Organisations are increasingly taking their duty to act in a responsible and committed manner towards society more seriously. Achieving gender equality at all levels of the organisation is one of the commitments that all companies must undertake sooner rather than later. Those without diverse and egalitarian workforces, including in senior management positions, will undoubtedly be left behind and will no longer be of value to a society that demands socially responsible organisations. Public-private collaboration is essential in achieving a more egalitarian business and social environment. According to the Women in Business 2022 study prepared by the professional services firm Grant Thornton, in Spain the percentage of women in senior management positions increased to 36% in 2022, compared to 34% in 2021. An encouraging development, although still far from parity and which forces us to continue talking about quotas.
Only with the involvement of all economic and social stakeholders will it be possible to achieve full parity between men and women. In fact, the European Parliament recently took a firm step towards promoting equality in senior management. Thus, a new regulation was passed that will force large publicly listed European companies to have 40% women in non-executive management positions or 33% in director positions before June 2026. According to the text, penalties will be imposed on companies that do not comply with the regulation.
On this long road towards corporate governance, initiatives that enhance the role of women in the public and private spheres are equally necessary. For example, since 2011, Top 100 Women Leaders in Spain has been highlighting in its annual ranking the most influential female profiles in their sector: those women and organisations working to promote female talent and women's access to decision-making positions.
As a woman and as part of a company firmly committed to the fifth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, achieving equality, I am proud to be a candidate, along with a large group of female executives, for this ranking that pursues a very clear goal: that we stop talking about quotas.
Equality and work-life balance plan
Hand in hand with the public sector, those of us in the private sector not only have the obligation, but also the responsibility to devote all our efforts towards building an egalitarian society. A key pillar of our organisation is the Equality and Work-Life Balance Plan. This plan has brought about significant progress in this area in recent years, achieving greater representation of women in all positions and reducing the pay gap. As proof of this commitment, we have included the promotion of diversity and female leadership as a line of work in our 2022-2024 Strategic Plan.
At the end of 2018, we conducted a diagnosis of the internal situation to improve talent management, which has resulted in hard data: we have reached parity in the workforce with 51% women and 49% men. With regard to senior management, women account for 38% of the members of the Steering Committee, for 40% of executives, and 52% of internal promotions have gone to women. In addition, we have made an effort to increase the number of women in executive positions in technology.
Specifically, our Equality and Work-Life Balance Plan seeks to guarantee the effective implementation of the principle of gender equality, promoting the presence of the least represented gender in decision-making positions or roles, thus improving women's access to positions of responsibility. It also focuses on the work-life balance between family, personal and professional life. To this end, we have designed specific training programmes for the Equality Committee and we have created the figure of an equality agent.
These efforts have reaped rewards not only from the staff, but also through specific recognitions, such as obtaining the EFR (Family-Responsible Company) Certificate. This distinction has been awarded by the Fundación másfamilia and recognises the commitment towards work-life balance and the support for equal opportunities.
Furthermore, we have adhered to the Diversity Charter (Fundación Diversidad) and the Empowering Women's Talent programme, the main objective of which is to raise awareness throughout the organisation on the richness of having a diverse workforce, as well as to promote female talent in positions of responsibility. To this end, we are proud to have been recognised with the prestigious Diversity Leading Company seal, which distinguishes companies that excel in their commitment and work to implement equality, diversity and inclusion policies.
However, recognition is only the tip of the iceberg, much work remains to be done to ensure equal opportunities and to enhance the richness of diversity. The commitment of organisations to their employees and to society is directly proportional to their competitiveness. If we all contribute our bit, however small, there will come a day when there is no need to talk about quotas.
