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The U.S. is Trying to Export – tariff-free – Its Anti-DEI Agenda

By Aniela Unguresan


In a bold assertion of authority far beyond U.S. borders, President Donald Trump is trying to get the world to follow its political agenda—not through negotiations or international agreements, but through pressure from U.S. embassies on the businesses of their host countries. Embassies suppliers in the European Union are being asked to certify that their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs do not run afoul of a Trump executive order on “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing”, an order designed to convey the message that initiatives to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) are fraught with legal peril. Moreover, it implies that an employer having an interest in having a diverse workforce means that the employer will use illegal race and sex-based preferences to serve that interest.

Let’s start by acknowledging that what the U.S. government is trying to do raises significant concerns about sovereignty, international obligations, and corporate accountability. The United States has no jurisdiction over the domestic employment laws of EU member states. And yet, through these certification demands, American embassies are attempting to force European businesses and even public institutions to choose between complying with national legislation or bowing to U.S. political ideology.

Let’s continue by stating that diversity initiatives, when implemented lawfully, align with US federal anti-discrimination laws and promote equal opportunity for all employees. Ten former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) officials asserted in a letter published last week that DEI initiatives are not only lawful but essential for promoting equal opportunity, improving organizational performance, and preventing discrimination. Any presumption that DEI practices are employing illegal race- and/or sex-based preferences is not only unfounded—it is a willful mischaracterization of what most organizations are doing.

The embassy missive is not just a bureaucratic skirmish. It is a high-stakes collision between competing visions of fairness, sovereignty, and global leadership. It discourages lawful diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts by employers, misrepresents legal principles, and may chill proactive measures aimed at promoting equal opportunity in our workplaces. It violates international agreements signed by both the U.S. and EU member states, such as the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (signed but not ratified). These conventions obligate signatories to promote equity rather than dismantle initiatives.

It is especially troubling when applied to companies and public institutions in the European Union, where gender equality and non-discrimination are enshrined in binding legislation mandating diversity goals in corporate governance and public procurement processes.

As co-founder of EDGE Certified Foundation, which developed the leading global certification standard for workplace gender and intersectional equity, I believe this moment calls for principled resistance—and a united front in upholding of the values of fairness and diversity in our workplaces. It’s also a moment to establish clarity and an opportunity for European stakeholders to reaffirm their legal commitments and moral leadership in advancing fairness, equity, and diversity, even amidst shifting political winds.

Here are some important principles and practical steps for EU business receiving such demands from the US administration:

Proactive Efforts Are Lawful (including in the US)

Employers can lawfully take proactive steps to identify and address barriers that limit opportunities for employees or applicants based on protected characteristics (e.g., race, sex, religion). ​ These efforts are not discriminatory if properly constructed and help prevent discrimination (source: EEOC former commissioners’ letter).

Diversity Policies Are Permissible (including in the US)

Employers may express an interest in diversity and implement policies to address barriers to equal opportunity. ​ Courts have upheld diversity policies aimed at reducing discrimination and fostering workplace tolerance. ​​(source: EEOC former commissioners’ letter)

Compliance with the national legislation comes first

Even if explicit quotas are discouraged under U.S. directives, collecting demographic data to identify and address barriers to equal opportunity is lawful —and it is also a legal requirement under EU law. Directive 2022/2381, known as the “Women on Boards Directive,” mandates that by 2026, listed companies must meet minimum thresholds for gender balance and adopt clear, transparent, and merit-based selection procedures for board appointments. The EDGE Certified Foundation’s research and resource “EquiNations” offers a broad overview of DEI related legal obligations across 20 countries.

The State Department said the embassy letter “only asks contractors and grantees around the world to certify their compliance with applicable U.S. federal anti-discrimination laws.”

“⁠There is no ‘verification’ required beyond asking contractors and grantees to self-certify their compliance,” its statement said. “In other words, we are just asking them to complete one additional piece of paperwork.” (source: U.S. Seeks to Calm Tempest in Europe Over Trump’s Anti-Diversity Policies – The New York Times)

This is a remarkable downplay and misrepresentation of the implications of signing such a self-certified compliance which can expose businesses to significant legal liability under local laws or international agreements. France and Belgium are two countries that mandate near-parity gender representation in leadership roles. Non-compliance with these regulations could result in fines or exclusion from public contracts—risks that outweigh potential repercussions from U.S. embassies.

Collaborate Through Governmental and Industry Associations

Collective action is a powerful tool for mitigating risks and amplifying voices. Governments and industry associations are encouraged to provide credible, quality, and legally accurate guidance to help companies draft unified responses that align with local norms while addressing U.S. concerns. Industry associations are important stakeholders in supporting national governments and EU Institutions to take a common stance on behalf of their businesses and economies.

Take a holistic approach

Lastly, it must also be recognized that there is room for growth in how many organizations approach and manage DEI in the workplace—particularly in effectively anchoring their work within core strategy and operations. Improving data practices, strengthening inclusive policies, and linking DEI outcomes to business performance are all strongly recommended steps. Frameworks such as EDGE Certification are designed to support organizations in doing just that—grounding DEI in evidence-based approaches and rigorous global standards.

This moment of extraordinary overreach by the US government demands not retreat but clear action in response. Never let a crisis go to waste. Instead, I urge European governments and companies to use this opportunity to reimagine DEI as a values-driven endeavor to strengthen institutions, protect fundamental rights, and build a more just global economy for all.

