Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The enhancement of people, their diversity and inclusion policies are a fundamental element of the people strategy and an essential ingredient in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy. Companies that are able to express a high rate of diversity – for example gender, age, cultural and professional background – can have a wider spectrum of views, opinions and experiences, thus bringing greater value to policy decisions. 

For years Intesa Sanpaolo has been committed to enhancing the diversity and promoting inclusion as essential components for the Group's growth. The Structure Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), reporting directly to the Chief People and Culture Officer, presides over the implementation of all DE&I initiatives.

Intesa Sanpaolo's inclusion view is made explicit within a policy, which has respect, talent enhancement, meritocracy and equal opportunities as its basic values.

There are numerous projects and initiatives launched by the Group over time, in terms of diversity and inclusion.

The commitment to inclusion is increasingly important and this is why the bank has adopted a specific policy: the Principles on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. In this document, Intesa Sanpaolo expresses its policy of inclusion towards all forms of diversity and based on respect for all people, on meritocracy and equal opportunities, also assuming concrete commitments in promoting an inclusive environment and defining the expected behaviors by everyone. A specific section is dedicated to commitments on gender equity, aimed at ensuring fair opportunities in the processes of hiring, promotion to roles of responsibility, promotions to the first managerial roles and in the succession plan for top management. 

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Principles – a document that accompanies the Code of Ethics, the Human Rights Principles and the Internal Code of Conduct, reinforcing the message on the values that are the hallmark of the Group and that inspire all processes, initiatives and behaviours – was updated in 2023, and the new version was approved by the Board of Directors. The changes to the content of the document expressly state the non-tolerance of any form of discrimination, the explicit commitment to training and awareness on DE&I issues, the integration of the commitment to same-sex couples, previously set forth in another internal regulatory document, and a greater attention to the use of increasingly inclusive and respectful language. This last aspect was of great importance in the context of the 2023 inclusion projects.

A further objective, introduced in the new 2022-2025 Group Plan, focuses attention on senior leadership roles: Intesa Sanpaolo is committed to ensuring that the new appointments for senior positions - first and second reported by the CEO - are balanced by gender in Business Plan period.

In the two-year period 2022-2023, 43 new appointments to senior positions were made: 18 of these (42%) were women and 25 (58%) men.

Read our paper dedicated to the Principles!

One of Intesa Sanpaolo's objectives is to spread the value of inclusion not only within the Group but also externally, in the socio-economic context and in the territories in which it operates. In this context, a fundamental role is played by suppliers.
For this reason, Intesa Sanpaolo has produced a disclosure document on the Principles on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion dedicated to these partners, through which suppliers become aware of the commitments and values ​​expressed in this document. The Principles on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion are thus shared with all the Group's suppliers, describing the expected behaviours, so that these are always based on the principles of inclusion, respect and meritocracy, which represent the founding values ​​of the Group.
Intesa Sanpaolo also sends its suppliers a questionnaire dedicated to ESG issues which evaluates, among the many merit criteria examined, also their commitment to inclusion and the fight against all forms of discrimination and harassment. The positioning of suppliers in the main international indexes and the acquisition of certifications dedicated to inclusion issues are also highly valued.
More than a thousand of the Group's suppliers confirmed that they have implemented policies to protect diversity and inclusion and mechanisms, tools and processes to combat discrimination and harassment. In addition, thirty large suppliers are included in the international Diversity & Inclusion and Gender Equality Indexes and more than twenty have acquired at least one certification in the field of inclusion.

The dissemination of the culture of inclusion is a fundamental element of the Group's D&I strategy and translates into training, communication and awareness-raising initiatives towards all people, at all organizational levels.

The culture of inclusion starts from the top, with the involvement of all top management in a managerial discussion on Inclusive Leadership, which has been gradually extended to all managerial levels and has involved, during the years, over 6,600 managers (the entire management population in Italy). The initiative was also extended to the International Subsidiary Banks Division.

There are also many listening initiatives that involve the entire company population, with the aim of understanding their perceptions and needs and providing valuable insights for defining the Group's inclusion initiatives.

Additional digital initiatives to raise awareness on inclusion are periodically conveyed to specific targets, such as management, key figures in HR Management or people included in particular growth paths, through specific formats and platforms.

The “Parole di tutto rispetto - Words of all respect” project continues, dedicated to inclusive communication born from the collaboration between the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Structure, the Internal Communication Structures and with the support of a working group created within the Chief People and Culture Officer. The main objective is to collect, in an internal document, suggestions and good practices for using a more respectful and accessible language starting from phrases used in everyday life which often hide unconscious biases and prejudices. The project is enriched with awareness and training initiatives, aimed at the company population, on the importance of awareness in the use of language and individual responsibility which is important to create an inclusive environment

To confirm the Group's strong commitment to preventing and combating any form of discrimination and harassment, the  Rules for combatting sexual harassment have been drawn up.

The document describes the conduct that constitutes sexual harassment and formalizes the commitments of Intesa Sanpaolo and all the Group people to ensure a work environment inspired by the principles of protection of the dignity and inviolability of the person. The reporting management process is also described in all its phases, with clear timescales for managing them.

A mandatory training course dedicated to the topic of sexual harassment has been created, the focus of which is enriched year by year with specific insights. During 2022, in particular, the topic of sexual harassment was addressed also in relation to the concepts of emotional orientations and gender identity. A new edition of this mandatory training course was designed and released in 2023, which addressed the topic of reporting and the related management process. The functions that deal with the management of reports have received specific psychological and legal training to better carry out their role.

As part of the Group's commitment on the topic, a psychological support and legal information service has also been established, available to all victims of sexual harassment. The service, which makes use of the support of highly experienced professionals in the psychological and psychotherapeutic fields, is also extended to sexual harassment that occurs outside the work context.

The Group, through the Principles on Human Rights, the Code of Ethics and the Principles on Diversity & Inclusion, is committed to combating all forms of discrimination - whether based on gender, gender identity and/or expression, affective-sexual orientation, civil status and family situation, age, ethnicity, religious belief, political and trade union affiliation, socio-economic condition, nationality, language, cultural background, physical and mental conditions or any other characteristic of the person also linked to the expression of one's own thought - guaranteeing equal opportunities in the processes of selection, management, development and professional growth.

In the following table the main nationalities in the Group's people.