Witad Awards 2025: Best company for diversity and inclusion (end-user)—BNP Paribas Portugal

To what extent does BNP Paribas Portugal have a formalized framework that seeks to identify and promote talented women and ensure they have every opportunity to realize their ambitions and contribute to the business?
Sylvie Le Pottier, BNP Paribas: We have a formalized diversity, equity and inclusion framework designed to identify and promote talented women, ensuring they can reach their ambitions. Initiatives like She Leads, Leadership for Women, and GM IT Women Bootcamp provide leadership development, mentoring and technological training. With 52% of women in our workforce, these programs align with our gender equality commitment. ExCo members are also accountable for reaching gender balance KPIs in leadership and STEM roles.

What does that framework look like practically and who within the business is responsible for implementing it?
Le Pottier: Our framework includes structured leadership and technical training programs like GM IT Women Bootcamp. HR works with all business areas to provide continuous career development. Programs such as She Leads, Leadership for Women and Leaders for Tomorrow, with 54% of women representation, help increase female leadership. Within the company’s strategic plan, ExCo members are accountable to implement change and reach between 45% and 55% of women in leadership teams and above 35% of women in STEM positions.

How does BNP Paribas Portugal attract outstanding female staff members? Is it primarily driven by the firm’s GM IT initiative?
Le Pottier: Alongside the GM IT Women Bootcamp, BNP Paribas Portugal partners with Happy Code, Engenheiras por Um Dia and The Inventors to inspire young women toward STEM. Our Women in STEM Go To School program features female STEM professionals hosting interactive school sessions. Internally, career mobility is a reality, enabling women from all business areas to explore STEM roles, fostering growth and diversity across the business. These initiatives create an attractive environment for outstanding women.

We are proud to report that our staff turnover is dropping and women in leadership positions is increasing, reflecting the success of our retention strategy and commitment to employee growth

How does BNP Paribas Portugal go about retaining its talented women, given that staff retention is a perennial challenge all financial services firms have to deal with? Is this a challenge for the firm?
Le Pottier: Our strong Employee Value Proposition is key to retain our talented women. At BNP Paribas Portugal, we unlock employees’ potential in an open and inclusive environment. This encompasses career mobility, career growth, flexible working policies, competitive benefits, a safe working environment, and active employee networks, among other examples. We are proud to report that our staff turnover is dropping and women in leadership positions is increasing, reflecting the success of our retention strategy and commitment to employee growth.

How is female talent identified across the business? Does that happen organically or does the business have a mechanism designed to “surface” its female talent?
Le Pottier: BNP Paribas Portugal identifies female talent through a structured set of skills and competencies, integrating it into leadership programs such as Leader for Tomorrow, She Leads and Leadership for Women. The bank actively tracks gender diversity key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring women have access to mentoring, training, and leadership pipelines. Additionally, internal sponsorship and employee networks play a key role in surfacing talent, reinforcing a culture where women’s growth is proactively supported rather than left to organic progression.

Other than the firm’s GM IT initiative, what other initiatives does BNP Paribas Portugal have that promotes its women both internally and externally across the industry?
Le Pottier: BNP Paribas Portugal runs several internal leadership programs and initiatives to develop female leaders. In 2022, the group integrated the Jamais Sans Elles movement, ensuring women’s representation in leadership discussions both internally and externally. Since 2023, BNP Paribas Portugal is certified top employer, where one of the areas audited is gender equality. In 2024, BNP Paribas Portugal signed the Pact Against Violence with CIG (Comissão para a Cidadania e Igualdade de Género).

What future initiatives does BNP Paribas Portugal have planned and how is the firm planning to enhance its impressive GM IT initiative?
Le Pottier: BNP Paribas Portugal will continue to enhance this program and many other initiatives tailored for female leaders, hosting diverse events to boost visibility and networking for women, and promote career mobility through diverse initiatives. We continue to ensure an equitable, fair and unbiased recruitment process, equal pay, and ambitious KPIs for women in leadership and STEM roles, maintaining our commitment to gender equality across the organization.

What does this award mean to BNP Paribas Portugal?
Le Pottier: This award is a recognition of BNP Paribas Portugal’s ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion and the promotion of female talent in the technology sector. It reflects the effectiveness of the GM IT Women bootcamp program and the importance of investing in equal opportunities, while reinforcing the company’s reputation as a leader in inclusive practices in the market. Winning this award means we are headed in the right direction, and we plan to continue!