Akbank was ranked the first among Emerging Market banks and among the top 5 banks globally according to the gender equality survey conducted by OMFIF
Akbank was ranked the first among Emerging Market banks and among the top 5 banks globally by Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum’s (OMFIF) "Gender Balance Index 2021." OMFIF established the index to promote the best practices in global financial markets. In the index, which included the world's leading banks this year, Akbank was ranked among the top 5 banks globally and the first among the emerging markets.
"We are proud that our diversity and inclusion practices are recognized by international institutions"
In her statement on Akbank’s position in the rankings, Akbank Chairman Suzan Sabanci said, “We have embraced sustainability as an important part of our business strategy. One of the four key focus areas we prioritize in our sustainability efforts is “People and Community”, which includes our diversity and inclusion activities. Being aware of the fact that our colleagues have different individual characteristics, we prioritize activities focused on driving gender equality and equality in opportunity. We carry out processes regardless of individual characteristics, focused entirely on expertise and competencies, evaluate our practices with comprehensive measurements that are in line with the targets we have set, and accelerate our work in areas that require improvement. We are proud that our efforts to raise awareness, our commitments and our egalitarian, inclusive practices are recognized by international institutions.”
"We will continue to lead the growing awareness of gender equality in the world, in our country and in our industry"
Sabanci continued, “We closely monitor the gender ratio at Akbank. 53% of our colleagues are women, 56% in our teams with one-to-one customer contact, and 40% in technology production, which we will talk about even more in the coming period, a very high ratio even at world standards. We are delighted that a significant share of our senior management positions are comprised of women. Again, we review our colleagues’ rate of change, their career development and participation in educational programs in line with our gender equality principles. We are aware of our responsibility to create Turkey’s future, and we aim to share our data and practices on gender equality in the most transparent way possible with our stakeholders. We will continue to look to play a leading role in driving gender equality in the world, in our country and in our industry.”
“Creating a work environment that offers equal opportunities for all is an essential part of our vision”
“We act in line with our gender equality objectives in every step we take. Creating a working environment that offers equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their gender, age, disability, race and faith, is an indispensable part of our vision. While made flexibility a permanent feature of our post-pandemic working model, and took a confident step towards the future of work. I am truly excited about this model that will allow us to bring the most talented people into Akbank regardless of their gender, disability and geographical constraints.”
“We support initiatives that encourages women in business”
“We support initiatives that encourage women in business. We are a signatory of "Women's Empowerment Principles", a private sector initiative of the United Nations that aims to empower women to take part in economic life in all sectors and at all levels. Moreover, we are a member of the “30% Club” which was established to increase gender diversity at Board and senior management levels. At the same time, we were awarded the 'Equal Opportunity' certificate within the scope of the Equal Opportunity Model program implemented by the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey (KAGIDER) in accordance with World Bank procedures. We also recently took part in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, one of the most comprehensive surveys conducted worldwide to measure the performance of companies committed to gender equality. The gender equality research of OMFIF, which is recognized as an important reference point internationally, has once again confirmed the progress we are making this field. With the awareness of the responsibility brought by our achievements in this field, we will continue to lead in gender equality awareness.”