
Tag Archives: How-To


How-to Guide: Becoming the Employer of Choice for Women – Overview
How-to Guide: Becoming the Employer of Choice for Women – Overview
This brochure offers a selection of insights from the Financial Alliance for Women’s How-to Guide, “Becoming the Employer of Choice for Women” which lays out the process for improving gender diversity and inclusion (D&I) in financial services firms. The information provided is based on the findings from Alliance member working groups, which explored ways to increase women’s representation in the leadership of financial services firms. It incorporates Mercer’s leading-edge research and the real-world experiences of Alliance members. Throughout the guide, emphasis is on developing a holistic women-centered strategy, blending enhanced internal gender D&I with a strong female customer value proposition so that financial institutions are better equipped to tap into the female economy, the world’s fastest growing market. The full guide is available exclusively to members.

How to Guide Becoming the Employer of Choice for Women
How-to Guide: Becoming the Employer of Choice for Women
The How-to Guide for Becoming the Employer of Choice for Women lays out the process for improving gender diversity and inclusion (D&I) in financial services firms. The information provided is based on the findings from Alliance member working groups, which explored ways to increase women’s representation in the leadership of financial services firms. It incorporates Mercer’s leading-edge research and the real-world experiences of Alliance members. Throughout the guide, emphasis is on developing a holistic women-centered strategy, blending enhanced internal gender D&I with a strong female customer value proposition so that financial institutions are better equipped to tap into the female economy, the world’s fastest growing market.
Section I, Plan and Prepare, provides guidance, tools, and resources to prepare the institution for making the changes needed to become the employer of choice for women. The step-by-step groundwork undertaken in this section is essential to the overall success of the gender D&I effort.
Section II, Take Action, provides guidance, tools, and resources to implement key actions that will move forward the gender D&I strategy, putting the institution on a strong path to becoming an employer of choice for women. The actions are ordered as standalone chapters; however, they are all interconnected and work together to create an environment in which gender D&I thrives.
Section III, Monitor, Measure and Refine, provides guidance, tools, and resources to monitor implementation progress, measure results, evaluate impact, and make adjustments as needed.

Research Matrix: BLC Bank Sample Criteria
Research Matrix: BLC Bank Sample Criteria
BLC Bank conducted qualitative market research through two rounds of focus groups in collaboration with the IFC and a local market research company. The research matrix and questionnaire were designed by the IFC, based on BLC Bank recommendations. The market research company was responsible for identifying and recruiting respondents using the pre-defined matrix, ensuring their presence at the meeting and transcribing the findings.

Westpac’s Net Promoter Scorecard
Westpac’s Net Promoter Scorecard
The net promoter score (NPS) used by Westpac measures customer advocacy, defined as the willingness of customers to recommend the bank to family, friends and colleagues.

Winning the Women’s Market | Module 2
Winning the Women’s Market | Module 2
How Banks Can Profit from the Multi-Trillion Dollar
Female Economy
This groundbreaking report from the GBA, with support from McKinsey & Company, reveals four key myths banks believe about women and how they use banking services.
The Paradox of Gender-Neutral Banking
Assuming that gender differences that exist in the world outside the bank disappear when people walk through the door has resulted in high levels of dissatisfaction from one of the world’s most powerful economic forces: women.
Research Matrix: BLC Bank Sample Criteria
BLC Bank conducted qualitative market research through two rounds of focus groups in collaboration with the IFC and a local market research company. The research matrix and questionnaire were designed by the IFC, based on BLC Bank recommendations. The market research company was responsible for identifying and recruiting respondents using the pre-defined matrix, ensuring their presence at the meeting and transcribing the findings.
Westpac: Living Longer, Retiring Alone
Women tend to outlive their spouses, and they will need money as they exit the workforce. It is important for women to start thinking about that. This video shows how Westpac can help in saving for retirement.
BLC Bank: Women in Managerial Positions
Companies with women in managerial positions do better. This video shows some common stereotypes BLC Bank has found about women in managerial positions in Lebanon.
BLC Bank: The Easy Life of the Housewife
This video shows common misconceptions BLC Bank has uncovered about how people view housewives in Lebanon.
Bridging the Entrepreneurship Gender Gap: The Power of Networks
The specific focus of this report by BCG is on the importance of social capital for the success of female entrepreneurs. The framework in this report provides a starting point for designing effective professional networks.
WeConnect: Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Resources
WEConnect International has developed a set of resources to help companies assess their global supplier diversity and inclusion programs and identify potential areas for improvement.
Banco BHD León: Women Who Change the World Awards
This video highlights the first winner of the Women Who Change the World Awards, which recognizes the contributions and accomplishments of women working to make a difference in the Dominican Republic.
BLC Bank: Brilliant Lebanese Awards
In order to enhance brand awareness and establish BLC Bank as the bank of reference for SMEs and women (two strategic axes for the Bank), and support SMEs, BLC Bank developed the Brilliant Lebanese Awards.
Westpac: 100 Women of Influence
Westpac’s annual Women of Influence Awards recognizes and celebrates a diverse group of women. This video shows some highlights from the celebratory event in 2015.
Harnessing the Power of the Purse
CTI finds that tapping the power of the purse depends on correcting industry misperceptions about female investors and an industry tendency to perceive women as a monolithic market. Geography, generation, source of wealth, and asset level are all factors affecting how women perceive wealth and arrive at decisions about its allocation.
TEB’s Women Banking program developed an advertising campaign to showcase why the bank supports women-owned and women-led SMEs in Turkey.
Banco BHD León: Mujer Abran Paso
When launching its Women’s Market program, BHD León launched an advertising campaign aimed at positioning it as the Bank of Choice for Women in the Dominican Republic. The campaign was based on the premise of empowering women as individuals and transmitting a message that the bank believes in them.
Calculating the Return on Investment of market research is difficult, although your bank’s corporate affairs or community relations teams will have methods. Examples of this value can be found in the below two reports.
Westpac: Women’s Insurance Survey Value Report

