- Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) today announced that it has reached its global company-wide target to improve gender balance, ensuring at least 40% female representation in managerial roles by 2022.

Jacek Olczak, Chief Executive Officer at PMI, commented: “I am immensely proud of PMI’s vision, commitment, and achievement in ensuring equal opportunities are given to all in the workplace, irrespective of gender. Meeting this target demonstrates that our inclusion and diversity strategy is working. Diverse profiles, backgrounds, and perspectives allow us to make better and more considered decisions as well as contribute to better and more sustainable performance. I firmly believe that a culture of fairness, inclusion, and diversity are crucial to PMI’s progress in achieving a smoke-free future and will continue to benefit the company as we become more reflective of our consumer base.”

Silke Muenster, Chief Diversity Officer at PMI, noted: “What gets measured really does get done. This was a whole company effort requiring everyone to take responsibility. I am delighted that we have met our target on time but recognize that we still have a long way to go on our diversity, equity, and inclusion journey. With this in mind, we have our next gender representation target: 35% of women in senior roles by 2025.

“Having a truly diverse workforce is an essential part of our goal to achieve a smoke-free future. I am very proud of the progress we have made to date, and I am confident about achieving more in the future.”

The new target—35% of women in senior roles by 2025—demonstrates the company’s desire to continuously improve gender representation.

The company also announced today that it has been recertified as a global EQUAL-SALARY organization for the second time since 2019 by the independent EQUAL-SALARY Foundation. The recertification verifies that PMI continues to pay female and male employees equally for equal work in the more than 90 markets where PMI operates.

The EQUAL-SALARY Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization based in Switzerland. The EQUAL-SALARY certification verifies that organizations have sustainable policies and practices to ensure that they pay their male and female employees equally for equal work.

Commenting on PMI’s global recertification, Lisa Rubli, co-CEO of the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation, said: “In today’s global economy, best practices are setting the bar for excellence. A major international company getting EQUAL-SALARY globally re-certified is a historical moment, for its more than 89’000 employees, but also for the cause of gender equality all over the world. The energy and commitment of Philip Morris International for equal pay and EQUAL-SALARY’s principles is a strong demonstration of the company’s willingness to stick to continuous improvement and a message that their certification is absolutely on spot. We are proud of this great achievement!”

More of PMI’s achievements and initiatives to more fully reach gender equality include these:

• Addressing gender bias in talent assessments—including in recruitment, performance management, and opportunities for promotion.

• Introduction of global inclusive parental leave guidelines (2020).

• Launching an employee resource group for women to provide a supportive place to inspire and empower women to advance their skills, expand their network and unlock their full potential.

• Launching a women-in-leadership program to support females in leadership positions.

Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future
Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company’s current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products, which are sold in markets outside the U.S. Since 2008, PMI has invested more than USD 9 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate, and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes. This includes the building of world-class scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-market studies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of versions of PMI’s IQOS Platform 1 devices and consumables as modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs), finding that exposure modification orders for these products are appropriate to promote the public health. As of March 31, 2022, PMI’s smoke-free products were available for sale in 71 markets, and PMI estimates that approximately 12.7 million adults around the world, excluding Russia and Ukraine, had already switched to IQOS and stopped smoking. With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, in February 2021 PMI announced its ambition to expand into wellness and healthcare areas and deliver innovative products and solutions that aim to address unmet consumer and patient needs. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.

About the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation
EQUAL-SALARY is a not-for-profit foundation established since 2010. It is the first and only certification, based on a robust and transparent methodology, that focuses on equal pay for women and men. The development of the EQUAL-SALARY certification was financially supported by the Federal Office for Gender Equality and its methodology was used as a reference by the Swiss Federal Court of High Justice. EQUAL-SALARY is the only certification for equal pay highlighted by the European Commission in a report on Gender Pay Gap. EQUAL-SALARY is a member of EPIC (Equal Pay International Coalition) and of the UN Global Compact.

To date, the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation has completed over 120 certification procedures throughout the world. Several of the certified companies have renewed their commitment, demonstrating a strong will to promote fairness, building trust and respect for their employees.

As an EQUAL-SALARY employer, an organisation is in a better position to attract and retain talent and to prove it complies with the rules of good governance.

About the EQUAL-SALARY certification process, symbol of excellence
Similar to an ISO for wages, the EQUAL-SALARY certification process includes two phases. First, experts contracted by EQUAL-SALARY run a statistical analysis of salary data based on a methodology developed with University of Geneva.

Second, if the results are positive and show an overall gender pay gap under 5 percent, the process is moved further and an audit is contracted with PwC, our main auditing partner, who certifies the conformity of the process. During this phase, PwC assesses both the company’s overall commitment to equal pay as well as its implementation in Human Resources processes. In order to be fully inclusive, employees are involved through a survey and interviews during the on-site audit. Only the companies having fulfilled all the requirements of the procedure get the EQUAL-SALARY certification, meaning they have reached excellence in equal pay.

The EQUAL-SALARY certification allows organizations to verify and communicate that they pay women and men fairly. It is a practical and scientific solution to achieve transparency, while preserving confidentiality.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220511005765/en/