Aniela Unguresan
Founder of EDGE Strategy and Founder of the EDGE Certified Foundation

Related resources

The U.S. is Trying to Export – tariff-free – Its Anti-DEI Agenda
U.S. embassies are pressuring EU companies to align with anti-DEI orders, raising serious legal and sovereignty concerns. This piece urges compliance leaders and institutions to defend lawful DEI practices and reinforce their commitment to equity and accountability.
Diversity, Fairness, and Inclusion Remain a Business Imperative
Six actionable steps to strengthen workplace diversity and inclusion efforts, from aligning leadership and tracking data to standardizing processes and avoiding legal pitfalls. As Prof. Iris Bohnet says, “There is no meritocracy without fairness."
The Generation Blend: Why Mixed-Age Teams Are Your Business Advantage
In today’s diverse work environments, intergenerational collaboration is a key driver of innovation and success. Leveraging the unique skills and perspectives of each generation can enhance problem-solving and creativity.

Book a demo

Do you have questions about our product or pricing?

Simply fill out the form below and one of our colleagues will be in touch shortly.

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Posted on by albertopasino

Diversity, Fairness, and Inclusion Remain a Business Imperative

…And the Companies That Get It Will Win

by Aniela Unguresan

Headlines scream about companies scaling back equity and inclusion efforts, creating the illusion that the tide is turning against initiatives embraced as DEI. That businesses are abandoning progress. That equity, fairness, and inclusion are on the decline.

That is not true.

The fundamental issues DEI addresses—diverse representation, pay equity, career opportunities, and inclusive workplaces—remain relevant and are non-negotiable for any company that wants to thrive in the future.

Leading companies across all industries are doubling down—not backing down. Apple, Costco, e.l.f. Beauty, JPMorgan Chase, and Sephora are investing in DEI because they know it drives innovation, strengthens culture, and fuels long-term success.

Meanwhile, the companies making headlines for rolling back their commitments? They are the minority. A vocal one, yes. But they are a fraction of enterprises in a vast, great, big world.

Balancing Inspiration with Realism

Decades of research and practice have shown that diverse teams innovate more, perform better, and drive stronger business results. Can anyone truly question that fair hiring, pay, and promotion processes reduce costly turnover and boost morale?

Despite the data, some companies hesitate to tap into the power of DEI. Those leaders worry about legal risks, political backlash, or budget constraints. And to make matters more challenging, Kenji Yoshino, David Glasgow, and Christina Joseph noted in Harvard Business Review they far into two traps in communicating putting them in a difficult position where pulling back seems to be the best choice:

  • Talking too much—and creating legal vulnerabilities.
  • Talking too little—and appearing to abandon DEI altogether.

The answer isn’t to retreat. It’s to get sharper, more precise, and more strategic. Companies must communicate that equity and inclusion are about fairness, removing barriers, and unlocking talent—not “preferences” or compliance box-checking.

6 Practical Steps to “Double Down”

  1. Align Leadership and Departments – DEI isn’t just HR’s job. Boards, leadership teams, public affairs, legal counsel, and frontline managers must all champion the business case and document your organization’s E&I/DEI stance, define allowable practices (e.g., data collection, recruitment outreach), and clearly explain them to everyone.
  2. Make Data Your Ally – Track key metrics, including hiring, promotion, pay equity, and employee engagement. Share the insights to build trust and hold leaders accountable.
  3. Redesign Processes, Not Just People – Standardize job interviews, conduct pay equity audits, and eliminate bias-ridden “tap-on-the-shoulder” promotions.
  4. Communicate the “Win-Win” – A fair, inclusive workplace benefits everyone. High engagement, retention, and strong performance aren’t just good for DEI—they’re good for business.
  5. Anticipate and Address Legal Pitfalls – Work with your team of subject-matter experts and your legal advisors to ensure that you stay clear of suggesting that your organization engages in conferring a preference on a protected group with respect to a palpable benefit.
  6. Stay on Top of What Works – “There is no meritocracy without fairness” says Prof. Iris Bohnet, coauthor of Make Work Fair. This book offers an actionable blueprint for making fairness at work a reality. The book has three parts: “Make It Count. Make it Stick. Make it Natural.” and introduces evidence-based methods—tested at many organizations and proven to work in the real world—to help us make fairer and simply better decisions. For me, this timely and actionable guide has been a constant source of immediate, proven ways to do every day work better and, smarter and fairer. I highly recommend it.

There are challenges—legal complexities, budget constraints, loud critics. However, there are hurdles to launching new products or services, too. Did you give up? No, you didn’t. You continued to think through the issue and take new steps to move forward. The same is true with DEI, and the companies that stay the course will lead the future.

“Yes, sometimes it might feel like we are constantly preaching to the choir but that is ok because the choir needs to sing,” Prof. Bohnet told me the other day. “But the choir needs to sing.” Are you a voice in this choir? More importantly, are you building a workplace where every voice—can find its place in the chorus?

Let’s turn up the volume. Let’s act with clear intention and resolve. Join my colleagues and me to ensure that fairness, equity, and inclusion are the foundation of how we work, lead, and succeed.

