Ingredion Named to 2020 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index

Ingredion included for the third consecutive year; Gender-Equality Index identifies companies committed to advancing women in the workplace

WESTCHESTER, Ill., Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ingredion (NYSE: INGR), a leading global provider of ingredient solutions to diversified industries, announced it is one of 325 companies across 50 industries included in the 2020 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI). The GEI highlights companies that have made strong commitments to gender equality through self-reported internal company statistics, employee policies, external community support and engagement, and gender-conscious product and service offerings. Companies range from a variety of industries, including automotive, banking, consumer services, engineering and construction, and retail. 

"As we continue to build a highly engaged culture at Ingredion that is inclusive and diverse, we are proud to be recognized in the Gender-Equality Index,” said Jim Zallie, Ingredion's president and chief executive officer. "Fostering an environment where everyone is valued enables us to be innovative for our customers, provide rewarding opportunities for our employees, and deliver value for shareholders.”

"Being named in the Gender-Equality Index for the third consecutive year is an important marker of our progress and reflects our ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace,” said Elizabeth Adefioye, Ingredion's senior vice president and chief human resources officer. "At Ingredion, we achieve a high-performance culture by celebrating our diverse perspectives and unleashing the full potential of our employees with a meaningful core purpose and inspiring company values.”

Within the last year, the Company has taken the following actions:

• Refreshed its Company values to strengthen the employee experience and support its business.
• Launched a core purpose statement to align its global workforce around an overarching theme that reflects the pace of change happening in the food and beverage industry.  The core purpose statement is the following: We bring the potential of people, nature and technology together to create ingredient solutions that make life better.
• In North America, introduced new HR policies for parental leave along with flexible workplace options for employees.

The GEI tracks the financial performance of public companies committed to supporting gender equality through policy development, representation and transparency. The reference index measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies and pro-women brand. This year, Bloomberg expanded the eligibility for inclusion in the index to nearly 6,000 companies across 84 countries and regions.

"The 325 companies included in the 2020 GEI have shown their commitment to transparency and demonstrated leadership in gender-related data reporting," said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg. "Disclosure of company statistics and practices are an important first step in supporting gender equality globally."

Through disclosure of gender-related metrics using the GEI framework, the firms included in the 2020 GEI have provided a comprehensive look at their investment in workplace gender equality and the communities in which they operate. Ingredion was included in this year’s index for scoring at or above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect a high level of disclosure and overall performance across the framework’s five pillars. Both the framework and the GEI are voluntary and have no associated costs. The GEI is a reference index and is not for use as a financial benchmark. The index is not ranked. While all public companies are encouraged to disclose supplemental gender data for their company’s investment profile on the Bloomberg Terminal, those that have a market capitalization of USD1 billion are eligible for inclusion in the index. To learn more please visit the GEI website. Bloomberg Terminal subscribers can access the GEI at {BGEI <GO>}.

ABOUT THE COMPANY
Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With annual net sales of nearly $6 billion, the Company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredients solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing and industrial markets. With Ingredion Idea Labs^® innovation centers around the world and more than 11,000 employees, the Company co-creates with customers and fulfills its purpose of bringing together the potential of people, nature and technology to create ingredient solutions that make life better. Visit ingredion.com for more information and the latest Company news.