Mass. Companies Join Groundbreaking Effort to Close the Gender Gap...

Mass. Companies Join Groundbreaking Effort to Close the Gender Gap at Work
Gov. Patrick and the Bentley Center for Women and Business Unveil the ‘Getting to More’ Corporate
Challenge
Waltham, Mass., Oct. 10, 2014 – Gov. Deval L. Patrick and Bentley University’s Center for Women and
Business today announced 14 Massachusetts companies that will join a groundbreaking effort to
strengthen gender inclusiveness and more effectively harness the talents of their women employees.
The “Getting to More” corporate challenge, among the first of its kind in the nation, was unveiled as
Gov. Patrick’s Successful Women, Successful Families Task Force announced its recommendations to
advance women in the workplace.
Leading Bay State companies who have joined the Getting to More challenge include Raytheon, Liberty
Mutual Insurance, National Grid, Suffolk Construction, Eastern Bank, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Rockland
Trust, Santander Bank, Citizens Financial Group, Biogen Idec, State Street, Dassault Systemes, Pearson
and The Bulfinch Group / Guardian Life Insurance. Together, these companies will create a community
of equality focused on “getting to more” in their workplaces through a variety of commitments, such as
increasing the percentage of women in their workforces, raising the number of women on their boards
of directors, retaining female employees, and monitoring pay by gender to identify and eliminate
inequalities.
“Women make up nearly half of the Massachusetts workforce and nationally they are the sole or
primary source of income in 40 percent of households with children under the age of 18,” said Gov.
Patrick. “If the Massachusetts economy is going to continue to thrive, employers must design a
workplace that maximizes their talent and potential by eliminating the wage gap and focusing on familyoriented practices and benefits.”
“We’re proud to partner with Governor Patrick’s Administration to help advance women in the
workplace,” said Betsy Myers, founding director of Bentley’s Center for Women and Business. “This
issue is a top priority for almost every company I talk to. They understand that the workforce is equal
parts men and women and they want to create a workplace that maximizes the talent potential of every
single person. As we welcome more companies to the Getting to More challenge, we look forward to
expanding the effort across Massachusetts and in other states to help companies reach their full
potential, strengthen our economy and close the workplace gender gap that has persisted for far too
long.”
The Bentley Center for Women and Business will convene resources, expertise and insights to assist
participants in their efforts. The Center will also provide a collaborative environment to help level the
playing field by bringing the companies together for peer exchanges, combining partners and resources
to inform best practices, and providing valuable insights from various industries to benefit the broader
community.
Companies interested in joining the Getting to More corporate challenge can contact the Bentley Center
for Women and Business at (781) 891-2789 or [email protected].
Partner Quotes:
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"Raytheon is proud to join with Governor Patrick and Bentley’s Center for Women and Business
in this pioneering effort to advance and support women in the workplace,” said Thomas A.
Kennedy, chairman and chief executive officer of Raytheon. “The 'Getting to More' challenge
aligns with our commitment to building an inclusive culture that fosters collaboration and fully
engages all employees.”
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“Santander is committed to creating an inclusive workplace culture so we’re honored to partner
with Governor Patrick and Bentley’s Center for Women and Business in the ‘Getting to More’
corporate challenge,” said Lisa VanRoekel, Santander Bank’s chief HR officer. “Our business is
about people, serving our customers and our communities. Our workplace culture is about
supporting equal opportunity for all our team members – women and men alike – so
participating in this effort makes perfect sense.”
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“‘Getting to More’ aligns well with the development of Liberty Mutual’s global gender inclusion
efforts and our overall Diversity and Inclusion strategy,” said Dawn Frazier-Bohnert, manager of
Diversity & Inclusion at Liberty Mutual Insurance. “Essential to our business success is our ability
to continuously reassess organizational effectiveness and expand how we think about ourselves
as a company. As part of our journey towards this goal, this past Spring, we established a
Gender Diversity Executive Steering Committee focused on advancing women in the workplace
and increasing our gender intelligence and inclusiveness across the enterprise. Our involvement
in ‘Getting to More’ provides us with a great opportunity to gain insight from subject matter
experts as well as share best practices with the other partner companies.”
About the Bentley University Center for Women and Business
The Center for Women and Business is focused on helping women reach their full potential in the
workplace and helping corporations engage the full potential of talented women leaders. The Center’s
research and programs provide a roadmap for organizations and individuals alike to move this critical
conversation forward. For more information, visit the Center’s website or follow us on Twitter
@BentleyCWB.
Media Contact:
Kristen Raymaakers
InkHouse (for Bentley’s Center for Women and Business)
(781) 966-4106
[email protected]