BNP Paribas participates in the roundtable “The Financial Sector and Diversity: Towards Inclusive Leadership” with REDI

Last Wednesday, February 16th, the event “REDI to embrace: the financial sector and diversity: towards an inclusive leadership” took place, organized by the Business Network for Diversity and Inclusion in Spain (REDI).

The event was a meeting point to discuss the challenges of the financial sector around diversity and inclusive leadership. BNP Paribas participated in the round table “The financial sector and diversity: towards an inclusive future” with Gonzalo de la Rosa, Group Human Resources Director.

The institutional welcome led by Carlos Torres, Chairman of BBVA, who specifically stressed the importance in BBVA of #BeYourself, the employee community created by the company more than 3 years ago to raise awareness of LGBTI issues among employees, was followed by the round table moderated by Ízaro Assa de Amilibia, President of REDI and Leader of the project, with the participation of Ana Irusta, Global Head of D&I at Banco Santander; Isaac Vitini, Director of Human Resources Spain at ING; Carlos Casas, Global Head of Talent and Culture at BBVA; and José María Roldán, President of the Spanish Banking Association.

José María Roldán, President of the AEB, highlighted how the banking sector in recent years has undergone a major transformation in the social, economic and digital spheres, changes that have been positive, but which have generated significant challenges. “When we refer to ESG criteria, perhaps we have focused more on the ‘E’ for environment. In the coming years, the ‘S’ for social and the ‘G’ for governance are going to gain importance, to represent the values of society in our organizations,” he explained.

For his part, the HR Director of BNP Paribas Spain, Gonzalo de la Rosa, outlined BNP Paribas’ commitment to diversity for more than 15 years, highlighting among other issues the creation in 2009 of the PRIDE community, with more than 3,000 allies around the world. “Since our global CEO signed the ‘L’Autre Cercle’ charter, a public declaration in which signatories commit to creating a more inclusive work environment and ensuring equal treatment, we have continued to encourage initiatives to promote inclusion and participation of all our employees to build a stimulating and safe work environment,” said Gonzalo de la Rosa.

Carlos Casas, Global Head of Talent and Culture at BBVA, described how the #BeYourself project has brought the LGBTI+ reality closer to employees, crossing borders and expanding its radius of action. “What began as a declaration of good intentions has become an ambitious and active program that has led BBVA to become the president of REDI last year.

According to Ana Irusta, Global Head of DE&I at Banco Santander, managing diversity in a challenging context for the financial sector is a lever for change. “Only 64% of these people are visible at work, and I think we still have a long way to go.”

Finally, Isaac Vitini, HR Director at ING Spain, listed the benefits of including diversity as part of a company’s strategy. “Betting on the talent of people who think differently helps to reach different solutions and improve results. Clients are a reflection of society and society is diverse.”

The BNP Paribas Group is deeply committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment, in which all its employees can feel not only comfortable, listened to and respected, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, origin or abilities, but also proud to be part of the same team capable of realizing the company’s purpose: to support its clients, employees and social ecosystem in building a better world.