iMerit has been working aggressively against United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 since the company was founded in 2012. But, wait… how can that be, the UN wrote the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, so how could iMerit have been working against it since 2012? Well, it’s easy to explain when your founder and CEO is an innovator, collaborator and long-term thinker who is passionate about gender equality and social inclusion.
In addition to working against UN SDG 5, which promotes gender equality, the company is also working against SDG 1, no poverty, SDG 2, zero hunger, SDG 3, good health and well-being, SDG 4, quality education, SDG 8, decent work and economic growth and SDG 10, reduced inequalities. iMerit CEO Radha Basu says, “Core to iMerit, is our inclusive workforce, which is made up of young adults, who have had a 50/50 gender split since Day 1.” Today, iMerit employs nearly 1,400 women in 9 delivery centers around the world.
“Gender equality and women’s empowerment differentiates iMerit significantly,” says Monalisa Banerjee, a senior manager of projects at iMerit. “Women at iMerit are powerful. They are not reluctant to speak their minds.” Echoing the sentiment is iMerit senior project manager Sanghamitra Chanda. “iMerit made a commitment to promote gender equality from its very first days, and it delivered against that commitment. iMerit employees have financial independence and social independence, a result of the company’s efforts and that is most admirable.”
While significant progress has been made regarding gender equality and women’s empowerment globally, there is still work to be done in organizations throughout the world. “At iMerit we have always focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment and the company has realized business success as a result,” says project manager Vijitha Chowdhury. “CEOs that have yet to commit their organizations to the concepts of gender equality and inclusion should rethink their positions. Diversity in organizations is key, especially in leadership.”
iMerit will always promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. “When female workers are paid lower wages, promoted less, face restrictive stereotypes, it affects all workers,” says Ms. Basu, “it affects the entire company. At iMerit we promote gender equality because we understand that gender equality is the right thing to do from a societal perspective, and that it is the smart thing to do from a business perspective.” — Mark Papia
(Mark Papia is the Director of Content and Communications at iMerit.)
