20 November 2019: The FT and Statista have launched a new ranking of European employers that stand out for their overall diversity and inclusion efforts. 

The inaugural Diversity Leaders ranking surveyed more than 80,000 employees across 10,000 listed and privately-held companies in a range of sectors. This is the first ranking of its kind to assess companies’ success in promoting all types of diversity, including gender balance, openness to all forms of sexual orientation, disability and an ethnic and social mix that reflects wider society, rather than just one aspect of diversity. 
 
Topping the list this year are the Dutch headquarters of Booking.com, a US travel company; Colgate-Palmolive, a consumer goods multinational with European headquarters in Switzerland; and Willmott Dixon, a British family-owned building group. All three of them scored highly in many categories. The full list of the 700 companies with the highest total scores can be found on FT.com. 

“Companies are under increasing pressure to consider how their actions affect wider society and communities. As the FT has argued, business leaders need to broaden the pursuit of shareholder value to one that is based on inclusivity, sustainability and purpose if they want their businesses to adapt and thrive,” said Leyla Boulton, executive editor and editor of FT special reports. 

She added: “The extensive surveys conducted by our partner Statista went further than most to find out how companies treat their staff across the board and what employees say about their diversity and inclusion efforts.”

The special report also features articles by FT correspondents on the recruitment challenges of German manufacturing; the diversity deficit in European banking; slow progress in Switzerland; UK and continental European experts’ advice on how majorities can make minorities feel included; and a guest column by Marlène Schiappa, France’s secretary of state for gender equality.

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Note to editors regarding methodology: The FT and Statista were both excluded from the list of companies eligible to be ranked to avoid any perceived conflict of interest. 

About the Financial Times:
The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. The FT has a record paying readership of one million, three-quarters of which are digital subscriptions. It is part of Nikkei Inc., which provides a broad range of information, news and services for the global business community.

About Statista:
Statista is a leading data and business intelligence portal which conducts international market and consumer studies and surveys, and publishes rankings and other company lists in collaboration with media partners, including the Financial Times.

For more information please contact:
Megan Dold | megan.dold@ft.com | +447429394221