By launching a new senior leadership community with parity at its heart and committing to closing structural gender pay gaps, Solvay is accelerating its One Dignity commitments.
With the introduction of a new Solvay Leadership Community and the publication of the male/female salary ratios of managerial positions throughout the Group, Solvay is taking significant steps to foster inclusion, equity and diversity. This will ensure that a diverse range of voices and experiences are called upon to influence the direction of the Group, and that transparency and open dialogue surrounding fair pay is increased.
The new Solvay Leadership Community (SLC) comprises some 50 leaders and is purposefully diverse, with a focus on gender parity. Women make up 49% of the decision-making body. The SLC will convene regularly to share experiences and work collectively to shape the future of Solvay.
“I am really excited to bond more closely with this new group, and I am convinced that by accelerating gender parity at the top, we will attract and retain talents and therefore perform better,” said Solvay CEO Ilham Kadri.
As a further step towards securing a more equitable workplace, Solvay’s Annual Report will, from this year onward, provide transparency on the salary ratios of managerial positions throughout the Group.
For 2021, the average unadjusted salary ratio between female and male employees in our six largest locations - Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Italy and the US - is .95 for Junior Management, .95 for Middle Management and .96 to 1.00 for Senior Management (where the average pay of male employees is 1.00). These salary ratios are unadjusted, meaning they do not take into consideration performance, experience or skills, for example.
“Solvay believes in and abides by the principles of equal pay for work of equal value, from our entry roles to our senior positions, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or any other irrelevant distinction. Identifying, disclosing and closing unwanted structural pay gaps is a key objective of our larger Solvay One Dignity commitments to create an equitable, inclusive and diverse work environment.”
Nathalie van Ypersele, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer
Launched one year ago, Solvay’s One Dignity track record includes:
- the celebration of 200+ babies worldwide born to Solvay families who’ve benefited from the Group’s extended, universal 16-week leave for all new parents, irrespective of gender;
- more than 450 women signed up for the A-Effect Ambition challenge, inviting female leaders at Solvay to own their ambition;
- unconscious bias training for all senior leaders has been achieved and continues
- Active mentoring and sponsoring for women, as well as new Employee Resource Groups for LGBTQ+ employees, African American employees, and men advocating for real change (MARC).
“It’s our ambition that ALL women get enough support at Solvay to bring their whole selves to work and to feel that their rights and choices are respected and encouraged,” said Ilham Kadri.
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Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 21,000 employees in 63 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet roadmap crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering a better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €10.1 billion in 2021. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (SOLB). Learn more at www.solvay.com.