Aniela Unguresan
Founder of EDGE Strategy and Founder of the EDGE Certified Foundation

Related resources

The U.S. is Trying to Export – tariff-free – Its Anti-DEI Agenda
U.S. embassies are pressuring EU companies to align with anti-DEI orders, raising serious legal and sovereignty concerns. This piece urges compliance leaders and institutions to defend lawful DEI practices and reinforce their commitment to equity and accountability.
Diversity, Fairness, and Inclusion Remain a Business Imperative
Six actionable steps to strengthen workplace diversity and inclusion efforts, from aligning leadership and tracking data to standardizing processes and avoiding legal pitfalls. As Prof. Iris Bohnet says, “There is no meritocracy without fairness."
The Generation Blend: Why Mixed-Age Teams Are Your Business Advantage
In today’s diverse work environments, intergenerational collaboration is a key driver of innovation and success. Leveraging the unique skills and perspectives of each generation can enhance problem-solving and creativity.

Book a demo

Do you have questions about our product or pricing?

Simply fill out the form below and one of our colleagues will be in touch shortly.

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Posted on by albertopasino

The Generation Blend: Why Mixed-Age Teams Are Your Business Advantage


By Simona Scarpaleggia & Isabelle Steiger

Many organisations aren’t optimally utilising the potential of their age-diverse teams – this hypothesis, born from years of observing the Swiss business landscape, formed the starting point for the EDGE-EY-EqualVoice Study 2024. The survey of over 400 Swiss business professionals not only confirms this assumption but also shows how sustainable business success depends on how companies manage intergenerational collaboration.

Daily practice reveals a surprising discrepancy. While there’s a fundamental willingness to collaborate, implementation often fails. The reasons lie in the profound transformation of the working world. When we began our careers, a clear set of rules shaped the workday – complete dedication to the job, personal needs taking a back seat, learning from experienced supervisors. Meanwhile, reality has fundamentally changed.

Younger professionals are now shaping the workplace with new standards. They consciously set boundaries between work and private life, prefer digital learning formats, and strive for more than just career advancement: they seek meaningful work that creates change. Although both paths lead to the goal, in hindsight, we too would have done some things differently. It’s precisely in this diversity of approaches that a special opportunity for success lies – provided we understand and utilise it correctly.

Reshaping Collaboration

Our study provides revealing insights into current teamwork. While three out of four Baby Boomers report positive experiences, one in five Generation Z members negatively assess collaboration with other age groups. This differing perception reflects more than just varying viewpoints.

Innovation and knowledge transfer suffer directly from this situation. While programmes like mentoring and reverse mentoring create better understanding of different perspectives, the crucial next step is to deliberately utilise each generation’s specific strengths. When generations work separately, opportunities are missed: neither the long-standing experience of one group nor the fresh impulses of the other can fully impact genuine innovation.

Potential in Mid-Career

Data analysis revealed another significant insight. While companies invest considerable resources in attracting young talent and retaining senior expertise, they overlook a crucial group. Professionals in mid-career – accounting for 70% of Switzerland’s working population according to the Federal Statistical Office and forming the workforce’s core – aren’t receiving necessary attention. This development endangers both current performance and future leadership development.

The generational distribution is particularly revealing. Only Baby Boomers credit their companies with effectively promoting individual qualities across generations. In contrast, a third of Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X criticise the lack of strategic planning in team composition. With Baby Boomers’ impending retirement, valuable experience risks being lost, while younger generations bring knowledge about new technologies and market developments. Companies that don’t unite these different perspectives risk internal conflicts – and forfeit competitive advantages.

Future Impulses

Successful companies no longer limit themselves to merely understanding generational differences. Our study crystallises three concrete action areas that make the difference:

  1. Redesigning Teams
    Superficial diversity programmes no longer suffice. The most successful companies go further: they deliberately combine age-mixed teams, thereby tapping into each generation’s specific strengths. The impact is demonstrable. Systematically merged perspectives and experiences from different age groups significantly improve knowledge transfer.
  2. Developing Mid-Career Professionals
    Developing mid-career professionals proves to be a strategic success factor, not just an HR task. Smart companies recognise: these employees serve as essential bridges between generations. Through targeted development, they become mediators who can orchestrate knowledge exchange across corporate levels.
  3. Utilising Generational Mix
    The greatest successes are achieved by companies that anchor generational interplay as a central business competence in their strategy – not as an optional cultural project. Particularly in Switzerland’s knowledge-based economy, the added value becomes evident: when employees of different ages exchange insights and constructively challenge existing assumptions, the entire organisation benefits.

The three approaches described point the way forward. Companies successfully integrating different generations create the foundation for sustainable innovation and growth. A systematic exchange between generations strengthens their position in global competition and shapes an organisation capable of evolving.

This path requires time and consistent commitment. However, the price of inaction outweighs the investment in change. In an era where talent determines business success, generational interplay must become lived practice. This demands full attention from leadership.

For Swiss companies, this presents a special opportunity. The potential already lies dormant in their workforce – in the collective power of different generations. They just need to awaken and purposefully utilise it.

Authors

Simona Scarpaleggia
Board Member at EDGE Strategy and Brainforest, and Supervisory Board Member at Hornbach.

Author of “The Other Half: Promoting Women for a Strong Economy.”
Isabelle Staiger
Partner, People Consulting at EY Switzerland.

Supports companies in business transformations focusing on leadership and employees – corporate culture, DE&I, leadership and change management.

