Stockholm (Nordsip) – The month of May has been marked by several acknowledgements of Folksam’s efforts to level the playing field for women in finance. On May 9th, it was named best company for gender equality in the finance and insurance industry. This was followed by the recognition of Folksam Group’s CEO, Ylva Wessén, as one of Sweden’s 125 most powerful women.
The recognition of Folksam as a leader in gender equality in the financial industry came from the Swedish Key Figures Institute (Nyckeltalsinstitutet) and was based on their Equality Index (Jämställdhetsindex in Swedish, or Jämix for short). This was the fourth year in a row that Folksam earned this recognition.
Nyckeltalsinstitutet surveys employers with the best working conditions in their industry every year. The survey is based on statistics collected from 2024 on the working conditions of over 800,000 employees within approximately 400 companies and organisations. Jämix measures gender equality in companies based on nine key factors that show the differences between women and men, such as career opportunities, sick leave, taking parental leave and salaries.
“It is great that Folksam once again has such a good result. Gender equality is an important area for us. It is a long-term and ongoing work and there is more to be done, both to maintain the good figures and to improve the areas where we still face challenges,” Pernilla Glad, Head of People and Environments at Folksam, said (translated from Swedish) on this occasion.
On May 14th, Dagens Industri, the most popular Swedish-language daily financial newspaper, once again included Wessén in its list of the top 125 most powerful women in Sweden. The newspaper highlighted the CEO’s responsibilities, influence and Folksam’s aforementioned gender equality work
“I am honoured and pleased that, as CEO of the Folksam Group, I have been named by Dagens Industri as one of the most powerful women in business, along with so many other inspiring women. As a key player in the insurance and pension industry, we at Folksam Group have both the opportunity and the responsibility to drive changes that can have a major impact. Our goal is not only to improve the lives of our (approximately) four million customers, but also to contribute positively to society at large. Together, we can create a sustainable future,” Wessén said (translated from Swedish).
