Marshalls : Statement of Support to UNGC (WEPS) and Target for Gender Equality

Statement of Support to UNGC (WEPS) and Target for Gender Equality

Marshalls is committed to supporting and promoting the rights of women and girls. As UNGC signatories since 2009 we have been working hard in our business operations and supply chains to ensure that we uphold the rights of those that work in all parts or our business. It is a natural progression for us to now put a specific and increased emphasis on the rights of women and girls and to become Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) signatories.

By becoming WEPs signatories we publicly commit to embracing the principles and to working to uphold and implement them throughout our UK business operations and global supply chain. We look forward to working in partnership with UNGC Target for Gender Equity to address the lingering barriers to parity whether we find them in our own business operations, in our global supply chain, in our sector or in the wider community. We are ready to act as advocates, take action to address issues of equality and women's empowerment, be part of an effective platform, to learn more about UNGC Target for Gender Equity and to explore how we can contribute.

It's time to take action: after completing the Women's Empowerment Principles questionnaire, Marshalls has been rated as an 'Improver'. There's plenty of work to do and we're working with the UNCG on an action plan to set targets that impact leadership commitment, workplace policies, marketing strategies, procurement practices and our contribution to the community. We're one of 17 organisations in the UK UNGC who are participating in the programme, all spanning different sectors and industries.

At Marshalls we're proud to have a female Chair of the Board in Vanda Murray OBE, who plays a pivotal role in our development in this area. In an article written in 2019, Vanda says "we are already seeing more sharing of our talented women for progression and development opportunities and real improvement in internal mobility." The full articlecan be found on the website of the Hampton-Alexander Review, which is an independent review body working towards a target of 33% representation of women on FTSE 350 Boards and in Executive Committee and Direct Reports by the end of 2020.

Vanda Murray,	Martyn Coffey	Shiv Sibal	Louise Furness
OBE DBA	CEO	General Counsel &	Group Human
Chair		Company Secretary	Resources Director