Jazz announced as the winner at the 2nd “IFC-PBC Employer of Choice” Gender Diversity Awards

Joint Press Release from IFC and PBC

Karachi, Pakistan, August 8, 2023—Jazz, a multi-sector telecom provider, was announced on Aug 8th as the winner of the second “Employer of Choice” Gender Diversity Awards, organized jointly by International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) to improve economic opportunities for women. The awards celebrate private sector employers in the country who are committed to implementing strong gender diversity policies and empowering women in the workplace, while also publicly disclosing this information in order to encourage other companies to do the same.

Companies are judged on five key gender principles—promoting gender equality at leadership and policy level; ensuring a diverse workforce; eliminating gender pay gaps; creating an optimal workplace culture; and providing coaching and mentoring for women employees. These principles are the basis for the Gender Diversity and Disclosure Scorecard, developed by IFC and PBC last year, and serves as the guiding document that companies use to submit proof of their policies and procedures in these areas. This year, additional indicators on climate and gender were included in the scorecard to assess the commitment of companies to gender-inclusive climate action and to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on women.

“Women in Pakistan continue to face multiple barriers in terms of economic participation and success in the workplace. By publicly disclosing the gender scorecard of participating companies today at the second annual Employer of Choice Gender Diversity Awards, we are creating a culture whereby empowering female employees becomes an integral part of how companies operate,” said Zeeshan Sheikh, IFC’s Country Manager for Pakistan and Afghanistan. “This culture also helps participating companies attract the best talent as well as potential investors.”

“When organizations reveal their policies, they have clarity, they encourage more talent to join the company and they provide a model for more businesses to emulate. Disclosures offer a framework of accountability,” said Ehsan Malik, CEO of the Pakistan Business Council. “The second cycle of the awards has provided us with data on how they have performed from one cycle to the next and this data is useful when setting targets or pitching to investors. Congratulations to Jazz and the other winners for their commitment to gender equality and what it looks like in the workplace.”

Fauzia Viqar, Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace, was the key note speaker and in her address, she highlighted the role that gender inclusive policies play in ensuring a culture of accountability and transparency. Proper laws with regards to reporting grievances results in a better work environment overall.

Second and third place were awarded to PepsiCo and Engro Fertilizers Ltd, respectively. Seven companies received honorable mention awards. They are Bank Alfalah, Bank of Punjab, Daraz, K-Electric, Nestle Pakistan, SCB Pakistan Limited and Syngenta Pakistan (in alphabetical order).

About IFC

IFC— the private sector arm of the World Bank —is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. For more information, visit www.ifc.org

About PBC

The Pakistan Business Council (PBC) is a business policy advocacy platform, established in 2005 and now composed of98 of the largest private-sector businesses and conglomerates, including multinationals.  Its main objectives are to create a business environment for sustainable growth of jobs, exports and self-sufficiency, especially in food products. It also works to promote formalization of the economy.