Mass. Companies Join Groundbreaking Effort to Close the Gender Gap at Work Gov. Patrick and the Bentley Center for Women and Business Unveil the ‘Getting to More’ Corporate Challenge Waltham, Mass., Oct. 10, 2014 – Gov. Deval L. Patrick and Bentley University’s Center for Women and Business today announced 14 Massachusetts companies that will join a groundbreaking effort to strengthen gender inclusiveness and more effectively harness the talents of their women employees. The “Getting to More” corporate challenge, among the first of its kind in the nation, was unveiled as Gov. Patrick’s Successful Women, Successful Families Task Force announced its recommendations to advance women in the workplace. Leading Bay State companies who have joined the Getting to More challenge include Raytheon, Liberty Mutual Insurance, National Grid, Suffolk Construction, Eastern Bank, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Rockland Trust, Santander Bank, Citizens Financial Group, Biogen Idec, State Street, Dassault Systemes, Pearson and The Bulfinch Group / Guardian Life Insurance. Together, these companies will create a community of equality focused on “getting to more” in their workplaces through a variety of commitments, such as increasing the percentage of women in their workforces, raising the number of women on their boards of directors, retaining female employees, and monitoring pay by gender to identify and eliminate inequalities. “Women make up nearly half of the Massachusetts workforce and nationally they are the sole or primary source of income in 40 percent of households with children under the age of 18,” said Gov. Patrick. “If the Massachusetts economy is going to continue to thrive, employers must design a workplace that maximizes their talent and potential by eliminating the wage gap and focusing on familyoriented practices and benefits.” “We’re proud to partner with Governor Patrick’s Administration to help advance women in the workplace,” said Betsy Myers, founding director of Bentley’s Center for Women and Business. “This issue is a top priority for almost every company I talk to. They understand that the workforce is equal parts men and women and they want to create a workplace that maximizes the talent potential of every single person. As we welcome more companies to the Getting to More challenge, we look forward to expanding the effort across Massachusetts and in other states to help companies reach their full potential, strengthen our economy and close the workplace gender gap that has persisted for far too long.” The Bentley Center for Women and Business will convene resources, expertise and insights to assist participants in their efforts. The Center will also provide a collaborative environment to help level the playing field by bringing the companies together for peer exchanges, combining partners and resources to inform best practices, and providing valuable insights from various industries to benefit the broader community. Companies interested in joining the Getting to More corporate challenge can contact the Bentley Center for Women and Business at (781) 891-2789 or cwb@bentley.edu. Partner Quotes: - "Raytheon is proud to join with Governor Patrick and Bentley’s Center for Women and Business in this pioneering effort to advance and support women in the workplace,” said Thomas A. Kennedy, chairman and chief executive officer of Raytheon. “The 'Getting to More' challenge aligns with our commitment to building an inclusive culture that fosters collaboration and fully engages all employees.” - “Santander is committed to creating an inclusive workplace culture so we’re honored to partner with Governor Patrick and Bentley’s Center for Women and Business in the ‘Getting to More’ corporate challenge,” said Lisa VanRoekel, Santander Bank’s chief HR officer. “Our business is about people, serving our customers and our communities. Our workplace culture is about supporting equal opportunity for all our team members – women and men alike – so participating in this effort makes perfect sense.” - “‘Getting to More’ aligns well with the development of Liberty Mutual’s global gender inclusion efforts and our overall Diversity and Inclusion strategy,” said Dawn Frazier-Bohnert, manager of Diversity & Inclusion at Liberty Mutual Insurance. “Essential to our business success is our ability to continuously reassess organizational effectiveness and expand how we think about ourselves as a company. As part of our journey towards this goal, this past Spring, we established a Gender Diversity Executive Steering Committee focused on advancing women in the workplace and increasing our gender intelligence and inclusiveness across the enterprise. Our involvement in ‘Getting to More’ provides us with a great opportunity to gain insight from subject matter experts as well as share best practices with the other partner companies.” About the Bentley University Center for Women and Business The Center for Women and Business is focused on helping women reach their full potential in the workplace and helping corporations engage the full potential of talented women leaders. The Center’s research and programs provide a roadmap for organizations and individuals alike to move this critical conversation forward. For more information, visit the Center’s website or follow us on Twitter @BentleyCWB. Media Contact: Kristen Raymaakers InkHouse (for Bentley’s Center for Women and Business) (781) 966-4106 bentley@inkhouse.com