Leaders of nine major companies in Portugal have come together to create the 'Leaders for Equality' ('Líderes pela Igualdade') forum, with the ambition to inspire and act towards a fairer and more equal society. The union – which was born from affinity with the values and initiatives related to equality, diversity and inclusion that these companies share – aims to be a discussion and reflection group through regular meetings, among other actions.

Two weeks before International Women's Day, the forum aims to reinforce the importance of these issues and the work that will be carried out in the near future. In addition to EDP, represented by executive director Vera Pinto Pereira, the working group also has the participation of José Gonçalves (Accenture), Filipa Leite de Castro (Argo Partners), Miguel Almeida (Cisco), Maria João Ricou (Cuatrecasas), Nuno Luz (FNAC), Helen Duphorn (IKEA), Rodrigo Simões de Almeida (Mercer) and Paulo Câmara (Sérvulo & Associados).

The union – which was born from affinity with the values and initiatives related to equality, diversity and inclusion that these companies share – aims to be a discussion and reflection group through regular, face-to-face and digital meetings, among other actions.

Despite the overall progress made in recent years, many people continue to be discriminated against on the basis of their personal characteristics and are at a disadvantage due to their gender, ethnicity, nationality, age or sexual orientation. It was with this challenge in mind that leaders of these nine companies, who believe in the social and business benefits of diversity, equality and inclusion, then decided to join forces to learn together, stimulate and promote positive change in Portugal.

"As leaders, we have a responsibility to create a turning point in the way we manage our companies and our people. Companies such as EDP, which focus on diversity, equality, and inclusion are more resilient, innovative and competitive, and their example inspires and contributes to a fairer society where everyone has equal access to opportunities. By promoting the sharing of best practices and making room for reflection and debate of solutions, this forum will certainly be an important lever of change," comments Vera Pinto Pereira, executive board member of EDP Group.

The 'Leaders for Equality' forum will focus its work on creating a movement that seeks to contribute to workplaces and leaders as diverse as the society in which they are located, and as inclusive as the world should be.