Related resources

The U.S. is Trying to Export – tariff-free – Its Anti-DEI Agenda
U.S. embassies are pressuring EU companies to align with anti-DEI orders, raising serious legal and sovereignty concerns. This piece urges compliance leaders and institutions to defend lawful DEI practices and reinforce their commitment to equity and accountability.
Diversity, Fairness, and Inclusion Remain a Business Imperative
Six actionable steps to strengthen workplace diversity and inclusion efforts, from aligning leadership and tracking data to standardizing processes and avoiding legal pitfalls. As Prof. Iris Bohnet says, “There is no meritocracy without fairness."
The Generation Blend: Why Mixed-Age Teams Are Your Business Advantage
In today’s diverse work environments, intergenerational collaboration is a key driver of innovation and success. Leveraging the unique skills and perspectives of each generation can enhance problem-solving and creativity.

Book a demo

Do you have questions about our product or pricing?

Simply fill out the form below and one of our colleagues will be in touch shortly.

Book a demo
Posted on by albertopasino

Competing with the best in Diversity, Fairness and Inclusion

Decathlon, one of the world’s largest sports retailers, has found an innovative way to turn workplace diversity into a competitive advantage. Under the leadership of Global Head of DE&I Ravi Sinha, the company created a Global Maturity Index for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, sparking a friendly rivalry between its international operations and driving improvements in workplace equity through the same competitive spirit that defines its sporting goods business. Greta Kotsch, the company’s Global Project Management Officer for DE&I and a champion of the initiative, has seen firsthand how this metrics-driven approach is transforming the company’s culture

Competitiveness is actively encouraged within Decathlon. That’s not surprising, given it is one of the world’s largest sports retailers and its brands are preferred by all athletes across a multitude of disciplines and countries.

It’s also not surprising that it has captured a spirit of competitiveness in devising a Global Maturity Index for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I). The index is a simple ‘score’ to measure how one country is performing against another, which not only breeds a healthy competitiveness across borders but also accelerates a race for the top.

An active champion of the index, and the Global Project Management Officer for DE&I within the business, is Greta Kotsch.

Greta, a keen sportswoman, has been a long-time employee of Decathlon, having worked from the ground up at store level including a spell in Austria as part of a small team establishing what was effectively a ‘start-up’ business: “It was an interesting project in a new country for Decathlon and with an enormous flagship store of 5,000sq m,” she explains. “We had to take a business from five to 70 employees, and deliver the training and upskilling they needed, all within six-months.

“You had to be a Chameleon,” she laughs, “being able to adapt to different roles and jobs every day, and so I learned a great deal until I was ready to become a store leader in my own right.”

The social conscience of the class

At school, Greta had always taken an interest in other people, being told by one of her teachers that she was ‘the social conscience of the class’, making sure everyone was considered, regarded and engaged. She had also taken a keen interest in matters of sustainability and the environment, and specifically DE&I. When an opportunity became available to join Decathlon’s HR team in Germany, therefore, she saw it as a match made in heaven:

“I was responsible for running the apprenticeships programme, which in Germany means working with 15/16-year-olds after school, and giving them the skills to do specific jobs so that when they leave, they are properly equipped to join the workplace. It is a very responsible job because you are like a second parent to them.”

By now fully embedded within the HR team, Greta became more exposed to the wider business, and with a particular passion for DE&I, became part of the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team at a very early stage of its development journey: “Having worked on the shop floor, I felt I had a good perspective on the real needs of our people. I also recognised that we could have great ambition and ideas, but that they had to be practical and realistic in order for them to be delivered.”

A valuable and authentic partner for DE&I

It was at this time that she also began working with EDGE: “Our business in Italy became the first to learn about EDGE Certification and did us a big favour in bringing it to the attention of the global team,” she continues. “They were looking for a valuable and authentic partner to work with them on DE&I and when they shared the idea with our leadership we were convinced of its quality and value across the whole business.

“With EDGE you begin by analysing where you currently stand. It gives you a picture of your business which is based on data – a benchmark that provides you with a stable and sustainable approach to determining how you can extend the topic. It is important to recognise that you need to bring in expert help at the beginning so that they can help you in becoming an expert yourself.”

Having decided to engage with EDGE, Ravi Sinha, Global Head – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, wanted to find ways of maximising the data now available. They had built the insight, the analysis, and the in-house expertise, but the challenge was how to bring DE&I to the top of their colleagues’ minds: “We wanted to find a way of opening up the topic to those who were not as close to DE&I as we are,” Ravi explains, “understanding that they have limited time to devote to the subject and have many other challenges in their day-to-day lives that they need to be on top of.

“They’re also not as familiar as we are with the terms used in describing DE&I,” he continues. “We can talk about ‘representation’ and ‘retention’ and know what we mean and whether the data we see is what we expected to see.”

So rather than trying to explain the whole program, Ravi considered how he could break the topic down to its core so that it was easy and accessible: “Then I thought ‘what does everybody understand’ and decided that everyone understands a graph and a score. And that’s how I came up with the Global Maturity Index.”

The impact of Global Maturity Index

The Index was launched in the summer and Greta says it immediately had the impact the DE&I team was looking for: “It showed who the global leaders were and then everyone started to discuss it and ask why one country’s score was better than another’s. We all love competition and comparing ourselves with others and everyone now wants to be on top. Leaders are now reaching out to find out more and how they can improve or celebrate being the best.”

