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What type of corporate culture enables a woman executive to stay and flourish at all ages and in all types of family/personal situations? A very flexible one that customizes options for individuals and offers role models at all levels, as well as a strong cross-cultural mentoring program. The 10 companies on this list all emphasize talent development and all have strong women’s employee-resource groups.
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Here are some facts about The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Executive Women:
- Half of them are in the professional or financial-services industries, fields that have pioneered flexible workplaces in the United States and globally
- Their boards of directors average 27.5 percent women, compared with 15 percent nationally (Catalyst)
- Women comprise almost a third of their senior level (CEO and direct reports), compared with 17.7 percent senior officers being women in Fortune 500 companies (Catalyst)
- Their management in general averages 47 percent women, with 54 percent of people promoted into management being women. Nationally, women are 43 percent of managers (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- They average 68 percent of managers participating in mentoring programs, compared with 39 percent for the DiversityInc Top 50
Here are facts about why each of these companies made the list:
No. 1: Kraft Foods
No. 9 in the DiversityInc Top 50
With a woman CEO (Chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld), Kraft has demonstrated a strong mangement path for women. More than half of management promotions go to women and almost two-thirds of promotions into the first level of management are given to women. The board of directors is 40 percent women and there is strong female representation at every level of management.
No. 2: PricewaterhouseCoopers
No. 3 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 5 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans; No. 6 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees; No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity
Few companies have been as innovative as PwC in creating a workforce that enables women managers the work/life flexibility to succeed. From its pioneering lactation program to its groundbreaking Mentor Moms initiative, which is a model other companies are emulating, PwC is a true leader in this category.
No. 3: Sodexo
No. 2 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 5 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity; No. 7 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Blacks; No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos; No. 7 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees; No. 9 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities; No. 4 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity
With a board that’s 38 percent women and an increasing number of women in key line management roles, Sodexo is clearly using its metrics-driven diversity initiatives to excel at talent development for women. The company has a world-class mentoring program, the Spirit of Mentoring, that DiversityInc often cites as exemplary.
No. 4: Kaiser Permanente
No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 4 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Blacks; No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos; No. 6 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans; No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities
While Kaiser is in a female-dominated industry (healthcare), the company has avoided the “pink ghetto” seen at some other hospital/health insurance organizations where women rarely rise above a certain level. Three-quarters of the managers are women but a high percentage of women correlates up through the management levels. Women are a quarter of the senior level (CEO and direct reports) and more than half of the next two levels of management.
No. 5: Procter & Gamble
No. 25 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 9 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 5 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos; No. 9 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans; No. 6 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities; No. 8 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity
The board of directors is 36 percent female at P&G and there’s strong female demographics at every level of management. P&G reports 65 percent of its managers are part of its mentoring program, which is cross-cultural.
No. 6: Johnson & Johnson
No. 6 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 6 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans
With a high percentage of women throughout management, especially women promoted into their first management jobs, Johnson & Johnson has strong talent-development initiatives.
No. 7: Ernst & Young
No. 5 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 10 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos; No. 5 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees; No. 5 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities; No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity
Few companies have the developed, comprehensive and consistent talent-development programs that Ernst & Young has. Forty-eight percent of its employees are members of its active women’s employee-resource group and the firm’s abililty to recognize and nurture high potentials, and provide role models, is among the best.
No. 8: Deloitte
No. 8 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 8 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos; No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans; No. 8 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities; No. 5 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global DiversityInc
Deloitte has excelled at talent development and at helping women thorugh its mentoring and sponsorship initiatives. The firm has strong demograpics for women at all levels that show consistent improvement.
No. 9: Bank of America
No. 11 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 7 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 9 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity; No. 8 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees
One of the pioneers of work/life benefits, Bank of America remains an excellent place for women (and men) to work. At the top level, CEO and direct reports, women make up more tha 41 percent of the executives. Bank of America offers increasingly flexible benefits, including paternity leave.
No. 10: American Express
No. 13 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 8 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans; No. 10 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees; No. 9 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity
With very engaged employee-resource groups and a variety of strong mentoring programs, including Mentoring for Women (WIN), American Express has been leading the way in creating flexible workplaces, domestically and globally. Almost half the top managers (CEO and direct reports) are women.
