Lloyds Banking Group Chief Executive, António Horta-Osório has pledged that they will set a target of 40% of the top 5,000 roles at the bank to be held by women by 2020 – from 28% in 2013 – in a move welcomed by campaigners, who said it was the first such goal set by a FTSE-100 company.
“The reputational impact of the financial crisis upon the banking industry’s stature has been immense,” he will say. “Rebuilding a sound reputation founded on the highest standards of responsible behaviour is key to the industry’s long-term success.”
“But words alone are not enough to change public perception and regain trust. We must be able to provide meaningful commitments and allow ourselves to be independently measured against those,” he says, dubbing his plan for “helping Britain prosper” – a slogan used by the bank for the last 18 months. Are Lloyds under the impression that by bringing in a gender balanced workforce the trust and performance will improve?
This is a great move and we hope to see more FTSE-100 companies offering a similar or even better pledge in bringing in more female talent into strategic roles.
