Almost 600 participating companies, over 110 finalist companies, five meetings organized in the main Italian cities and two companies – the Vetrya of Orvieto, specialized in the development of solutions on communication channels and digital media, and the Pegasus of Verona, led by two women, which produces supplements of natural origin for psycho-physical well-being – awarded for the excellence of the policies implemented in favor of gender equality. After the great consensus and the success of participation collected in the first edition, the «Women Value Company Award - Intesa Sanpaolo», conceived and created by Marisa Bellisario Foundation together with the Intesa Sanpaolo Group. The aim of the recognition is to involve companies in a path of female empowerment and give visibility to the most virtuous and innovative practices, triggered by companies to guarantee equal opportunities and career paths.
The second edition of the «Women Value Company Award – Intesa Sanpaolo» kicks off today, with the opening of the call for tenders for small and medium-sized public and private enterprises (according to the criteria of the Recommendation of the European Commission 2003 361/EC), mainly Italian and not belonging to groups, who have recorded good economic-financial performances and who have distinguished themselves in the application of policies for the enhancement of female employment and the management of gender diversity: family/work conciliation services; initiatives aimed at guaranteeing employees, men and women, a serene management of their time in the company (benefits, vouchers, internal crèches,…); flexible work organization policies; non-discriminatory merit pay policies; plans for the development and enhancement of women's skills and careers, with a large presence of women in managerial or top positions.
Companies that recognize themselves in this profile will be able to apply for themselves by 9 February 2018, by completing the online questionnaire published on the websites www.intesasanpaolo.com and www.bellisariofoundation.org. Intesa Sanpaolo will also select a panel of excellent small and medium-sized enterprises from among its corporate clients, inviting them to participate in the selection.
The two companies, one small and one medium-sized, which more than the others have distinguished themselves for having invested in overcoming the gender gap and in the growth of women, will be awarded in June next year in Rome, as part of the XXX edition of the Marisa Bellisario Prize "Women at high altitude". The other companies that have passed the selection, by virtue of the requisites required by the announcement, will be awarded a further recognition, during a series of events promoted in the area.
The roadshow itself, which in May saw the teams of Intesa Sanpaolo and the Marisa Bellisario Foundation reward merit in the five stages of Milan, Padua, Bologna, Naples and Turin, was a crucial element of the success of the first edition of the award. An extraordinary opportunity to get to know each other and share the experiences of the finalist companies, coming from very different histories, sectors and territories, but all united by the enthusiasm and the desire to be bearers of a fundamental message: namely that greater female participation to the world of work and business can concretely represent, for our country, a strategic factor of economic and social development and transformation.
Lella Golfo, President of the Marisa Bellisario Foundation, commented: «During the roadshow around Italy together with the Intesa Sanpaolo team, we met well-prepared and competent managers, stubborn, courageous and innovative businesswomen and entrepreneurs, ambassadors of that Made in Italy of which we must all be proud . But above all, we have seen first-hand how much the success and profit of a company go hand in hand with the enhancement of human and female capital. We started this adventure with confidence and the results have gone beyond our wildest expectations, confirming to us how lively and ambitious Italian small and medium-sized businesses are. The second edition of Women Value Company was born out of optimism: we want to bring out merit and innovation! The XXX edition of the Marisa Bellisario Award will be the best stage to reward the farsightedness and value of the many companies that bet and invest in female talent every day.»
Secondo Stefano Barrese, head of the Intesa Sanpaolo Banca dei Territori Division and mentor of the Women Value Company award, «the first edition of the award, which Intesa Sanpaolo strongly backed together with the Marisa Bellisario Foundation, ended with the sharing of a very clear thought: excellence and talent have no gender. In Intesa Sanpaolo we know it well: women at work are educated, prepared, attentive, collaborative and resilient, which is why we have been investing resources and energy for some time to ensure equal assessment of skills and compensation within the Group. As a bank that supports the country's real economy, we have the ambition to spread this model abroad as well. The great consensus obtained by the initiatives related to Women Value Company encourages us to continue along this path: we want to support an ever-increasing number of companies that make differences not a problem, but an added value which can be given room to grow and compete."
