsen
NiSource
NN Group
Nokia
Nordea Bank
Northern Trust Corp
NTT DOCOMO
NVIDIA
Old National Bancorp
Orange
Pampa Energía
Pearson
Pitney Bowes, Inc.
PNC Financial Services Group
Portland General Electric
Praxair, Inc.
Procter & Gamble
ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE
Prudential Financial
Prudential PLC
QBE Insurance Group Limited
Radian Group, Inc.
Rapid7, Inc.
RBS
RELX Group
Robert Half
Rogers Communications, Inc.
Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC
Royal Bank of Canada
S&P Global
Sanderson Farms
SAP
Schneider Electric
Scholastic
Schroders
Scotiabank
Sempra Energy
Shinhan Financial Group
Signet Jewelers Limited
Silicon Valley Bank
Singtel
Sodexo
Sonova
SSE PLC
Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Life Aberdeen PLC
State Street Corporation
STMicroelectronics
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings
Sun Life Financial
Swedbank
Swiss Re
Symantec
Tahoe Resources, Inc.
Taylor Morrison
TD Bank Group
Teck
Telefónica
Telia Company
Terna
Tokyo Electron Limited
TransCanada Corporation
Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş.
UBS
Unilever
Unum Group
UOB Group
UPM-Kymmene Corporation
Visa, Inc.
Vodafone Group
Voya Financial, Inc.
Walmart
Walmart de México y Centroamérica
Wells Fargo & Company
Welltower
WESCO International, Inc.
Westpac Group
Weyerhaeuser
Willis Towers Watson
WPP
Yum China Holdings, Inc.
Yum! Brands, Inc.
Zillow Group, Inc.
Zurich Insurance
Zynga, Inc.

Media contacts:

Miles Russell
Willis Towers Watson
T +44 (0)203 124 7446 
M +44 (0)7903262118 
Miles.russell@willistowerswatson.com  

Ileana Feoli
Willis Towers Watson
T +1 703 258 8556
Ileana.feoli@willistowerswatson.com

Veronika Henze
Bloomberg LP
+1-646-324-1596
vhenze@bloomberg.net

Jacqueline Gogel
Vested
+1-917-765-8720
jacqueline@fullyvested.com

About Willis Towers Watson:

Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ: WLTW) is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has more than 40,000 employees serving more than 140 countries. We design and deliver solutions that manage risk, optimize benefits, cultivate talent, and expand the power of capital to protect and strengthen institutions and individuals. Our unique perspective allows us to see the critical intersections between talent, assets and ideas — the dynamic formula that drives business performance. Together, we unlock potential. Learn more at willistowerswatson.com.

About Bloomberg:

Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company’s strength – delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately – is at the core of the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg’s enterprise solutions build on the company’s core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively. For more information, visit www.bloomberg.com or request a demo