AkzoNobel 2023 Gender Pay Report (JPM)
Foreword
“AkzoNobel strive for a workplace where managers are enthusiastic about building and
sustaining diverse teams and are equipped with the tools to do so. This includes
empowering our Talent Acquisition teams to tap into a wide array of talent pools, while
also educating hiring managers about the benefits of cultivating diverse teams within a
respectful and trustworthy environment. We also included Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
as a specific driver of our employee engagement platform, Voices. This supports people
managers in understanding what requires their attention in their journey towards
creating an even more diverse, inclusive and respectful environment for their teams.
We're determined to enhance the diverse representation throughout our organization,
particularly at executive and leadership level. For more information on DE&I at executive
and leadership level, see our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy for the executive level,
Board of Management and Supervisory Board.
We consider that the promotion and mobilization of internal talent are fundamental,
which is why we’ve thoroughly assessed the pipeline leading to the executive level and
have embarked on a journey that will enable us to provide growth opportunities for
identified talent. Gender representation remains at the core of our diversity efforts and
we're fully aware of the impact of female representation. We're rigorously working
towards improving our gender representation, while offering interesting and challenging
prospects to our talent. We acknowledge that diversity goes beyond gender, and we strive
for diversity in all its forms.
(excerpt from AkzoNobel Position Statement on ‘Diversity, Equity & Inclusion’)
As in previous years, the historical gender imbalance which exists within some business
areas continues to be a key area of focus for all UK Management Teams. The recruitment
initiatives implemented over the last few years are now fully embedded but we
acknowledge that real and long-term difference to the current gender pay gap will take
time and as a company, we remain committed to continuing this journey.
Approach Taken
Under the requirements specified by UK legislation, we are required to report on the legal
entities within our Group which have over 250 ‘UK employees’ (as defined in accordance
with that legislation). The data provided in this report is based upon the snapshot date of
5 April 2023, and the 12-month reference period up to 5 April 2023 for the purpose of
bonus analysis.
Statutory Disclosure
There are three legal entities within the AkzoNobel Group of companies which have over
250 UK employees (as defined in the legislation). These entities are Imperial Chemical
Industries Limited (trading as ICI Paints AkzoNobel) (ICI), International Paint Limited (IPL)
and J.P. McDougall & Co. Limited (JPM). The figures for JPM Limited are as follows:
Gender Pay Gap – Hourly Rate and Bonus
Across JPM, the gender pay gap is below 2% and this demonstrates the continued efforts
to maintain a gender balanced approach to recruitment and career development.
With regards to the current bonus gender pay gap, as in previous years, it continues to
be driven by the increased bonus opportunity as employees move into more senior
positions – so as with most gender pay gap challenges the Company face, increasing the
number of women in senior management levels will have the most positive impact on
reducing the current differential.
As referred to previously, a number of Talent Acquisition initiatives continue to focus on
increasing the number of women across all levels of the business, with a specific focus
on middle management, senior leaders and executive level positions. The UK HR
Leadership Team undertake a quarterly review of both internal and external hiring
practices to assess our progress against our gender diversity ambitions.
Whilst we understand that internal and external recruitment remains an important area
of focus, alongside this, we also need to develop talent pipelines for the longer term to
ensure that we have strong engagement programs to retain female talent.
Alongside the existing activities, a number of other initiatives have also commenced:
Going Places
Going Places is our strategy to engage and inspire young people, especially young women,
to learn more about both AkzoNobel as an employer and the career pathways we offer,
especially within STEM..
Additionally, as part of our Going Places Strategy, we also engage with educational
partners to talk about the skills and capabilities which we see as vital to enable our
industry to grow and develop in the long term.
‘Integrate ‘ Engagement Initiatives
These initiatives are targeted at making our Manufacturing Sites more accessible to
female colleagues, with investments into areas such as improved female changing rooms
as well as focus on female specific protective clothing.
We fully recognise that we have a much higher proportion of males than females at our
Manufacturing Sites and as a result, the Integrate Initiative has been introduced to
encourage more females to join our Company and feel more comfortable and confident
within their working environment.