The excitement and interest around DE&I are noticeable. More than 90% of Decathlon’s people says that they value the diversity that the business brings to the team and its leadership. Last year (2023) it ranked in the top 30 best employers (as ranked by Forbes) and the best in its home nation, France, and 60th in its ranking of the world’s best employers when it comes to the inclusion of women. Now it has a goal of 50% women and 50% men team leaders by 2026 and is heading in the right direction.

While the Index needs fine-tuning, Greta says it is important not to let a desire for ‘perfection’ get in the way of making a start: “We’ve shifted our strategy towards Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in preference to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs),” she explains, “which recognises that you don’t have to be perfect to make progress.

“A KPI can be too black and white and rarely tells you the whole story. It doesn’t tell you the barriers you’ve had to overcome to deliver what you’ve achieved. You might have climbed a mountain to get there but a KPI suggests otherwise.

“Our attitude is that 80 is the new 100, and that you should celebrate that what you have is already great before striving for perfection which can in fact end up slowing you down, trying to attain something that is never possible.

“The index is the start,” she continues. “It will evolve, and it will be adapted, but what was especially pleasing was that everyone in the business did well and it was simply that some did better than others. We’ve had very good engagement and many messages of support, not just from the leadership but also at a more operational level among our more junior employees, thanking us for recognising the importance of DE&I throughout the business.”

EDGE is your partner, helping you understand where you are and what direction you are taking. They guide you in determining whether you are on the right track. With EDGE, you gain a firm foundation for building your future strategies.”

Greta Kotsch

An exciting future with the support of the EDGE team

With the Index, and the support of EDGE in creating a DE&I framework, Greta is excited about the future and building her expertise: “EDGE has helped us from the very start, and we are still learning,” she says.

“With EDGE’s help we are creating a workplace where everyone can grow and develop with equal opportunities. We’re developing the framework with policies and practices that will help us deliver equal pay for equivalent work, continue to analyse the unexplained gender pay gap, and create a community of engaged people from every department who are helping us to communicate our ambition in ways that people understand.

“EDGE is your partner, helping you understand where you are and what direction you are taking. They guide you in determining whether you are on the right track. With EDGE, you gain a firm foundation for building your future strategies,” explains Greta.

She continues: “In our experience, it meant acquiring a wealth of compelling arguments to convince stakeholders of DE&I’s importance beyond just ‘doing the right thing’. EDGE gave us the tools to drive meaningful change and create a more inclusive workplace.

“Their insights have been invaluable in shaping our approach and reinforcing the business case for diversity and inclusion within our organisation. What’s more, we have been able to embed our own culture and competitive spirit into the process by engaging with the Global Maturity Index, which has added an extra layer of motivation and benchmarking to our DE&I journey.”

Related resources

The U.S. is Trying to Export – tariff-free – Its Anti-DEI Agenda
U.S. embassies are pressuring EU companies to align with anti-DEI orders, raising serious legal and sovereignty concerns. This piece urges compliance leaders and institutions to defend lawful DEI practices and reinforce their commitment to equity and accountability.
Diversity, Fairness, and Inclusion Remain a Business Imperative
Six actionable steps to strengthen workplace diversity and inclusion efforts, from aligning leadership and tracking data to standardizing processes and avoiding legal pitfalls. As Prof. Iris Bohnet says, “There is no meritocracy without fairness."
The Generation Blend: Why Mixed-Age Teams Are Your Business Advantage
In today’s diverse work environments, intergenerational collaboration is a key driver of innovation and success. Leveraging the unique skills and perspectives of each generation can enhance problem-solving and creativity.

Book a demo

Do you have questions about our product or pricing?

Simply fill out the form below and one of our colleagues will be in touch shortly.

Book a demo
Posted on by albertopasino

Success starts with relationships and planning

A strategic approach to employee engagement has helped global manufacturer IFF achieve an exceptional 75% response rate on its diversity and inclusion survey, with employees across 21 countries queuing at workplace kiosks to participate. Jessica Gilbert, IFF’s Global Head of DE&I, attributes this success to three key elements: advance planning, engagement with operational leaders beyond HR, and equipping local teams with culturally adapted communication tools.

Engaging with employees at any level is a challenge. There will always be those who are disengaged, disinterested or for some other reason unwilling to participate in employee surveys.

Engagement rates, of course, vary across industries, across geographies and by size of organisation. Companies with fewer than 1,000 employees tend to achieve higher engagement levels than those with more, and those with large operational populations with thousands of employees who are ‘un-desked’ present a greater challenge than service-based companies who all have a regular seat!

A particular challenge is when an organisation is seeking to engage with staff around a specific topic, such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I). But this is where Jessica Gilbert, Global Head of DE&I at IFF appears to have found the winning formula: “It comes down to three key elements,” she explains.

“The first, is that you must plan for the initiative well in advance. In our case, we started work in April for a survey that was planned for October. The second, is that you must engage with stakeholders beyond the HR team to encourage employees to take part, as management have an influential role in positioning this as impacting business strategy. Your regional and local HR people will always be important to you, but so too are the operational leaders like individual plant managers (in our case) who run your manufacturing sites.”

“And third, you must give your partners and cultural ambassadors the right tools to communicate with their spheres of influence. For us that included a communication playbook. We also created posters and flyers that were translated into local languages to make it an ‘easier lift’ for those responsible.”

