Thomson Reuters has announced the 2017 top 100 most diverse and inclusive organizations globally, as ranked by its Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Index.
This year, 34 new companies earned a top 100 spot on the D&I Index, which launched in 2016 and ranks the top 100 publicly traded companies globally with the most diverse and inclusive workplaces, as measured by 24 metrics across four key categories: diversity, inclusion, people development and news controversies.
The index is then calculated by weighing each metric based on importance in the market and how each company compares with its peers. The index ratings are informed by Thomson Reuters ESG data, designed to objectively measure the relative performance of more than 6,000 companies and provide clients with differentiated insight.
Index scores are calculated for each company across the key category pillars and only companies with scores across all four pillars are assigned an overall score (the average of the pillar scores). The top 100 ranked companies with the best overall scores are then selected for the index.
‘The global evidence is overwhelming clear: diversity is increasingly becoming a performance issue, a growth engine, and companies can no longer afford not to realize its societal benefits as well,’ says Debra Walton, chief product and content officer for financial and risk at Thomson Reuters.
‘Our research shows that over one, three and five-year periods companies that make investments and focus on ESG metrics can have a stronger stock performance and better long-term profitability.’
Patsy Doerr, global head of corporate responsibility and inclusion at Thomson Reuters, adds: ‘At Thomson Reuters, we understand that focusing on total societal impact is fundamental to driving long-term financial success. The D&I Index helps investors and analysts identify the companies that are getting this right and helps them to make investment decisions that align with their values and the bottom line.’
Top 25 index rankings, with corresponding overall D&I score (%)
1 Contact Energy
84.25
=2 Gap
81.00
=2 Johnson & Johnson
81.00
4 DiGi.Com
80.00
5 Diageo
79.25
=6 Colgate-Palmolive
79.00
=6 Novartis
79.00
=6 Roche Holding
79.00
9 Kathmandu Holdings
78.75
10 Cisco Systems
78.50
11 Natura Cosméticos
78.25
12 Accenture
78.00
13 Medtronic
77.50
=14 Eli Lilly and Co
77.25
=14 Hera
77.25
16 Nedbank Group
76.75
17 Unilever
76.25
=18 Allianz
76.00
=18 Bank of Montreal
76.00
=20 Bristol-Myers Squibb
75.75
=20 Norsk Hydro
75.75
=20 Procter & Gamble
75.75
=20 Unilever Indonesia
75.75
=24 Kering
75.25
=24 Verbund
75.25
