L’Oréal has been named one of the five recipients of the CEO Leadership Award during the 2016 Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) event which was held last week at United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Jean-Paul Agon, L’Oréal Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, was awarded for his demonstrated commitment and implementation of policies that advance and empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. WEPs Benchmarking for Change CEO Leadership Award recognizes L’Oréal as a company for reporting meaningful metrics, indicators and qualitative information to track gender equality progress at all levels of the company’s operations.

Jean-Paul Agon (c) L’Oréal

Jean-Paul Agon declared: “We recognize the vital role women play in society and we are convinced that their effective empowerment is a driver of progress. We also know that gender inequality is still deeply rooted in many societies. This has to change. The Women’s Empowerment Principles offer a clear and actionable road map to help frame and address this complex issue together. Measuring what we do is important for us to communicate ethically with integrity and with transparency on our achievements but also on our challenges.”

Conferring the awards in the historic Trusteeship Council Chamber of the United Nations, Joseph Keefe, Co-chair of the WEPs Leadership Group and President and Chief Executive Officer of Pax World Funds said: “The WEPs are an effective tool to advance women in business and society. The WEPs CEO Leaderships Awards bring to life concrete actions and measurable impacts that are changing workplaces, marketplaces and communities.  As a previous Awards recipient, I know that this prestigious award gives companies encouragement to press forward with this important work.”

WEPs Equality Means Business, a joint-initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact is currently supported by over 1,100 CEOs and outlines seven steps for business to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community.