Gender Pay Report

Gender Pay Gap Report 2019/2020

This report goes beyond the statutory report requirement and provides additional voluntary context concerning gender pay at Wealmoor and what actions management will take to respond to the gender pay gap issues disclosed in this report.

Introduction

Wealmoor, a family owned and managed global business with vertically integrated supply chains, recognised for its skill in managing a combination of owned and strategic partner farms. Responsible for growing and sourcing development of end to end supply value chains for sub-tropical fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and ingredients, locally and globally.

With group operations located both in the UK and internationally, today we operate across 25 countries and work with almost 100 growers whilst directly employing over 4500 people within our Wealmoor food group across UK, South America, West & East Africa and Southern Europe. Since the business was founded over 45 years ago we have always believed in the importance of equality of rights and opportunities for all, and understand both the need and benefits of diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Our approach towards delivering this through 'The Wealmoor Way' is a reflection of our founders’ ethos and is today brought to life through our unique purpose, mission and values.

As part of the People pillar of our Responsible Business plan we are committed to support delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Number 5 on Gender Equality embracing Reduced Inequalities (UNSDG 10) and Quality Education (UNSDG 4).

Throughout our organisation, we ensure that our employees are treated fairly and with dignity, whatever their gender or other characteristics.

Context and Definitions

We have produced this report to comply with UK law which requires all organisations with more than 250 employees to report on their gender pay gap each year. Definitions of key terms used are detailed below:

Equal Pay

Based on our values and in line with laws in the UK and around the world, we pay equal amounts to women and men who carry out the same jobs, similar work or work of equal value in the same location.

Gender Pay Gap

Any difference in the average (mean) pay of all women and men we employ in the UK, taking into account all roles and salary levels.

Median Gender Pay Gap

The difference between the middle pay rate of all women and men we employ in the UK.

Mean Gender Bonus Gap

The difference between the average bonuses we pay to men and women in the UK. We calculate this by dividing the total value of bonuses by the number of employees of each gender who receive bonuses.

Bonus Gender Proportion

The proportion of our female and male employees in the UK who receive bonuses.

Quartile Pay Bands

The proportion of female and male employees in the UK in our lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper pay bands. Each pay band represents a quarter of our overall pay scale.

2019/20 Targets - Status

• To maintain at least 50% women on our Executive Board
– We are continuing to achieve this

• To have at least 30% women on our Senior Leadership Team by 2020
– Achieved and exceeded as of October 2019

Gender Pay Gap Data

Mean/Median

The gender pay gap shows the difference between men and women’s earnings across the business by showing women’s pay as a percentage of men’s pay. The total number of relevant people for gender pay gap reporting employed by Wealmoor was 686 as of the 5th April 2019 of which 55% were male and 45% were female.

The mean average saw a significant improvement since the previous reporting period with the gap being reduced by more than 22% within the year. The median average increased from 2.40% in 2017 to 6.78% in 2018 but in 2019 it is now at a lower level than in 2017 at 2.26% - more than an 8% reduction Vs 2017. The reduction in both the mean and median gaps since reporting first started in 2017 supports that the policies and initiatives Wealmoor have put into place are effective in positively impacting the gender pay gap.

Pay Quartiles

Comparing the latest reporting period (2019) against the previous reporting period (2018) there have been a number of areas where positive impact has been made towards the representation of female employees:

Wealmoor senior leadership team are very proud to support the continuing development, progression and promotion of our female colleagues in supervisory and managerial positions.

Pay Bonus Pay Gap

During the latest period there were no bonus payments made to employees following unforgiving trading conditions through continuing Brexit uncertainty. We were however very pleased to enhance employee benefits to recognise responsibility, commitment and loyalty. Wealmoor remain committed to closing the bonus pay gap. Should employee bonuses be reinstated in the future, Wealmoor will continue to review its policy on bonus payments to help ensure progress is made on any gaps identified.

How we are closing the Gender Pay Gap

We strive to promote a diverse workforce and address any inequality. Over the past year we have built on our existing equality and inclusion work by taking the following actions to help attract, support, develop and empower women in our workplace:

Achieved at least 50% female candidates on recruitment shortlists for middle-management/senior roles
Achieved at least 30% female delegates on our management and leadership programmes
Reviewed our maternity pay and introduced a shared parental leave policy to better support parents in the early stages of their babies’ life and to allow a greater degree of flexibility in the way they care for their children. In addition requests for flexible working have been suitable accommodated
Created a forum for future talent and current female leaders to understand and address common challenges and develop their skills. Utilising a mix of mentoring, coaching and training whilst encouraging networking both internally with colleagues and externally at industry and non-industry events, has helped to support their personal development and progression

Looking Forward

We strive to continue work to achieve the targets that we have set within our previous gender pay gap report in addition to those which we have added for 2020/21:

To maintain at least 50% women on our Executive Board
To continue to maintain at least 30% women on our Senior Leadership Team
Ensure equal opportunities for progression, a fair pay structure and support for flexible working are maintained and enhanced where required

We are passionate about ensuring our business is a rich, diverse and fair environment that appeals to everyone.

Gender equality and gender pay parity remain high on our agenda and we are committed to continuing with the following actions to achieve our targets:

Complete an annual pay and benefits review
Evaluate job roles and pay grades as required to ensure a fair structure
Maintain at least 50% female candidates on recruitment shortlists for middle-management and senior level roles
Create an attractive environment across our business to meet the needs of our female colleagues
Establish training and development programmes to support continuous progression of female employees from one pay quartile into the next
Develop and expand the reach of the special forum which has been established with the aim of further enhancing the skills and experience of identified females in both management and leadership roles

Declaration

I confirm that Wealmoor’s gender pay calculations are accurate and meet the requirements of the Regulations and our methodology and data are in line with the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017.

Leena Malde

Executive Chair, Wealmoor Ltd