Unicaja has obtained Gender Equality certification from AENOR, becoming the first Spanish listed financial institution to achieve this recognition. This milestone reinforces its commitment to effective equality, diversity and the creation of inclusive working environments.
This certification, developed by AENOR in 2019 and updated in 2025, incorporates the guidelines of the international standard ISO 53800 and establishes requirements for the implementation of a management system that guarantees real and effective equality in corporate culture.
corporate culture.
This recognition certifies that Unicaja applies measures to eliminate the gender gap in all processes of the employment life cycle: selection and recruitment, professional classification, training and development, working conditions (including salary audit, health and occupational risks), occupational health, joint responsibility, prevention of sexual or gender-based harassment, and internal communication, among others.
Unicaja's Director General of People, Organisation and Legal Affairs, Juan Medina, highlighted the importance of the certification received from AENOR, which confirms that "at Unicaja we are committed to diversity and effective equality between women and men, guaranteeing an inclusive working environment with zero tolerance for any type of discrimination".
He also pointed out that the organisation has an Equality Plan that incorporates specific actions to promote equal opportunities in recruitment, training, professional development, remuneration and work-life balance.
AENOR's Corporate Director of People and Organisation, Susana Pedrero, stated that "the ISO 53800 Gender Equality certification obtained by Unicaja represents a firm step forward for the organisation towards the integration of gender equality in business management, aligning its policies with international standards that promote more inclusive and sustainable working environments. This achievement reflects a strategic commitment that goes beyond regulatory compliance, placing the organisation at the forefront of best practices in equality and social responsibility. By obtaining this certification, Unicaja is sending a message of utmost confidence to all its stakeholders."
Unicaja's commitment to equality and diversity
As part of its sustainability policy, Unicaja is firmly committed to ensuring effective equality of treatment and opportunities among its staff, as well as ensuring diversity and an inclusive culture.
Equality is therefore an intrinsic part of its 2025-2027 Strategic Plan, with specific initiatives and set objectives, thus reinforcing work-life balance and shared responsibility in an inclusive working environment.
Furthermore, all the initiatives developed by Unicaja in this area are aligned with its commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 5 on gender equality.
In this context, gender diversity is fully integrated into Unicaja's Board of Directors, which has a balanced composition with 40% of its members being women, ensuring compliance with the recommendations established by the Code of Good Governance for listed companies.
All of this is in line with its model of universal, accessible, open and accessible banking that places its customers and staff at the centre of its strategy, which is one of the main pillars of its current Strategic Plan.
About Unicaja
Unicaja is one of the leading banks in the Spanish financial system and a listed company on the Ibex 35, with a solid base of four million customers. In fact, it is a leading institution in six autonomous communities, its regions of origin (Andalusia, Asturias, Cantabria, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León, and Extremadura), as well as being present in other markets such as Madrid, Ceuta, and Melilla, where it has a long-standing presence.
It is characterised by its universal banking model and sustainable business model focused on retail banking, under prudent management of its commercial strategy and risk profile, socially responsible, which places quality, innovation and digital transformation at the forefront, and incorporates technology to improve customer service and the efficiency of the institution.
About AENOR
AENOR contributes to the transformation of society by creating trust between organisations and individuals through conformity assessment services (certification, inspection and testing), training and information, as well as business transformation consulting provided by AENOR Conocimiento. It is the leading trust-building organisation in Spain, and more than 91,000 workplaces around the world hold one of AENOR's certificates in fields such as Quality Management, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity or those related to ESG criteria, such as criminal compliance, good corporate governance, equality, environmental management and sustainable construction.
Among AENOR's competitive advantages are the highest brand recognition among companies and consumers; having its own staff, which allows it to manage the knowledge it has accumulated for the benefit of its customers; innovating in the resolution of new competitiveness gaps thanks to its proximity to sources of knowledge; and its geographical and sectoral capillarity.
AENOR is a global entity, already operating in 87 countries. In Spain, it has offices in all the autonomous communities, with its own auditors, and has a permanent presence in 12 other countries, mainly in Latin America and Europe.
