Gender Equality Index

In accordance with the law of September 5, 2018 on the freedom to choose one's professional future and its implementing decree of January 8, 2019, aimed at eliminating pay gaps between women and men, Kwanko publishes its Gender Equality Index.

The Gender Equality Index within Kwanko:

Kwanko's professional equality index between women and men in 2025 is 74 points out of 100. This score, although lower than the previous year due to structural factors beyond our control, only strengthens our determination to improve.

This result was obtained based on the following 4 indicators:

• Gender pay gap: 19/40 points
• Gap in the distribution of individual salary increases: 35/35 points
• Number of female employees receiving a salary increase in the year following their return from maternity leave: 15/15 points
• Gender parity among the ten highest salaries: 5/10 points

At Kwanko, equity is much more than legal compliance: it is a central driver of our culture. Building on our 2025 assessment, we are mobilizing to sustainably exceed the threshold of 85 points in the Professional Equality Index within three years.

To progressively neutralize structural gaps linked to our professions and reaffirm our values, we are activating four priority levers:

• Recruitment,
• Internal Mobility and Promotion,
• Effective Compensation,
• Quality of Life at Work (QWL).

This 2026-2028 strategic roadmap reflects our commitment to building an ever more inclusive company, where competence and merit are the only criteria for success.

Gender pay gap objective:

- Score: 19/40

- Improvement targets: +11

- Target score: 30/40 points

Objective for the gap in the distribution of individual salary increases:

- Score: 35/35

- Improvement targets: =

- Target score: 35/35 points

Objective for the number of female employees receiving a salary increase in the year following their return from maternity leave:

- Score: 15/15

- Improvement targets: =

- Target score: 15/15 points

Objective for gender parity among the ten highest salaries:

- Score: 5/10

- Improvement targets: =

- Target score: 5/10 points

Overall score objective:

- Score: 74/100

- Improvement targets: +11

- Target score: 85/100 points

Analysis and action priorities

We are focusing our efforts on the levers where the margin for improvement is most significant, while taking into account the reality of our structure and the market:

• 1. Pay gaps (Indicator 1): Our current score (19/40) reflects historical factors and the scarcity of certain expert profiles on the market. However, Kwanko is already taking concrete action: we use our annual salary increase budgets as a rebalancing lever (Indicator 2 at 35/35). Our objective is to continue this effort by ensuring strict equity from recruitment and throughout the entire professional journey.
• 2. Gender parity among the ten highest salaries (Indicator 4): The composition of our Top 10 currently reflects the company's history and the stability of the executive team. Our objective is to stabilize the presence of at least 2 women at this level, while promoting women's access to senior leadership positions. This work will rely on our internal pool of managers, which is already highly balanced, and on particular vigilance during the recruitment of expert profiles.

Transparency and commitment

These objectives reflect Kwanko's identity: a company that progresses with and for its employees. Monitored each year in collaboration with the CSE, these commitments mobilize all our energy. Our challenge is to turn these ambitions into concrete reality, while preserving the balance and team spirit that are our strength.

In line with our values, to sustainably exceed the legal threshold and move towards our target of 85/100, Kwanko has defined various areas for improvement (Recruitment, Internal Mobility and Promotion, Effective Compensation, Quality of Life at Work) which have been subject to consultation with the CSE. An action plan has been adopted following this phase of social dialogue, and the selected corrective measures are as follows:

Measures in favour of Recruitment

Recruitment and hiring are key elements in building a balanced workforce and ensuring that women and men have equal access to all professions, including management roles. The ultimate goal of the actions we have identified is to give women the same opportunities as men in hiring.

Feminising roles in high-demand areas (Tech/Sales)

• Audit of job posting keywords to ensure that the vocabulary used in job offers is not male-connoted. This audit is one-off but its impact is lasting on all future publications. Indicators: % increase in female applications received after modification; % of job offers validated by a neutral vocabulary checklist.
• Proactive sourcing: for each role in shortage (e.g. Tech), commit to presenting at least one candidate from the under-represented gender in the final shortlist. Indicator: % of shortlists for male-dominated roles including at least one woman among candidates.
• Annual analysis of reasons for non-selection of female applications compared to male applications for the same roles, to identify whether the selection criteria applied by managers are always purely objective. Indicators: % gap between rejection rates of female and male applications; number of recommendations issued following the analysis; implementation rate of adjustment recommendations.
• Referral scheme: increased referral bonus for female Tech profiles. Indicator: number of female referrals resulting in a hire in the Technical division.
• Partnerships with women's networks: establish official partnerships with associations promoting women in Tech (e.g. Women in Tech, E-MMA) or Commerce (e.g. Force Femmes). Indicators: number of partnerships established; number of targeted sourcing events held; rate of female applications received for Technical/Sales divisions.

Promoting an inclusive employer brand

• Job offer: include in each job posting a paragraph reaffirming Kwanko's values, notably its commitment to professional equality and diversity. Indicator: number of job postings written with this paragraph.
• Balanced representation in recruitment campaigns: Kwanko commits to ensuring that every candidate meets at least one woman and one man during the recruitment process, to guarantee a diversity of perspectives and reduce the impact of unconscious bias. Indicator: number of candidates who met both a man and a woman during the process.
• Inspiring testimonials shared externally: highlight Kwanko's female experts and managers (notably the 100% female Cross-functional Production team or the France managers) in external communications (social media, trade fairs). Indicators: number of female applications received following content publication; engagement rate (views, clicks) on external profiles.
• Testimonials shared internally: publish Who Does What profiles on the HR News channel and Kwanko TV highlighting women in technical roles and men in support roles. Indicator: number of pieces of content produced and published.

