By Anca Voinea
Forbes magazine has published a list of the world’s most female-friendly companies, which features four co-operatives and one employee owned enterprise.
Developed with the support market research company Statista, the ranking identifies the 400 enterprises excelling in championing women at work.
They include Canadian financial service co-operative Desjardins Group, which came fourth, followed by employee-owned John Lewis Partnership in the UK.
Also, on the list are Italian insurance co-op Unipol Group (31), and French co-op banks Crédit Agricole (136) and Crédit Mutuel (200).
Desjardins, North America’s largest co-operative financial group, says the ranking shows its commitment to the advancement of women in the workplace. Around 59% of managers with the group are women.
One of its initiatives aimed at advancing women in leadership positions is the Empowering Women network, which enables female employees and board members to help each other, forge new connections and develop new skills.
“At Desjardins, we’re committed to creating an environment in which women are able to participate fully and grow within our organisation,” said Guy Cormier, president and CEO of Desjardins. “We’re extremely proud of this achievement, which confirms that we’re moving in the right direction to encourage women to achieve their full potential.”
-Coop News