BAT included in prestigious 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index

PRESS RELEASE

01 FEBRUARY 2023

BAT included in prestigious 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index

  •  BAT included in 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index in first year of participation
  •  Recognises BAT’s ongoing drive to sustain a diverse, inclusive culture
  •  Delivering a positive social impact key to BAT’s A Better Tomorrow™ transformation

 

BAT’s ongoing drive to sustain a diverse, inclusive culture have been recognised with inclusion in the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) at the first time of participating.

The GEI measures gender equality performance globally across five pillars as set by Bloomberg: leadership & talent pipeline, equal pay & gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and external brand.

Member companies are given percentage scores based on a survey submitted to Bloomberg. BAT’s 75% overall score was ahead of the average (73%), as was its 100% score for disclosure (97% average) and 64% score for data excellence performance (63% average). Among its key strengths, BAT was recognised for creating an inclusive culture for women via its recruiting initiatives, adoption of family-friendly policies, sponsoring programmes dedicated to educating women, and support of community programmes. Inclusion in the index follows BAT being named as a Global Top Employer for a sixth successive year.

Hae In Kim, BAT’s Director of Talent, Culture and Inclusion, said: “Recognition in this year’s Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index demonstrates our commitment to addressing gender diversity, and highlights our concerted global efforts to provide transparent reporting. With more than 50,000 employees worldwide, our Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) strategy is truly global, and I continue to be incredibly proud of the collective efforts made by all our employees.”

BAT is committed to pay equity and has gone beyond the requirements of UK regulations to publish voluntary pay equity analysis. In 2022, BAT received independent accreditation from non-profit organisation, Fair Pay Workplace, following a base salary assessment carried out by BAT, covering 40% of its workforce. This found that men and women are paid within 1% of one another for doing the same work, or work of equal value.1 Details of a subsequent review covering 80% of its workforce, covering c40,000 employees in 44 countries, will be published in BAT’s upcoming Diversity and Inclusion Report 2022.

BAT is committed to building A Better Tomorrow™ by reducing the health impact of its business through providing a range of enjoyable and less risky products.*† Working to deliver a positive social impact is central to this approach and includes maintaining a diverse, inclusive atmosphere for its people. By 2025 the company is committed to increase the proportion of women in management roles to 45% and on senior leadership teams to 40%.

      For more on the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, visit bloomberg.com/GEI 

1 As part of its 2021 base salary assessment, BAT collected gender pay data across nine countries, representing 40% of its employees worldwide and covering more than 19,000 people. The countries were selected to ensure relevant international representation across all continents and to provide a cross-sectional view of BAT’s business operations. The nine countries were Australia, Brazil, Italy, UK, Malaysia, Romania, Russia, South Africa, and U.S. See BAT’s Diversity and Inclusion Report 2021. In 2022, the scope of voluntary pay equity analysis and reporting has significantly expanded, achieving further global coverage for gender and ethnicity.
* Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk free and are addictive.
† Our products as sold in the US, including Vuse, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus, are subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without FDA clearance.


Enquiries

 

Media Centre
+44 (0) 20 7845 2888 (24 hours)  | @BATplc 

Investor Relations
Victoria Buxton: +44 (0)20 7845 2012
John Harney: +44 (0)20 7845 1263

 

Gender equality at BAT

 

BAT provides its female employees and diverse groups with an opportunity to connect, engage and share experiences, such as through its Women in BAT UK and BUnited LGBT+ communities.
Other initiatives include:

  •  ‘Parents@BAT’ which provides benefits for new mums and dads worldwide.
  •  The IGNITE returners programme which focuses on supporting experienced professionals returning to the workplace after a career break.
  •  ‘Women in STEM’ (science, technology, engineering and maths), which is focused on attracting, developing and retaining more female employees.

 

About the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index

 

BAT is one of 484 companies included in the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), a market capitalization-weighted index developed to gauge the performance of public companies dedicated to reporting gender-related data.

The 2023 GEI reaches globally to represent 45 countries and regions, including firms headquartered in Luxembourg, Ecuador, and Kuwait for the first time. Member companies represent a variety of sectors, including financials, technology, and utilities.

Inclusion in the index is open to companies with a market capitalisation equivalent to US$ 1 billion.

Both the survey and the GEI are voluntary and have no associated costs.