Santander is the second highest-scoring company in the global index, which recognizes excellence and commitment to equality. 

It assesses companies on equal pay and gender parity, inclusivity, brand, female leadership, talent and other metrics.

The 2022 index includes 418 companies from 45 countries and 11 industries.

Madrid, 26 January 2022.
Banco Santander registered the highest score in the finance industry and the second highest overall in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) 2022, a touchstone of excellence and commitment to equality for companies worldwide. Inclusion on the GEI demonstrates companies’ commitment to equality and women’s progress in the workplace through policy development, representation and transparency. The bank’s score is a clear symbol of its leadership in equality.

Santander’s executive chairman, Ana Botín, said: “The Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index sets an important benchmark for companies to evaluate internal practices. Being part of the Index demonstrates our commitment to supporting gender equality and creating an inclusive environment for all our employees.”

This year’s index includes 418 companies from 45 countries and 11 industries. It measures gender-equality based on female leadership and talent pipeline; equal pay and gender pay parity; inclusive culture; anti-sexual harassment policies; and pro-women brand. Each category is given a score from 0 to 100 (the latter being the maximum). Santander achieved a total of 90.26, having improved on last year’s inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies and pro-women brand scores. 

Santander is leading several gender equality initiatives that link to its commitments for 2025. They include closing the gender pay gap among employees and increasing the percentage of women in senior management positions to 30%. Santander also set a target for 40% of its board members to be women, which it has already achieved.

Building an inclusive and diverse workplace is central to Santander’s culture and values. It runs initiatives and markets products to empower thousands of women financially every day, including Prospera in Brazil, Banca Women in Argentina, Generación81 in Spain and Select ME and Tuiio in Mexico. Its other key feats are launching the first mutual fund in Spain (which focuses on companies supporting gender equality); becoming a signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles; running the mentoring programme, De Mujer a Mujer (“From woman to woman”) alongside Fundación Integra in Spain to support victims of gender violence; Reencuentra, which helps women re-enter the jobs market after time out; and other programmes to drive the progress of women in society. 

“We are proud to recognize Santander and the other 418 companies included in the 2022 GEI for their commitment to transparency and setting a new standard in gender-related data reporting,” said Peter T. Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg and founding chairman of the U.S. 30% Club. “Even though the threshold for inclusion in the GEI has risen, the member list continues to grow. This is a testament that more companies are working to improve upon their gender-related metrics, fostering more opportunity for diverse talent to succeed in their organizations.”