Equal opportunities
Diversity equity and inclusion
Intesa Sanpaolo is deeply committed to promoting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. Through a wide range of policies and initiatives, the company fosters a fair workplace where all employees can thrive. This commitment is reflected in the company’s approach to gender equality, leadership, education, training, and support for families..
The 2023 update expressly prohibits any form of discrimination, explicitly commits to training and awareness on D&EI issues. It incorporates a commitment towards same-sex couples (previously included in another internal policy document), and emphasizes the use of increasingly inclusive and respectful language.
The 2022-2025 Business Plan includes among its objectives gender balance in new appointments within senior positions.
UN SDGs SUPPORTED
~50% women in new appointments to senior positions
first and second level reporting below the CEO
25 male (50%) and 25 female (50%) were appointed in senior positions
based on the organisational structure effective on 31st December 2024, the female presence within the senior positions amounted to 28.3%
28% women
of the total first and second level reports to the CEO
Group workforce breakdown
Staff breakdown by category and gender
Promotions by gender (%)
Gender equality and LGBTQ+ inclusion
To pursue the highest level of inclusion, the Group has adopted the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Principles aimed at valuing each person, ensuring fair treatment and creating an inclusive work environment for everyone.
The main DE&I initiatives in 2024 were:
- Group coaching for women: aimed at women assuming leadership roles for the first time, with 60 participants in 2024;
- courses on unconscious biases;
- the Art of Leadership | Mastering the Future;
- women4Future initiative;
- parenting support initiative;
- collaboration with Parks – Liberi e Uguali;
- Parole di tutto rispetto (Words of respect);
- programme for long-term absentees
In addition to the DE&I Principles, in 2021, Intesa Sanpaolo adopted the Rules for combating sexual harassment to prevent and address harassment, safeguarding individual dignity.
Initiatives to support female education
The Group actively works to create equal opportunities in the educational sector through various initiatives aimed at breaking gender stereotypes and encouraging young female students to pursue careers in STEM and economics. These initiatives include:
- STEM Scholarships: five scholarships awarded to young female students from Southern Italy to encourage university studies in science and technology.
- YEP - Mentoring: over 100 female students from 12 universities in Southern Italy are paired with an equal number of Intesa Sanpaolo managers for one-on-one mentoring.
- Girls@Polimi: Intesa Sanpaolo and its Innovation Center participate in the Politecnico di Milano project, offering six scholarships to young women aspiring to become engineers.
- InspirinGirls: in collaboration with Valore D, more than 130 Intesa Sanpaolo managers participate as Role Models, raising awareness among students about talent and ambition while overcoming gender stereotypes.
- Women in Finance: a programme by Università Cattolica in Milan to support female leadership in the financial sector. The Group provided four scholarships and two training sessions on gender gaps, financial management, and empowerment.
Diversity and inclusion are also highlighted during the D&I Week and through additional initiatives like Women in Finance, Empow(h)er, and the Female Networking Event, which offer young women opportunities to connect with experienced professionals from the Group.
Disability and neurodiversity inclusion
Intesa Sanpaolo has long been committed to addressing issues related to disability and chronic illness. An inter-functional working group is active in Italy, created following the Inclusion Agreement signed with Trade Unions in August 2018 and in line with the subsequent publication of the DE&I Principles.
The working group ensures that individuals with disabilities can fully enjoy and exercise their human rights, and fundamental freedoms. In 2024, several initiatives were promoted to fulfil this objective. In pursuing its institutional goals, the Group also places particular emphasis on issues and activities that promote the workplace inclusion of people with disabilities or neurodiversity, supporting their development and the opportunity to acquire new skills through specific actions that go beyond the requirements set by law. The following initiatives are currently underway: the inclusion of individuals on the autism spectrum in various Governance Areas and divisions; the inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome in branches of the Banca dei Territori Division in several major Italian cities, in customer service roles.
Accessibility
Promoting accessibility is a fundamental aspect of the Group’s commitment to inclusion, ensuring that people with disabilities can easily and independently access financial services. The Group’s focus is on eliminating both physical and digital barriers, creating user-friendly and inclusive environments for all customers. Since 2022, a significant project was launched aimed at improving the accessibility of all websites and mobile applications.
In Italy, accessibility for visually impaired customers is enhanced through automatic tellers with high visibility graphical interfaces and over 7,407 machines equipped with headphones for audio guidance. The monitoring of accessibility and usability of buildings and services has led to the completion of a census of 2,274 operational points, approximately 60% of the total, covering Retail, Exclusive, Business, Private, Corporate branches, and various branch types, satellite counters, and business counters.
Awards received
Awards
A year of sustainability
Last updated 21 July 2025
