Thursday 04 October 2018 10:02 am  |  Updated:  Tuesday 21 May 2019 4:24 pm

Diageo, WPP and Standard Chartered top league table of leading UK brands for gender equality

By: Josh Mines

Drinks maker Diageo, WPP and Standard Chartered have been named as the top performing UK companies for gender equality.

However, the study admitted that despite progress being made, there was still a "long way to go" before equality was achieved in companies worldwide. 

General Motors in the US was the top performing brand worldwide. Worldwide, Diageo came 11th, while WPP grabbed 17th place. 

The study by Equileap looked at 3,000 companies world wide and gave them a grade using criteria such as leadership, career development, work-life balance, pay and family leave. 

It found that 40 per cent of brands with no gender pay gap were based in the UK – including Ocado, Taylor Wimpey and Royal Mail.

However, overall UK brands made up just 18 per cent of the 200-strong list of top performing brands. On gender pay and equal pay, the UK did not score well with a score of just 19/100. 

Read more: Companies dragging feet on encouraging boardroom diversity, report claims

Diana van Massdik, chief exec of Equileap, said: 

We have seen organisations making great strides towards improved gender equality in the past 12 months, but they are still the exception and not the rule.

There is still a long way to go until we reach the goal of true global equality in the workplace for everyone. 

Top 10 best performing UK companies

Read more: Investment Association boosts board gender diversity with shake up