NDB: First Sri Lankan company to obtain Global Gender Equality Certification

EDGE - Economic Dividends for Gender Equality - is the leading global standard for gender equality which has assessed NDB’s policies, practices and numbers in five different areas: Equal pay for equivalent work, recruitment and promotion, leadership development training and mentoring, flexible working and company culture.

As a result, NDB said in a media release that it’s the first company in Sri Lanka to obtain EDGE Gender certification joining more than 200 leading companies, in 50 countries and 23 industries.

NDB Group CEO Dimantha Seneviratne said: “We are elated to note that NDB has been recognized as the first EDGE Certified Corporate in Sri Lanka. This confirms our position and efforts on Gender Equality and also recognises our staff as a versatile and reliable partner with diverse offerings to provide understanding and caring service to our customer base.”

“At NDB, we are proud that women make up 39 per cent of our overall workforce and 41 per cent among our senior management. Hence obtaining the EDGE Gender certification was a natural next step for us towards further positioning ourselves not only as the ‘Bank of Choice’, but also as an ‘Employer of Choice’.”

Amena Arif, IFC’s Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives, said that research shows that banks with a diverse workforce tend to have a better understanding and reach of the women’s consumer market, translating to women’s higher financial inclusion. “We are thrilled that NDB, an IFC Banking on Women client and partner, has become the first Sri Lankan company to obtain the EDGE Gender certification, enabling it to deliver greater business impacts and serving as a role model for others to follow.”

Supported by IFC, a licensed partner of EDGE Gender Equality Certification, NDB’s workplace gender equality performance was assessed and evaluated against global and industry benchmarks. This included a review of NDB’s company statistics, HR policies and practices, as well as a survey of the over 2000 strong workforce. Following in- depth interviews, including with NDB’s HR professionals, a set of follow-up actions has been developed that will continue to promote gender parity among NDB’s workforce.