“As a fundamental value we support the principle of equal pay.”

Van Lanschot Kempen (1753 employees) is a specialist, independent wealth manager dedicated to preserve and create wealth sustainably, for our clients and the society we serve.

What was the motivation behind participating in our campaign about equal pay?

Laura Lee, Inclusion & Diversity Manager:
“From my perspective, as the project manager, the research on equal pay was something that we should not only execute but also communicate about. However from the perspective of our Board there was a clear statement that we’re not doing this for the communication angle, or for the publicity, but that as a fundamental value we support the principle of equal pay. Along the way, the importance of communicating internally and externally also became clear, which is why we are participating in this campaign about equal pay, to share with other companies the steps we have taken and to give some insights into the obstacles we encountered along the way.”

As a project manager, did you feel you had the full support of the people who needed to be on board?

“Yes. I think I had, that definitely helped, unlimited mandate and resources to go ahead with the project and get it done. And now as a next step, the support within our HR team to embed this process with our BAU and keep it on the radar.”

“The most important thing is not so much getting the results to 0%, but what we should really be focusing on is the uncorrected gap and the fact that we have less women in senior leadership roles.”

What was the most important insight you gained from the analysis?

“I think it’s the same for a lot of companies, the issue is that there are less women in senior leadership roles than men. That really has to be the focus point. The most important thing is not so much of getting the results to 0%, but what we should really be focusing on is the uncorrected gap and the fact that we have less women in senior leadership roles and what steps are we going to take to address that. The analysis definitely helped to create awareness in general around this topic.”

You are also already preparing for the upcoming legislation. Can you tell us a bit more about this?

“Yes, there are two different parts. There is obviously the equal pay legislation. And then there is the ratio of seats between men and women on the boards and supervisory boards of large public and private companies. So we are working on both of these important topics, and I do think they go hand-in-hand. If you get more women into senior positions then that will help to address the uncorrected pay gap.”

“Have the Board involved from the beginning as a sponsor who provide their support and approval.”

Looking back, what lessons would you like to share with other employers who want to start researching equal pay?

“I think when starting the project, you need a few things. If it is the first time to do this, then there needs to be a project manager or someone designated as responsible for delivering the results. That they are given this as a project with the time to take it on and get it done. And I think you need to have the Board involved from the beginning as a sponsor who provides their support and approval to pursue this project. And then my perspective is that it is good to use an independent, specialized, external party to perform the pay gap analysis, so the results are not open to to interpretation.”