Barilla boosts women’s representation in executive roles, achieves pay equality

MILAN, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Italian food company Barilla last year increased women’s representation in executive roles and achieved gender pay equality for all employees, it said on Tuesday, as it stepped up efforts to become a more inclusive workplace.

The family-owned group has been working on diversity and inclusion issues since late 2013, when its chairman made a comment against gay families during a radio interview, triggering a consumer backlash.

Barilla, which is the world’s biggest pasta marker, said on Tuesday it increased women’s representation in direct reports to the chief executive to 28% last year, compared with 8% in 2013.

The number of women in leadership positions globally increased in the company to 38% last year from 33% in 2014.

The group will receive an award in March from Catalyst, a nonprofit organisation that helps companies increase women’s inclusion in the workplace.

Barilla currently employs more than 8,000 people around the world, with women accounting for 35% of its workforce.

In 2018 it became the first Italian company to support the United Nations standards of conduct for business aimed at tackling LGBTI -lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, and intersex – discrimination in the workplace. (Reporting by Francesca Landini; Editing by Jan Harvey)