Firmenich, Seventh Company in the World to Be Globally Certified by Edge for Workplace Gender Equality

Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned perfume and taste company, today announced it is the seventh company in the world, and the first in its industry, to receive Global EDGE Certification for gender parity in the workplace. With this global endorsement, Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE), the leading business certification standard for gender equality, is officially recognizing Firmenich for driving a diverse and inclusive workforce worldwide, with equal opportunities for all. Globally, Firmenich earned the EDGE ASSESS level of certification after a rigorous third-party evaluation including gender balance, equal pay, effectiveness of policies & practices and the inclusiveness of the Group's culture.

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"I am very proud that Firmenich is one of only seven companies worldwide, and the first in our industry, to have been awarded global EDGE certification for gender parity," said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO Firmenich. "This outstanding recognition not only positions us as an employer of choice for the men and women that work at Firmenich, it also makes us a trusted and reliable partner for our customers, as diverse teams consistently deliver superior results."

"We congratulate Firmenich on being the first in its industry to earn Global EDGE ASSESS Certification," commented Aniela Unguresan, Co-founder of EDGE Certified Foundation. "Firmenich scored exceptionally well in the areas of inclusiveness of the culture and career advancement. Particularly notable was the high share of women in the workforce and in management positions, as compared to their industry peers. By pursuing the global EDGE Certification, Firmenich is applying the same rigor and discipline to addressing gender equality as they do to other business-critical goals."

"I want Firmenich to be the best place to work in our industry globally. That's why we pursued global EDGE certification, supported by flexible work arrangements to ensure all our colleagues have an optimal work-life balance," said Mieke Van de Capelle, Chief Human Resources Officer at Firmenich. "Globally, our female colleagues represent 40% of our senior management and workforce. This recognition confirms we are making gender balance a priority, going far beyond equal pay. We will not stop here, as we remain determined to achieving the highest level of excellence in this area."

Becoming the first in the industry to earn EDGE Certification at the global level entailed an intensive assessment of Firmenich data and processes, as well as a comprehensive survey of its employees worldwide. Firmenich emerged from the rigorous assessment as an employer clearly dedicated to gender equality, with global policies already in place for pay equity, an inclusive company culture, and high ratings from its colleagues in every country on equal hiring opportunities.

About Firmenich  

Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned company in the perfume and taste business, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895. Driven by its purpose to create positive emotions to enhance wellbeing, naturally, Firmenich has designed many of the world's best-known perfumes and tastes, bringing delight to over four billion consumers every day. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, each year, Firmenich invests 10% of its turnover in R&D to understand and share the best that nature has to offer responsibly. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.7 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2018. More information about Firmenich is available at http://www.firmenich.com 

About EDGE Certification

EDGE is the leading global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender equality. It measures where organizations stand in terms of gender balance across their pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices to ensure equitable career flows as well as inclusiveness of their culture. Launched at the World Economic Forum in 2011, EDGE Certification has been designed to help companies not only create an optimal workplace for women and men, but also benefit from it. EDGE stands for Economic Dividends for Gender Equality and is distinguished by its rigor and focus on business impact.

EDGE assessment methodology was developed by the EDGE Certified Foundation, which continues to act as the guardian of the EDGE methodology and certification standards. Its commercial arm, EDGE Strategy, works with companies to prepare them for the EDGE Certification. EDGE Certification is currently working with nearly 200 organizations, in 50 countries and 23 industries. 

For more information, visit edge-cert.org or follow us on Twitter: @EDGE_CERT