Putting gender and intersectional equity at the heart of your business

The EDGE employee survey is an integral part of IFF’s drive for the next stage of EDGE Certification. Having partnered with the organisation for the last eight years, IFF was recertified to the ‘Move’ level globally in 2022 – demonstrating that it puts gender and intersectional equity at the heart of its business. Jessica also positioned the survey as part of a larger “We’re Listening” initiative inviting employees to share their voice, as opposed to something separate done solely for EDGE Certification. The EDGE survey, along with the annual employee engagement survey contribute to the development of our people and culture strategy.

The DEI Center of Excellence has intentionally cultivated a trusting working relationship with its regional HR teams and at an individual country level. That trust has been central to the success of its DE&I journey to date. “There was a feeling and recognition that we came in a spirit of partnership,” Jessica continues. “This was not about telling them to ‘do as we say’ without regard to other initiatives impacting our partners’ bandwidth.”

“It was about making it clear what we were trying to achieve, giving them the tools to support their communications, and giving them the flexibility to adapt to when and how they engaged with their own team.”

The structure and concise nature of the survey was useful in encouraging more employees to take part, but so too were some of the practical steps taken by managers in the field. “These included setting up kiosks on site,” Jessica adds, “where people actually queued to take part, in addition to making the survey available through QR codes posted in other areas where employees congregate.”

By any measure, the engagement rates have been exceptional, with an average of more than 75% across the 21 participating countries in which IFF has 200 or more employees.

What we have learned is that you don’t have to control everything, neither is it possible to do so. However, if you give your leaders the right direction, and the right tools, and trust them to know their country, their culture, and their people better than you do, then you can achieve remarkable things.”

Jessica Gilbert

Adopting the EDGE survey as a powerful instrument of change

Jessica describes the EDGE survey as being “a powerful change instrument” and will be comparing the results with the findings of a wider employee engagement survey where similar questions may have been asked. “Because the EDGE survey is specific to DE&I, it asks questions in a very specific way,” she explains.

“A typical employee engagement survey may ask whether an employee would recommend their employer to a friend. The EDGE survey, however, breaks this down further, to distinguish whether there is a difference if the ‘friend’ were a man or a woman.”

Jessica says it is now about connecting the dots between the EDGE survey and the wider piece, and how they can both be used to inform a future DE&I strategy, as well as the whole employee engagement strategy. “To achieve long-lasting change in organizational culture you can’t just ‘react’ to an employee survey and tick boxes. Employee engagement informs your talent strategy, which is also connected to your business strategy.”

Since joining the organisation 18 months ago, Jessica is proud of what the team has achieved and the progress they are making. At the beginning of the year IFF was named the top company in the US for gender equality and 10th globally by Equileap, a benchmark of equality. This represents a jump of 15 places over the previous year.

Nonetheless, there hasn’t been a moment where Jessica thinks she has all the answers. “No one does,” she laughs. “DE&I is constantly evolving, to be successful organizational strategies must continually evolve or they will fail to drive outcomes. This is one of the reasons we appreciate our long-standing partnership with EDGE—as the equity and inclusion conversations evolves, EDGE Foundation has its eyes on the future and looks at how it can continuously raise the standards of what ‘Leading’ looks like.”

“What we have learned is that you don’t have to control everything, neither is it possible to do so. However, if you give your leaders the right direction, and the right tools, and trust them to know their country, their culture, and their people better than you do, then you can achieve remarkable things.”

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EDGE Strategy Appoints New COO to Drive Growth and Innovation


EDGE Strategy announces the appointment of Yishai Pinchover as its new Chief Operating Officer, effective September 1st, 2024. This strategic hire aligns with the company’s ongoing expansion of its suite of DE&I tools, which includes its recently launched pay equity analysis solution.

Yishai brings substantial experience in operational leadership, business development, and technology innovation to EDGE Strategy. As the co-founder and former COO of CodeMonkey, an EdTech platform later acquired by TAL Education Group, he successfully scaled the company’s reach to over 10 million students worldwide, demonstrating his ability to make a global impact.

Aniela Unguresan, Founder and CEO of EDGE Strategy, comments on the appointment: “Yishai’s expertise in scaling operations and driving business growth aligns well with our strategic objectives. His innovative approach and proven track record will be valuable as we continue to expand our global impact and support organisations in leveraging DE&I as a core pillar of their sustainable success.”

Regarding his new role, Yishai Pinchover states: “I am pleased to join EDGE Strategy at this important juncture. The company’s dedication to fostering workplace equity through innovative solutions is commendable. I look forward to optimising operations, accelerating business development, and expanding the reach of EDGE’s software platform across industries and borders.”

This appointment underscores EDGE Strategy’s commitment to operational excellence, business growth, and continuous innovation in DE&I solutions. With Yishai’s leadership and the company’s expanding portfolio of tools, EDGE is well-positioned to reinforce its role as a global leader in fostering inclusive workplaces and driving positive organisational change.

Yishai concludes, “Our aim is to effect meaningful change in workplace equity and inclusion on a global scale.” This sentiment aligns closely with EDGE Strategy’s mission and marks the beginning of a new phase in the company’s development.

