September 6, 2018

Thomson Reuters D&I Index Ranks the 2018 Top 100 Most Diverse & Inclusive Organizations Globally

D&I Index measures relative performance against multiple factors that define diverse and inclusive workplaces

The Matterhorn Group at Morgan Stanley was the first advisory team to effectively use the, now 3-year old, D&I Index as an investment tool

NEW YORK/LONDON, September 6, 2018 – Thomson Reuters today announced the 2018 top 100 most diverse and inclusive organizations globally as ranked by the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Index. The D&I Index demonstrates Thomson Reuters vision of delivering news, information and analytics to the global financial and corporate communities. The index ratings are informed by Thomson Reuters environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data, designed to transparently and objectively measure the relative performance of more than 7,000 companies and provide clients with differentiated insight.

This year, 52 new companies earned a top 100 spot on the index, while 17 companies remained ranked on the index for 2 consecutive years, and 12 companies regained a spot on the index.

The D&I Index is available on Thomson Reuters Eikon, as are the underlying diversity and inclusion metrics, which can be used to help financial professionals screen companies for long-term opportunities and risks in their investments, as well as empower gender lens investing strategies. Each company is assigned a score across Diversity, Inclusion, People Development and News Controversy pillars. Only companies with scores across all four pillars are assigned an overall score (the average of the pillar scores). The top 100 ranked companies with the best overall scores are selected for the Index.   

“Our Diversity and Inclusion index, now in its third year, highlights the companies who are leading the way in imbedding Diversity & Inclusion into their company strategy,” said Elena Philipova, global head of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) at Thomson Reuters, Financial & Risk. “The industry is beginning to recognize the societal and business benefits of investing in diverse and inclusive companies and we are working closely with various investment firms who are looking to develop investable products based on our D&I index. We remain committed to providing industry-leading ESG data to help investors make smarter investment decisions.”

The D&I index continues to receive recognition from industry analysts across the globe:      

Virginie O'Shea, research director at Aite Group, commented: “The topic of diversity has continued to dominate industry mindshare in 2018. Not only have firms been increasing their corporate disclosure with the intent of improving corporate governance and transparency, regulators have also been compelling change and 2019 will see the introduction of the second Shareholder Rights Directive in Europe to this end. Investors are keen to see much more data related to topics such as diversity to factor these into their ESG strategies, which have been gathering pace over the last 12 months.”

Will Jan, Vice President & Lead Analyst at Outsell, commented: “Recent studies have revealed that diversity & inclusion is correlated to value-creation & profitability.  As such, financial services have an obligation to inform investors of these opportunities.”

Brad Bailey, research director, capital markets at Celent, commented: “With growth in ESG investing coming from more and more quarters, it is crucial to have transparent benchmarks for all types of  portfolio managers (PMs) and investors, from long only to quantitative funds,  to ensure that they have a clear framework for the effective allocation of resources into companies with the most astute approaches to diversity.”

“At Thomson Reuters, we understand that focusing on total societal impact is fundamental to driving long-term financial success,” said Patsy Doerr, global head of corporate responsibility and inclusion at Thomson Reuters. “Creating the workforce of the future means building diverse teams which attract the best and brightest from around the world.  The D&I Index helps investors and analysts identify the companies that are getting this right, helping them to make investment decisions that align with their values and the bottom line.”

The D&I Index, launched in 2016, ranks the top 100 publicly traded companies globally with the most diverse and inclusive workplaces, as measured by 24 metrics across four key categories: Diversity, Inclusion, People Development and News Controversies. The Index is then calculated by weighing each metric based on importance in the market and how each company compares with its peers.

For more information about the D&I Index (Methodology, Factsheet) please visit http://financial.thomsonreuters.com/en/products/data-analytics/market-data/indices/diversity-index.html

Top 25 Index ranking and their corresponding overall D&I percentage score (%):   

1 Accenture PLC 
 84.25  
2 Novartis AG 
79.25 
3 Medtronic PLC 
79.00 
4 Diageo PLC 
78.75 
5 Gap Inc 
78.50 
6 Telecom Italia SpA 
77.75 
7 Kering SA 
77.50 
8 Natura Cosmeticos SA 
77.25 
8 L'Oreal SA 
77.25 
10 Acciona SA 
77.00 
10 Bristol-Myers Squibb Co 
77.00 
12 Ucb SA 
75.00 
12 Roche Holding AG 
75.00 
14 Woolworths Group Ltd 
74.75 
15 Nestle SA 
74.50 
16 Microsoft Corp 
74.25 
17 Colgate-Palmolive Co 
74.00 
17 Procter & Gamble Co 
74.00 
17 Eli Lilly and Co 
74.00 
20 HP Inc 
73.75 
20 Merck & Co Inc 
73.75 
22 Hera SpA 
73.50 
23 Bank of Montreal 
73.25 
24 Siemens AG 
73.00 
24 Kao Corp
73.00 
24 Woolworths Holdings Ltd 
73.00 
24 Sempra Energy 
73.00 

For a complete list of the Top 100 Most Diverse & Inclusive Organizations Globally, please visit: http://financial.thomsonreuters.com/content/dam/openweb/documents/pdf/financial/diversity-and-inclusion-top-100-companies.pdf

To learn what top-ranked institutions are saying about the D&I index, please visit: http://financial.thomsonreuters.com/content/dam/openweb/documents/pdf/financial/diversity-and-inclusion-quotes.pdf

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The Thomson Reuters Financial & Risk business will be known as Refinitiv, following the closing of the strategic partnership transaction between Thomson Reuters and private equity funds managed by Blackstone.

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