AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 28, 2021
/PRNewswire/ -- Signet Jewelers Limited ("Signet") (NYSE:SIG),
the world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry, today announced
that for the third consecutive year it has earned inclusion in the
Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI).
"Signet is proud to be among an elite group of companies
worldwide to be included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index—and
among an even smaller group to earn the recognition three years in
a row," said Virginia C. Drosos,
Chief Executive Officer. "With Diversity, Equity and Inclusion one
of our core values, we are committed to fostering a work
environment where all employees feel respected and differences are
celebrated. Our commitment to fairness, opportunity and integrity
has created a culture that empowers women to seek and excel in
positions of leadership."
Studies show that diversity unlocks greater innovation and
stronger business results. On January
14, Signet announced its best holiday results in nine
years with same-store sales up 5.6% year-over-year, underscoring
its ability to pivot in challenging conditions.
Guided by its core values and its Purpose to Inspire Love,
Signet proudly fosters a diverse, inclusive and discrimination-free
workplace for all employees. Today, women comprise 50% of Signet's
board of directors, up from 33% in Fiscal Year 2017, and its four
board committee chairs are women. Women hold 42% of Signet's senior
management positions (vice president and above), and 82% of Signet
team members represent gender or ethnic diversity. The company is
advancing ethnic diversity, too – for instance, it recently
achieved a 44% increase in Black and African American
representation at the director and above level.
"This recognition highlights our ongoing commitment to recruit,
develop and retain an increasingly diverse workforce companywide,"
said Reginald Johnson, Chief
Diversity Officer. "We're making strides annually because we
believe that companies like ours – and society, in general – can
prosper by uniting people regardless of gender, gender identity,
race, sexual orientation, age or ethnicity."
Signet is one of only 380 companies across 11 sectors to be
included in the 2021 GEI, which expanded in 2021 to represent 44
countries and regions. Companies range from retail, automotive and
banking to consumer services, construction and engineering, but
Signet is the only specialty jewelry retailer to be recognized.
The GEI brings transparency to gender-related practices and
policies at publicly listed companies increasing the breadth of
environmental, social, governance (ESG) data available to
investors. The comprehensive, transparent GEI scoring methodology
allows investors to assess company performance and compare across
industry peer groups.
The reference index measures gender equality across five
pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and
gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies
and pro-women brand.
"The companies included in the 2021 GEI are expanding the ESG
data universe to include gender-related data that investors are
demanding today," said Peter T.
Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg. "Their commitment to
disclosure is making the business case for inclusion and driving
transparency in the markets."
Through disclosure of gender-related metrics using the GEI
framework, the firms included in the 2021 GEI have committed to
providing a comprehensive look at their investment in workplace
gender equality and the communities in which they operate, raising
the bar of what should be expected from other companies within the
same industry. Signet ranked in this year's index for scoring at or
above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect a high
level of disclosure and overall performance across the framework's
five pillars.
Both the framework and the GEI are voluntary and have no
associated costs. The GEI is a reference index and is not for use
as a financial benchmark. The index is not ranked. While all public
companies are encouraged to disclose supplemental gender data for
their company's investment profile on the Bloomberg Terminal, those
that have a market capitalization of $1
billion are eligible for inclusion in the
index. To learn more, visit the GEI website.
Press Contacts
Colleen
Rooney
Chief Communications Officer
+1-330-668-5932
colleen.rooney@signetjewelers.com
David Bouffard
VP Corporate Affairs
+1-330-668-5369
david.bouffard@signetjewelers.com
Veronika Henze
Bloomberg LP
+1-646-324-1596
vhenze@bloomberg.net
Liidia Liuksila
Bloomberg LP
+1 212-617-5424
Lliuksila@bloomberg.net
About Signet Jewelers
Signet Jewelers Limited is the world's largest retailer of
diamond jewelry. Signet operates approximately 2,900 stores
primarily under the name brands of Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared,
H.Samuel, Ernest Jones, Peoples,
Piercing Pagoda, and JamesAllen.com. Further information on
Signet is available at www.signetjewelers.com. See
also www.kay.com, www.zales.com, www.jared.com, www.hsamuel.co.uk, www.ernestjones.co.uk, www.peoplesjewellers.com, www.pagoda.com,
and www.jamesallen.com.
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SOURCE Signet Jewelers Ltd.