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FONPLATA Development Bank Achieves EDGE Assess Certification


FONPLATA Development Bank, formerly the Río de la Plata Basin Financial Development Fund, is a multilateral financial entity formed by the five countries of this South American sub-region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It proudly announces achieving the EDGE Assess Certification in 2024, showcasing its commitment to gender equality and an inclusive workplace.

Key Highlights of FONPLATA Development Bank’s Achievements:

  • Gender Representation: Both genders exceed the threshold for substantive representation (30%) at most levels of responsibility, demonstrating a commitment to equitable representation.
  • Intersectional Equity: FONPLATA Development Bank also achieved EDGEplus Certification, showing its commitment to investigating intersectionality between gender, age, and nationality through the employee survey.
  • Core Functions: Women are overrepresented in core functions at top management both in relative and absolute terms, reflecting progress in gender inclusion at higher levels.
  • Diverse Workforce: The age and nationality diversity within the workforce, especially at junior management levels, underscores FONPLATA Development Bank’s inclusive hiring practices.

While celebrating these successes, FONPLATA Development Bank acknowledges areas for improvement, particularly in addressing gender balance in promotions and hires, and enhancing policies and practices related to pay equity and flexible working. The company remains committed to addressing these challenges and advancing its goal of creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

FONPLATA Development Bank’s Ongoing Commitment

FONPLATA Development Bank remains steadfast in its commitment to gender equality as a fundamental principle and a key driver of sustainable development. Promoting gender balance and empowering women are essential to realizing our mission of fostering inclusive growth and development. FONPLATA Development Bank is dedicated to leading by example within our organization and in the broader financial and development sectors, continually striving to create a workplace where all employees can thrive and contribute to our collective success.

Voices of leadership

Luciana Botafogo, Executive President, FONPLATA Development Bank:“We are thrilled to have achieved the EDGE Assess Certification in 2024, a testament to our ongoing commitment to gender equality and an inclusive workplace. This achievement reflects our collective efforts in promoting equitable opportunities and fair treatment for all our employees. While we celebrate our progress, we recognize the need for continued improvement, particularly in fostering an organizational culture that fully supports gender balance. We are dedicated to addressing these challenges and are confident that with sustained effort, we will achieve even greater milestones in the future.”

Aniela Unguresan, Founder of EDGE Certified Foundation:“Achieving the EDGE Assess Certification is proof of FONPLATA Development Bank’s intentional and prioritized approach to creating a respectful and inclusive workplace. We applaud your leadership and commitment to gender equality, which is essential for fostering sustainable development. FONPLATA Development Bank’s dedication to leading by example is commendable, and we look forward to seeing your continued progress and impact in the years to come.”

About FONPLATA Development Bank

FONPLATA Development Bank is a multilateral financial institution committed to fostering sustainable development and regional integration across Latin America. Established in 1974, FONPLATA plays a pivotal role in financing infrastructure, social development, and environmental sustainability projects that contribute to the economic and social advancement of its member countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. FONPLATA’s approach is based on partnership, flexibility, and innovation. We work closely with our member countries to identify their needs and tailor our financial solutions accordingly. By working closely with national governments, local communities, and international partners, we ensure that our projects align with national priorities and regional goals. Our financing options include loans, guarantees, and technical assistance, which are designed to support a wide range of projects and initiatives. We are committed to transparency, accountability, and the efficient use of resources in all our operations.

For more information about FONPLATA Development Bank and our projects, please visit our website at www.fonplata.org or contact us at .


About EDGE Certification®

EDGE Certification® is the leading global standard for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), centred on a workplace gender and intersectional equity approach. EDGE Certification® is based on objective and measurable evidence of an organization’s current status of gender and intersectional equity in its workplace. Audited by an approved independent third-party certification body, it supports the integrity and credibility of data and information and gives an organization a powerful way to communicate its DE&I commitment and performance.

The EDGE Standards and the Certification System are built on four pillars that define success in gender and intersectional equity: Representation across the talent pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices, and inclusiveness of the culture. As an integral part of the assessment, statistics, policies and practices, and employee experience are evaluated against the EDGE Standards. Depending on the specific results of each organization, an approved action plan may need to be developed to close identified gaps in the organization.

EDGE Certification® meets organizations where they are in their DE&I journey. For the EDGE (gender-binary) assessment, three levels of certification are possible, EDGE Assess (recognizing commitment), EDGE Move (showcasing progress), and EDGE Lead (celebrating success). EDGEplus Certification (gender and intersectionality) is an add-on to EDGE (gender-binary) Certification, offering organizations the possibility to analyze data and information related to women and men as diversified groups, to deepen their understanding of, and to measure the intersectionality of gender and other aspects of diversity, such as non-binary gender identity and LGBTQ+, race/ethnicity, nationality, age, and working with a disability. EDGE Certification® is distinguished by its rigour and focus on impact, it remains valid for a period of two years. For more information and the complete list of EDGE Certified Organizations, visit https://www.edge-cert.org/certified-organizations/

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Posted on by albertopasino

Standard Chartered
Sri Lanka Achieves
EDGE Move Certification


Standard Chartered Sri Lanka recently attained the EDGE Move Certification, the second highest level of certification from EDGE, the leading global assessment and business certification standard for gender equality. Notably, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka is the only organization in the country to have achieved the EDGE Move Certification, underscoring its leadership in fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Crucial to obtaining this recognition is the company’s use of EDGE Empower®, the tech solution that prepares organizations for EDGE Certification®.

