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Water and waste company, Severn Trent has been ranked as one of the most inclusive employers in Europe.

The Diversity Leaders 2021, ranked by the Financial Times, assesses employers by surveying employees across Europe, with Midlands-based Severn Trent one of only a handful of UK utilities to place in the top 200.

The survey saw more than 100,000 employees of more than 15,000 companies asked for their views on the company they work for with regard to its inclusiveness or efforts to promote various aspects of diversity. 

Neil Morrison, HR Director for Severn Trent said: “This is fantastic news that, out of so many European companies, we’ve made it into the table at all, let alone making the top 200. What’s even more brilliant is that this ranking has been determined by our own colleagues, who seem to understand, and to support, what we’re trying to achieve at Severn Trent by creating a diverse and safe, inclusive culture.

“We fully understand the importance of diversity in the work place, from female representation on our board and within senior management, to recruiting and developing colleagues from social mobility cold spots, to creating and adapting policies to better support our colleagues. We really care about having the right person to do the best job for our customers, regardless of who they are or their background. 

“Although we know that there’s always work to be done, this helps confirm we’re on the right track.”

Severn Trent was recently named as the joint top company in the FTSE 100 for female representation at board level, and is only one of two companies in the FTSE 100 to be led by a female CEO and a female Chair. It also recently announced it had reduced the median pay gap between women and men for the fourth consecutive year. 

The company ranked eighth in this year’s Social Mobility Index, and also jumped over 230 places up the Stonewall LGBTQ+ index, as well as having a colleague named as Gay Role Model of the Year for the outstanding contribution they made to LGBTQ+ inclusion within the business.

Severn Trent placed 198 out of 15,000 employers assessed, and was one of only six utilities in the top 200.

Full listing and methodology available here