The Commonwealth Bank of Australia was today announced as the winner of the 2012 Catalyst Award for its initiative on gender diversity.

Since 1987, Catalyst’s annual award has honoured exceptional business initiatives that advance women in the workplace. The Commonwealth Bank won for its culture change and gender diversity initiatives.

The Bank’s initiative, Opening the Door for Gender Diversity, seeks to increase the number of women in senior leadership positions through a variety of strategies and programs aimed at breaking down barriers women and diverse populations often face in the workplace. Unique programs include mandatory and in-depth unconscious bias training for all senior leaders, a rigorous talent review process, and a progressive approach to building a flexible workplace.

DCA’s CEO, Nareen Young, congratulated the Bank on its award:

“We are delighted to see one of our leading members recognised for its achievement on an international stage. The Commonwealth Bank employs ordinary Australians who represent the diverse Australian mainstream, and has particularly focused on breaking down barriers in gender diversity and for Aboriginal Australians, seeking to create an environment where everyone can flourish at work.

“This is the second time a DCA member has been recognised at such a level with Telstra winning a Catalyst Award in 2010. This underlines that DCA members are indeed leading the way in diversity,” said Nareen.

Ian Narev, the Bank’s CEO said, “The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is proud to win the 2012 Catalyst Award for its initiative on gender diversity and be recognised internationally as a leader in building a diverse and inclusive workplace.

“A broad base of skills and perspectives is imperative to our long-term success and we’re focusing on breaking down barriers, such as unconscious bias, to access the widest talent pool. We’re making steady progress towards our target of women representing 35 per cent of our leadership by the end of 2014.”

The Catalyst Award is assessed over a year-long evaluation against a robust set of criteria, including business rationale, senior leadership support, accountability, employee engagement, innovation and measurable results. The evaluation includes spending time in the business with employees

Source:DCA

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