Key findings

The assessment highlighted several of Standard Chartered Sri Lanka’s strengths and identified opportunities for further advancement. In terms of representation, women are more likely to be hired overall, showcasing the bank’s inclusive hiring practices. Moving forward, the focus will be on creating pathways for women’s promotions, particularly into Upper and Top management roles, to ensure balanced leadership. Men and women are well-represented in core functions across all management levels, reflecting strong gender diversity in the bank’s central activities. The next step involves enhancing women’s representation in roles with profit and loss responsibility at Upper and Top management levels.

In terms of pay equity, the results of an unexplained gender pay gap analysis were not included. Standard Chartered Sri Lanka has taken proactive steps to ensure pay equity, which is commendable. A majority of employees, both women (66%) and men (72%) agree that they are fairly compensated for their work, emphasizing the bank’s commitment to fair pay practices.

When considering the effectiveness of policies and practices, the organization exceeds the EDGE Standard of 65% in all 5 areas of analysis.

Continued Commitment

Standard Chartered Sri Lanka is dedicated to building on this achievement by implementing a strategic action plan to address the identified gaps. Key focus areas include maintaining gender parity in critical role succession planning, identifying female talent at the Middle Management level and assisting them to progress into the Senior Management level through structured interventions and continuing to review any gender pay gaps on an annual basis.

Voices of leadership

Mr. Bingumal Thewarathanthri, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka: “We are incredibly proud to achieve the EDGE Move Certification. This recognition reflects our ongoing efforts to create an inclusive workplace where everyone, regardless of gender, can thrive. We are committed to addressing the areas identified for improvement and continuing to drive progress in gender equality.”

Aniela Unguresan, Founder of EDGE Certified Foundation: “The EDGE Move Certification achieved by Standard Chartered Sri Lanka exemplifies their intentional and prioritized approach to fostering gender equality in the workplace. This recognition indicates that the organization has not only made a committment to gender equality but has taken concrete steps to transform that commitment into action. We congratulate the Standard Chartered Sri Lanka team on their unwavering dedication to creating an inclusive environment where diversity is deeply integrated into their business practices through accountability, transparency, and independent verification. This achievement showcases how dedicated DE&I efforts can drive significant progress, setting a high standard for the industry.”

About Standard Chartered

Standard Chartered is a leading international cross-border bank, committed to helping people and businesses prosper. Combining deep local expertise with global capabilities, Standard Chartered aims to unlock sustainable, inclusive growth for the communities it serves.

About EDGE Certification®

EDGE Certification® is the leading global standard for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), centred on a workplace gender and intersectional equity approach. EDGE Certification® is based on objective and measurable evidence of an organization’s current status of gender and intersectional equity in its workplace. Audited by an approved independent third-party certification body, it supports the integrity and credibility of data and information and gives an organization a powerful way to communicate its DE&I commitment and performance.

The EDGE Standards and the Certification System are built on four pillars that define success in gender and intersectional equity: Representation across the talent pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices, and inclusiveness of the culture. As an integral part of the assessment, statistics, policies and practices, and employee experience are evaluated against the EDGE Standards. Depending on the specific results of each organization, an approved action plan may need to be developed to close identified gaps in the organization.

EDGE Certification® meets organizations where they are in their DE&I journey. For the EDGE (gender-binary) assessment, three levels of certification are possible, EDGE Assess (recognizing commitment), EDGE Move (showcasing progress), and EDGE Lead (celebrating success). EDGEplus Certification (gender and intersectionality) is an add-on to EDGE (gender-binary) Certification, offering organizations the possibility to analyze data and information related to women and men as diversified groups, to deepen their understanding of, and to measure the intersectionality of gender and other aspects of diversity, such as non-binary gender identity and LGBTQ+, race/ethnicity, nationality, age, and working with a disability. EDGE Certification® is distinguished by its rigour and focus on impact, it remains valid for a period of two years. For more information and the complete list of EDGE Certified Organizations, visit https://www.edge-cert.org/certified-organizations/

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Posted on by albertopasino

A 5-Step Guide to Closing the Gender Pay Gap

Unlock the path to pay equity: our practical guide developed in partnership with Billie Jean King.

As regulations on pay transparency tighten and employee expectations rise, organizations that embrace pay equity and transparency will thrive. With more than one-fourth of the US labour force already covered by salary transparency legislation, and recent strengthened requirements in the EU, the need for action is clear.

Our guide, “A 5-step Guide to Closing the Gender Pay Gap,” is your roadmap to drive real change. Backed by reliable sources and packed with insights and actionable steps, this guide empowers organizations to implement impactful actions that eliminate pay disparities and earn recognition from stakeholders wherever they are in DE&I journey.

In this guide, you will discover a roadmap to close the workplace pay gap in your organization and its milestones:

  • Establish an authentic policy on equal pay
  • Measure and address the unexplained gender pay gap
  • Embrace an intersectional approach to understand how various criteria intersect in pay discrepancies
  • Develop a clear remediation strategy to build a gender-balanced talent pipeline
  • Maintain transparent communication to foster conversations around pay equity
  • Empower line managers to facilitate constructive discussions on pay equity.

The time for change is now! 

Click ‘Full guide’ to download your copy of our guide to close the gap

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A 5-Step Guide to Closing the Gender Pay Gap

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