Winning the Women’s Market | Module 3
Winning the Women’s Market | Module 3
When Women Thrive: Financial Services Perspective
Mercer’s “When Women Thrive, Businesses Thrive” global report is the most comprehensive look at women in the workplace, covering responses from 583 companies across 42 countries, including data on 3.2 million employees. In this market report, Mercer shares specific data and insights that organizations in the financial services industry can use to map their own journeys to greater gender diversity.
Chief Executive Women Case Study: Westpac
This CEW Case Study on Westpac looks at the bank’s history of promoting women in the workplace and how it became the first of Australia’s largest companies to appoint a woman as CEO.
This video was shown in bank branches to describe Westpac’s Women’s Market Division, including its rationale, activities and results. It stresses the value-driven nature of relationship banking with women (trust, loyalty) and includes customer testimonials.
BLC Bank’s We Initiative targets women in their plurality, seeking to find solutions for their challenges and concerns and aiming to unleash their potential. This video introduces the program.
HBL: Gender Intelligence Training
The Gender Intelligence training HBL implemented was intended to turn branches into a safe space for women and help bank employees serve them better. The training counterbalances stereotypes through data, statistics and best practices from other markets in order for all employees to understand and recognize the business case for targeting women, the CVP and individual and organizational gender biases.

Winning the Women’s Market | Module 4
Winning the Women’s Market | Module 4
This case study, the first in the GBA’s series, focuses on founding bank Westpac, which has long focused on the female economy as a critical pathway to long-term success.
Westpac’s Net Promoter Scorecard
The net promoter score (NPS) used by Westpac measures customer advocacy, defined as the willingness of customers to recommend the bank to family, friends and colleagues.

GBA How-To: Market Share
GBA How-To: Market Share
This worksheet will help you calculate your current and potential market share.

GBA How-To: Opportunity Quantified & IRR
GBA How-To: Opportunity Quantified & IRR
This worksheet will help you understand the potential value of the Women’s Market in your operational areas and if you have a business case.

GBA How-To: Establishing a Baseline – Data Points
GBA How-To: Establishing a Baseline – Data Points
These data points were considered critical from Alliance members with active Women’s Market programs.

GBA How-To: Porter’s Five Forces Framework
GBA How-To: Porter’s Five Forces Framework
This model asks you to understand five forces (competitors, suppliers, new entrants, substitute products and buyers) that shape any industry or market. It asks you to assess their strengths, whether low, medium or high. If all forces are high, then the market environment is highly competitive, and there is probably not significant value to be captured by entering it.

GBA How-To: SWOT Analysis
GBA How-To: SWOT Analysis
Use this worksheet to think through what it will take to launch and implement a Women’s Market program.

GBA How-To: Strategic Planning Considerations
GBA How-To: Strategic Planning Considerations
When considering developing a Women’s Market program, you must examine how the program fits within the bank’s strategic priorities. A bank will already have defined its strategic goals, internal and external priorities, and long-term plans. You can use this worksheet to help scope your strategic planning.

Winning the Women’s Market | Module 1
Winning the Women’s Market | Module 1
When considering developing a Women’s Market program, you must examine how the program fits within the bank’s strategic priorities. A bank will already have defined its strategic goals, internal and external priorities, and long-term plans. You can use this worksheet to help scope your strategic planning.
Use this worksheet to think through what it will take to launch and implement a Women’s Market program.
Porter’s Five Forces Worksheet
This model asks you to understand five forces (competitors, suppliers, new entrants, substitute products and buyers) that shape any industry or market. It asks you to assess their strengths, whether low, medium or high. If all forces are high, then the market environment is highly competitive, and there is probably not significant value to be captured by entering it.
The Power of Women’s Market Data: A How-to Guide
Bankers fully understand the value of data in generating business insights and making informed decisions, yet, many banks struggle to disaggregate their data by sex. Without this data, banks are missing out on key insights to assess customer behavior or measure business performance more effectively. This In Brief was compiled based on the experiences of 11 GBA members and partners as a practical guide to support banks that are looking to start disaggregating their data by sex, or those looking to improve their current practices.
Establishing a Baseline: Example of Data Points
These data points were considered critical from Alliance members with active Women’s Market programs.
This worksheet will help you calculate your current and potential market share.
This World Bank report measures and compares gender parity in 173 economies, using data about legal restrictions on women’s entrepreneurship and employment in order to inform policy discussions and promote research on the linkages between the law and women’s economic opportunities.
This worksheet will help you understand the potential value of the Women’s Market in your operational areas and if you have a business case.

Cómo Ganarse al Segmento Mujer
Cómo Ganarse al Segmento Mujer
Como Ganarse el Mercado de la Mujer es guía practica de AGB que captura los conocimientos y lecciones aprendidas de nuestros miembros para proporcionar ejemplos prácticos , metodologías y otras herramientas clave para tener éxito con el mercado de las mujeres. La guía completa está disponible exclusivamente para miembros.

Winning the Women’s Market
Winning the Women’s Market
Winning the Women’s Market is GBA’s How-to Guide, capturing wisdom from members to provide practical examples, methodologies and other key tools for succeeding with the Women’s Market. The full guide is available exclusively to members.
This guide has been updated as of 2019 to include new links to Financial Alliance for Women resources.