ISLAMABAD: A total of 30 renowned Pakistani companies and financial organisations including banks and microfinance institutions have won the prestigious Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks Awards 2021 in multiple categories.

The GDIB Awards will be presented to the winning companies and institutions for the year 2020 at a grand ceremony scheduled to be held at Karachi on March 4, 2021.

Top Ten Winner companies are Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, METRO, Engro Fertilizers Limited, Nestle Pakistan Limited, Pakistan Tobacco Company, Abacus, Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan Limited, Engro Energy Limited, The Aga Khan University and Faysal Bank Limited, Overall winners are Khaadi Pakistan (SMC-Pvt) Limited, The First Micro Finance Bank Limited, S&P Global Pakistan, Bank Alfalah, Hashoo Foundation, AGP Limited, Philip Morris Pakistan Limited, U Microfinance Bank Limited, Gray Mackenzie Restaurants International Limited (KFC Pakistan), Allied Bank Limited, PTCL, TAF Foundation, ICI Pakistan Limited, Telenor, Engro Polymer and Chemicals Limited, HBL, HRSG, The Millennium Education, The Millennium Universal College, and JS Bank.

The GDIB are the standards for organizations round the world. The GDIB helps organizations determine strategy and measure progress in managing diversity and fostering inclusion.

The Centre for Global Inclusion is the home of GDIB. Its mission is to serve as a resource for research and education for individuals and organizations in their quest to improve diversity and inclusion practices around the world. It is a non-profit US organization under 501c3 public charity focused.

The GDIB Standards help creating more equitable and better functioning organizations, confronting racism, sexism, and all forms of oppression, cultivate trust, acceptance, physical and psychological safety, lead inclusively, respond with agility, and thrive though disruption, promote wellness and self-care as ingredients for lasting change and contribute to creating a sustainable world.

The GDIB awards is a mechanism to recognize and encourage progressive organizations who use GDIB standards to align D&I with organizational policies for sustainable financial and social performance.

Diversity Hub HR Metrics organizes annual GDIB Awards by engaging organizations from all over Pakistan. Diversity Hub is a centre of expertise within HR Metrics Consulting, with a mission to help organizations become sustainable through inclusive cultural and behavioural change.

The GDIB standards contain 14 categories and 5 levels of maturity. Organisations are provided opportunity to evaluate their D&I practices as per GDIB standard and provide voluntary disclosure to the Jury.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020