Firmenich Receives Top-Recognition by EDGE for Accelerated Efforts on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Firmenich becomes the first company in the industry and the seventh in the world to achieve highest EDGE Lead certification, in Brazil and Mexico

Concurrently, the Group re-secures EDGE Move certification across its operations worldwide, while Firmenich USA advances to EDGEplus for eliminating ethnic pay gaps

GENEVA, Feb. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, has reached EDGE Lead certification, the highest obtainable level of certification, for its efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion in Brazil and Mexico. Firmenich is the first company in the industry and the seventh in the world to receive this coveted certification. Following an external reassessment, Firmenich also resecured Global EDGE Move certification for its efforts to ensure gender equality across its operations around the world. In addition, Firmenich USA secured, in another industry-first, the EDGEplus level for its commitment and effective policies to eliminate ethnic pay inequality.

Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) is the leading global standard for gender equality in the workplace. Certification requires a rigorous external assessment of four key areas: representation across the company; pay equity; effectiveness of policies and practices to ensure equitable career flows; and the overall inclusiveness of the company culture. Organizations can progress through the various levels of certification: EDGE Assess, EDGE Move, EDGEplus and EDGE Lead. This global recognition demonstrates the intentional, prioritized, and measured actions by the Group to keep accelerating progress towards diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organization globally.

"I am very proud that Firmenich secured these important certifications and continues to further its efforts in this space, raising the bar for gender equality under EDGE's demanding benchmarks for continuous improvement," said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO Firmenich, "Being the first in our industry and the seventh in the world to reach the highest level of EDGE certification, in Brazil and Mexico, as well as the next level of certification in the USA is a testament to the excellent work of our teams across the globe. Through our focused efforts, we keep raising the bar, being an employer of choice, and a trusted and reliable partner for our customers."

"Firmenich continues to set the standard for excellence as the best place to work in our industry and beyond, and I am particularly pleased with the progress we've achieved," said Mieke Van de Capelle, Chief Human Resources Officer at Firmenich. "When we set out on our journey to achieve EDGE certification, we knew it would require lots of hard work and dedication. This has become a truly rewarding journey and in less than five years, we managed to move from entry level to being a global leader in diversity and inclusion in the world of work. In addition to strong representation of women across the organization, our efforts have also helped us to successfully grow and retain talent across all demographics and all layers of the organization."

"We congratulate Firmenich for achieving their Global Re-certification at the EDGE Move level, a demonstration of their long-term commitment to foster a gender-balanced, diverse and equitable work environment. Moreover, kudos to Firmenich Brazil and Firmenich Mexico for being re-certified at the highest level of certification - the EDGE Lead – which celebrates success in terms of workplace gender equality," said Aniela Unguresan, Founder, EDGE Certified Foundation & EDGE Strategy.

A pioneer in diversity and inclusion, Firmenich has a strong track record of securing workplace equality. In 2018, the Group was the seventh company in the world and the first in its industry to achieve global EDGE Assess recognition (the first level of certification). In 2021, the Group became the second company to reach the EDGE Move certification (advanced level of certification) globally, a recognition which has been confirmed following a thorough reassessment completed in 2023. Three markets achieved higher levels of certification. Firmenich USA reached EDGEplus certification, recognizing local efforts to systematically analyze and resolve intersectional issues between gender as well as several additional dimensions including gender identity, race, ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, working with a disability, nationality, and age. Extraordinarily, Brazil and Mexico achieved the highest obtainable result, EDGE Lead (the highest level of certification), setting a global example of successfully fostering equity in the workplace.

Since 2018, Firmenich has achieved significant milestones, from eliminating the gender pay gap worldwide to systematically implementing diverse talent pools. The Group has raised women's representation in leadership positions to 42%, expanded flexible working opportunities worldwide, implemented fair recruitment and promotion practices, as well as continuous training and mentoring, and has enhanced equal representation at all levels including critical pathways to senior management. Half of Firmenich's Executive Committee is female.

Embracing the power of inclusion of minority groups and effective representation, Firmenich's actions focus on new frontiers with targeted action that goes beyond gender, including different abilities, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, and sexual orientation.

Note to editors

After receiving EDGE Move certification for a first time in 2021, Firmenich has resecured EDGE Move certification in 2023 for a second time, confirming its continuous efforts to ensure gender equality globally.

Firmenich Brazil and Firmenich Mexico are the seventh and the eight organizations out of more than 380 assessed organizations, to receive the highest level of certification: EDGE Lead.

Firmenich USA is the first company in the industry to receive EDGEplus recognition, for eliminating ethnic pay gaps.

About Firmenich

Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895, and has been family-owned for 127 years. Firmenich is a leading business-to-business company specialized in the research, creation, manufacture and sale of perfumes, flavors, and ingredients. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, Firmenich offers its customers superior innovation in formulation, a broad and high-quality palette of ingredients, and proprietary technologies including biotechnology, encapsulation, olfactory science, and taste modulation. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 4.7 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2022. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com.

About EDGE Certification

EDGE is the only global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender and intersectional equity. The EDGE assessment methodology was developed by the EDGE Certified Foundation and launched at the World Economic Forum in 2011. EDGE Certification has been designed to help companies not only create an optimal workplace for women and men, but also benefit from it. EDGE stands for Economic Dividends for Gender Equality and is distinguished by its rigor and focus on business impact. The methodology uses a business, rather than theoretical approach that incorporates benchmarking, metrics, and accountability into the process. It assesses policies, practices, and numbers across five different areas of analysis: equal pay for equivalent work, recruitment and promotion, leadership development training and mentoring, flexible working, and company culture. EDGE Certification has received the endorsement of business, government, and academic leaders from around the world. For more information, visit www.edge-cert.org