International law firm Addleshaw Goddard has been included in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women for the 12th time since its launch in 2006. 

Published in partnership with Business in the Community, the Times Top 50 Employers for Women is the UK’s most highly profiled and well-established listing of employers leading the way on workplace gender equality and transforming what it means to be a woman in the workplace.

Each employer included in the alphabetical unranked list is featured thanks to the significant role that gender equality, and innovations to achieve it, plays in its businesses. Places are awarded by gender equality experts at Business in the Community based on a comprehensive entry process.

Addleshaw Goddard has consistently appeared on the list thanks to its range of programmes and initiatives designed to promote gender diversity across the firm. These include Flourish, its flagship female development programme, which aims to support female progression to senior positions, and its award winning Returner Programme, which works to help women re-enter the legal profession following an extended break. 

Niki Lawson, HR Director at Addleshaw Goddard, comments: "This recognition is a significant endorsement of our continued commitment to providing a workplace in which women can flourish and advance their careers, as we constantly strive to create a truly inclusive workplace culture." 

"We are proud of our range of initiatives designed to support better gender balance in our business. These include not only our female development programmes, but also our commitment to flexible working practices, addressing of unconscious bias, and family-friendly policies such as enhanced shared parental leave which is helping to normalise the role of men in childcare."

Chloe Chambraud, Director of Gender Equality at Business in the Community said: "Congratulations to all of the organisations who have been named as Times Top 50 Employer for Women this year. Your relentless work to make your workplace more diverse and more inclusive deserves to be recognised and celebrated. We are delighted to see a growing number of employers supporting men to take on more caring responsibilities and tackling the root causes of gender inequality."

"Historically companies focused on policies and processes to address the inequality and bias that employees face on a daily basis. But this is not enough.  It is only by changing the culture and promoting positive behaviours from the top that employers will see real change, and we look forward to supporting them on this journey."  

The list has been published in a supplement in The Times and can also be found here.

Notes to editor

The Times Top 50 Employers for Women is the UK’s most highly profiled and well-established listing of employers leading the way on workplace gender equality. These employers make gender equality part of their business strategy at all levels and are sought out by people looking for their first job and looking to move roles later in their career.

Each year Business in The Community invites companies with a presence in the UK to apply by detailing what they are doing to work towards gender equality in their organisation.  The companies who made it onto the list were selected by gender equality experts at Business in the Community, this list is unranked and listed in alphabetical order.  

The assessment process focusses on transparency, the causes behind gaps, what companies are doing to address these structural issues and the impact of their actions.  The evaluation includes, but is not limited to, roles of senior leaders, actions to increase representation of women in senior positions, intersectionality, supporting parents and carers, bullying and harassment and the economic empowerment of women in supply chains and communities 

About Business in the Community 

Business in the Community, part of the Prince’s Responsible Business Network, is a business-led membership organisation made up of progressive businesses of all sizes who understand that the prosperity of business and society are mutually dependent. We exist to build healthy communities with successful businesses at their heart. 

We use our Responsible Business Map to guide members on a journey of continuous improvement, working across the whole responsible business agenda. From community engagement to employment, diversity and the circular economy, we offer expert advice and specialist resources, driving best practice by convening, sharing learning and recognising great performance across our influential network. www.bitc.org.uk