In-depth training on unconscious bias

• Rework the content of the Recruitment: Dos and Donts training and deepen the section dedicated to unconscious bias (particularly gender stereotypes) for all profiles involved in recruitment. Indicators: number of employees trained; training satisfaction rate.

Securing the Young Talent pipeline

• End-of-internship/work-study interview: systematise an HR pre-hire meeting to identify candidates to convert to permanent contracts as soon as budget opens. Indicator: % of female interns/work-study students hired or included in the talent reserve pipeline.
• Development of partnerships with schools, universities and training centres to showcase our professions and hiring opportunities. Indicator: number of schools, universities and training centres engaged with during the year.

Measures relating to Internal Mobility and Promotion

In the context of workforce rationalisation and low external recruitment volumes, internal mobility and the promotion of our female talent represent the major strategic levers for developing skills and correcting structural imbalances across our divisions.

Ensuring visibility of female potential

• Talent and Diversity profile: during annual appraisals, the Manager completes a standardised form for each woman identified as a Development potential. This form covers three areas: key cross-functional skills, areas of interest, and seniority level reached. The objective is to build a proactive internal talent pool that can be easily consulted when a position opens. Indicators: number of employees with a Talent and Diversity profile; internal promotion/mobility rate for women (target: 25%).

Objectifying promotions

• Promotion tracking by division and gender: create a promotion tracking file to ensure that women do not progress more slowly than their male counterparts. Indicator: % promotion gap between men and women by division.

Measures relating to Effective Compensation

Pay gaps unfortunately continue to exist in companies, primarily to the detriment of women. Yet the principle that must apply is equal pay for work of equal value, regardless of the component of remuneration: base salary, variable pay, bonuses and incentives, benefits in kind, etc. Our ultimate objective is to reduce and even fully eliminate any remaining pay inequalities.

Anticipating the 2026 Pay Transparency Law

• Reference salary grid: creation of a remuneration framework by role and seniority, incorporating an analysis of the average variable pay rate by function and gender, to ensure that variable pay allocation criteria do not indirectly disadvantage women. Indicators: % alignment between actual remuneration and the grid; existence of an HR dashboard updated on a half-yearly basis; % gap in average variable pay rates between men and women by division.

Managing pay gaps

• Half-yearly monitoring and analysis of gaps: formalise the commitment to a systematic analysis of pay and salary increase gaps between men and women, beyond the sole calculation of the Index. Indicators: number of half-yearly reviews carried out; analysis of individual salary increase rates and base salaries by gender, job category and age group.
• Pay catch-up budgets: commitment to triggering catch-up budgets during the annual salary review campaign, targeting primarily the gaps identified during half-yearly analyses. Indicators: number of catch-ups carried out; total amount (euros) of the catch-up budget used during the financial year.

Manager accountability

• Engaging managers prior to the allocation of individual salary increases, with a reminder of legal obligations regarding pay equality and a requirement for systematic written justification for increase proposals that deviate significantly from the team or division average. Indicators: number of reminders and managers engaged; average % gap in individual salary increase rates between men and women by job category and age group.

Ensuring pay equity at hiring

• Eliminating salary history: prohibition on asking candidates for their last salary; offers based solely on the internal grid and competencies. Indicator: % of new contracts aligned with the reference grid, audited and validated on a quarterly basis.

Balancing top salaries

• Succession plan: identify among our 48% of female managers those with the potential to join the Top 10 salaries in the medium term, and formally involve them in strategic committees in line with development opportunities and the company's strategic needs. Indicator: % of women among the 10 highest salaries (target at N+3: 40%); number of female managers promoted to steering/strategy committees.

Exit analysis

• Use exit interviews to verify the salary consistency of women and men leaving the company against the grid, in order to identify whether gaps have widened over the course of their career and to adjust remuneration practices for remaining employees. Indicator: number of unjustified pay gaps identified and analysed.

Measures in favour of Working Conditions (Work/Life Balance)

Because balance is also a factor of wellbeing and performance, Kwanko places the reconciliation of professional and personal life at the top of its HR commitments. We act to enable everyone to thrive within a structure that adapts to the realities of its employees.

Protecting the right to disconnect

• Good practice charter: reminder of the rules (no meetings before 9:30am/after 5:30pm, no emails at weekends) and training managers to lead by example. Indicator: Work/Life Balance satisfaction rate in the annual internal survey.

Parental support (IVF/Maternity)

• Parenthood Guide: create a document centralising all entitlements (salary maintenance, IVF absences, sick child days) to break down taboos. Indicator: number of guide downloads on the Intranet.
• Post-Paternity Leave Review: offer a return meeting for fathers after their paternity leave to review their career and support needs, in addition to the HR interview already planned following maternity leave. Indicator: return interview completion rate post-leave for both parents.

Inclusion and Health (Disability)

• Proactive adjustments: ergonomic audit of workstations for employees with disabilities or returning from long-term illness. Indicator: number of workstation adjustments made relative to requests.