Capgemini earns gender equality certification, becoming first professional services firm in US recognized by EDGE Certified Foundation

NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing services, today announced that its U.S. business has been awarded the Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) Certification in recognition for its commitment to gender equality. Capgemini is the first professional services firm in North America to attain this certification. 

Capgemini was awarded certification after a rigorous third-party review, in which U.S. data, policies and employee experience were evaluated. EDGE certification recognizes the commitment and progress made by Capgemini on recruitment and promotion, leadership development training and mentoring, as well as company culture.

"EDGE holds high standards for gender-equality certification, which demonstrates our commitment to progress across our talent pipeline, employee perceptions and organizational polices," said Janet Pope, North America Corporate Responsibility Leader for Capgemini. "The certification process has provided us with objective insight to more deeply understand where to focus continuous improvement efforts on gender balance to have the greatest impact on our clients, business and people."

Key to supporting Capgemini's certification was recognition of the company's development opportunities for women and men across all business units, supported by many initiatives including Women's Leadership Development and Employee Resource Groups that empower employees to drive Capgemini's diversity and inclusion agenda. Capgemini's certification also was supported by the leadership team's sustained commitment to progress on gender balance in recruiting and career advancement opportunities. The company also provides team members with unconscious bias training.

"Across all Capgemini business units, we share the goal to build a more diverse workforce to provide clients with greater diversity of thought, creative energy and innovation," said Shawn Shope, Vice President and North America Region HR Leader. "While demonstrating our progress on gender diversity, the EDGE certification also provides us with a clear and meaningful assessment to help advance our diversity objectives."

Capgemini participates in global initiatives to support women in technology and leadership. Capgemini's North America Chief Digital Officer Kim Smith serves as the executive sponsor for the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals 2030 initiatives, which aims to drive cross-sector commitment to innovation and disruption through diversity. Smith's sponsorship role with the U.N. includes the advancement of gender equality.

"'In today's world, it is a business imperative to address the issue of gender balance," said Isabelle Roux-Chenu, Capgemini Head of Group Commercial & Contract Management and Group Lead for Women@Capgemini. "Attracting, developing and retaining the best male and female talents are fundamental values engrained within the Group, and it is an honor and an accomplishment to be recognized by the EDGE Certification. Our commitment to gender balance is a concrete expression of our desire to empower employees across offices worldwide to deliver innovative results to clients and all stakeholders."

"Technology is having an unprecedented impact on the global landscape, and diversity of ideas and opportunities are imperative to reshape the work environment," said Aniela Unguresan, Co-Founder, EDGE Certified Foundation. "Capgemini is a beacon in its sector, having implemented impactful initiatives for gender balance at the core of its operations. The EDGE Certification is a recognition of Capgemini's commitment and progress in its gender balance journey. Undergoing a rigorous certification process – measuring, benchmarking and formulating a transformative action plan – highlights a solid framework to creating an inclusive workplace."

Capgemini was recognized earlier this month as a 2016 Top Company for Women Technologists by the Anita Borg Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on the advancement of women in computing. The award is based on an assessment across three areas: representation, employee experience, and programs and policies. The firm has also been previously recognized as a Best Diversity Employer in Canada by Mediacorp.

About EDGE Certification
EDGE is the leading global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender equality. EDGE Certification has been designed to help companies not only create an optimal workplace for women and men, but also benefit from it. EDGE stands for Economic Dividends for Gender Equality and is distinguished by its rigor and focus on business impact. The methodology uses a business, rather than theoretical approach that incorporates benchmarking, metrics and accountability into the process. It assesses policies, practices and numbers across five different areas of analysis: equal pay for equivalent work, recruitment and promotion, leadership development training and mentoring, flexible working and company culture.

EDGE Certification has received the endorsement of business, government and academic leaders from around the world. The EDGE assessment methodology was developed by the EDGE Certified Foundation and launched at the World Economic Forum in 2011.

For more information, visit http://www.edge-cert.org/ or follow us on Twitter @EDGE_CERT.

About Capgemini
With more than 180,000 people in over 40 countries, Capgemini is a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing services. The Group reported 2015 global revenues of EUR 11.9 billion (about $13.2 billion USD at 2015 average rate). Together with its clients, Capgemini creates and delivers business, technology and digital solutions that fit their needs, enabling them to achieve innovation and competitiveness. A deeply multicultural organization, Capgemini has developed its own way of working, the Collaborative Business Experience^TM, and draws on Rightshore^®, its worldwide delivery model. Learn more about us at www.capgemini.com.

Rightshore^® is a trademark belonging to Capgemini.

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SOURCE Capgemini

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