Career Development: Axa latest insurer to sign Women in Finance Charter

Axa has joined Ageas, Aviva, Direct Line and 137 other firms in signing up to the Women in Finance Charter, which asks signatories to set internal targets for gender diversity in senior management and to publish progress annually, as well as to have one member of the senior executive team responsible for gender diversity.

Axa CEO Amanda Blanc, pictured, said: “We are determined to make Axa a truly inclusive company to work for and signing up to the Women in Finance Charter is an important step. However, this is just one of many things Axa is doing to increase diversity, which is not only the right thing to do, it also makes financial sense.

“We do not just want to talk about diversity and inclusion, we want to take action. We will not rest on our laurels and are working harder than ever to ensure our workforce is as diverse as our customer base.”

More than two-thirds of signatories either have used, or are considering using, the Charter as a blueprint to improve the representation of other diversity characteristics in their firms, such as ethnicity and sexual orientation.

Economic secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay said: “For too long, many women in finance have been underpaid, underrepresented and undervalued compared to men and it’s great to see HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter making a tangible difference.

“Firms are waking up to the fact that promoting more women into senior roles is not only the right thing to do, but will also improve their overall business performance. Diversity of thought at the top is crucial in keeping the financial sector at the cutting edge.”

Over 560,000 people are now covered by the Charter, equal to over half of the employees in the financial services sector and more than the total employees in the mining, energy and water sector combined.