„We are brought together by shared values and goals. We believe that the past experience of an

organisation that has equality and diversity at the heart of its corporate culture will enrich our

campaigns and activities this year,” says Karolina Andrian, President of the Share the Care

Foundation.

„At Nordea, we are building a culture of engagement in activities and programmes that contribute to positive change. The extensive community engagement programmes serve this purpose. All Nordea employees are invited to volunteer 16 hours a year. We look forward to working with the Share the Care Foundation in the area of parental and labour market equality. We are convinced that our employees will become ambassadors for the initiative and get involved in promoting the values we hold dear,” says Kasia Mendelson-Maciejak, Communication Lead at Nordea.

Nordea’s example in building gender equality at all levels of the organisation is inspiring. The

organisation ranks first in the SHE Index among the Nordic countries, which already have a much higher level of gender equality than other European countries. „Today we need good practices and openness to accelerate the process of overcoming gender inequality,” says Karolina Andrian. In recent years, we have heard various alarming estimates of how long it will take to achieve gender equality. According to the latest UN Women report, at the current rate of progress, it will take the world 286 years to achieve gender equality. According to the World Economic Forum, it will take 132 years to close the global gender gap. Regardless of which forecast is the most accurate, the bottom line is that the current rate of 'progress’ is unacceptably slow for something so long overdue. „We believe that the power of regulation (the work-life balance directive implemented in Poland last year) and close cooperation with employers will help us accelerate the process of building parental equality, without which we will not achieve equality in the labour market,” says Karolina Andrian.

„As part of our efforts to increase gender equality, we want to encourage men to take paternity leave. Many still avoid it because of the stereotype that childcare is exclusively a woman’s domain. Together with the Foundation, we can work to change this mindset. – says Michal Wiznerowicz, HR Director at Nordea. „Our commitment to diversity and inclusion should drive our business and operations.

A diverse workforce helps us understand and meet customer needs, develop innovation and be an attractive and responsible employer,” adds Pawel Jemiol, Chief Operating Officer at Nordea.

The company’s strong commitment in this area is also reflected in its sustainability goals, where

Nordea commits to achieving gender balance in top management by the end of 2025. Nordea defines gender balance as a situation where neither gender is represented by less than 40% at different levels in the organisation.