// Zalando posts first ever diversity and inclusion report
// It has invested £4.4m in raising the share of women in tech by 40 to 60% by 2023
// In 2019, Zalando set the target of achieving a balanced representation of both women and men
Zalando has released its first ever diversity and inclusion report in an effort to keep a record of the company’s progress in those areas.
The German online retailer said it has invested €5 million (£4.4 million) in balancing a gender share in tech by 40 to 60 per cent by 2023 as part of its ‘Do Better’ initiative.
“We strive to foster a diverse and inclusive company culture because we are convinced that it will make us a more successful business in the long term,” Zalando co-chief executive Rubin Ritter said.
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“However, investing in diversity and inclusion is more than just a business strategy for us. It is simply the right thing to do.
“It is our vision to become the Starting Point for Fashion in Europe, and we want to include everyone on that journey. Transformation takes time.
“We are still at the beginning but our progress indicates that we are moving in the right direction.”
In 2019, Zalando set the target of achieving a balanced representation of both women and men.
Its ‘Do Better’ report shows that its supervisory board is now comprised of 56 per cent women.
It further shows significant progress on senior vice president level, where the representation of women has almost doubled in just one year to 30 per cent women.
Meanwhile, the vice president cohort now consists of 22 per cent women.
The company acknowledges that its management board has the lowest diversity, where currently no women are represented, and reconfirms its commitment to reaching the diversity target by 2023.
Zalando senior vice president of people and organisation Astrid Arndt said: “A diverse and inclusive team is a key success factor to becoming the Starting Point for Fashion for our diverse customers and partners.
“The do.BETTER report creates transparency in the different facets of diversity and inclusion, and holds us accountable to achieve our goals and drive the positive change that we want to see.
“We have made progress over the past year and we will continue to work hard to build a diverse and inclusive culture within our own organization, as well as for customers and partners.”
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