The BNZ, and its managing director Andrew Thorburn, have won a United Nations gong for gender equality.
They've won the inaugural UN Women’s Empowerment Principles Benchmarking for Change Award. According to New Zealand Women’s Affairs Minister Jo Goodhew, the award recognises BNZ for embedding accountability to achieve gender equality through "meaningful metrics, indicators, and reporting" to track and monitor the inclusion of women at all levels of the company's operations.
"BNZ and its Managing Director and CEO, Andrew Thorburn, have been recognised for their comprehensive approach towards tackling what they identified as their biggest challenge - to increase women’s representation at middle to senior leadership and management,” said Goodhew.
“Setting transparent targets for the executive team’s own performance proved to be a key strategy to break barriers so that women reach senior management and are significantly represented in professional pipeline."
She said BNZ established a diversity council to set strategic priorities, oversee performance and create career pathways. This resulted in women making up 42% of an identified talent group from which senior management are chosen, along with women’s representation at senior levels reaching almost 50%.
“Getting more women into leadership positions across New Zealand is one of my priorities as Minister of Women’s Affairs. I congratulate Andrew and the BNZ team on their receipt of this award and I look forward to working with them to share their experience with other New Zealand companies," Goodhew said.
BNZ’s "Head of Engagement" Annie Brown, travelled to New York to accept the award.
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