The leading companies on the path toward reducing the gender pay gap are: A1 Hrvatska, Addiko Hrvatska, Atlantic Grupa, CEMEX Croatia, Coca-Cola HBC Croatia, Fresenius Kabi Ltd, Generali osiguranje d.d., HEINEKEN Croatia, Croatian Telecom Inc., JGL d.d, JT International Zagreb Ltd, Kaufland Croatia, KONČAR, METRO Cash & Carry Ltd, Nestlé Adriatic, Nexe d.d., Nova TV d.d., PLIVA, Podravka Inc., Porsche Croatia, Privredna banka Zagreb d.d. and Sandoz d.o.o.

The Equal Pay Champion certificate is open to applications from all companies, regardless of size or industry. The goal of the certificate is to recognize organizations that are pioneers in achieving gender equality and to encourage others to make positive changes in their internal policies.

"Last year, 16 companies received the Equal Pay Champion certificate, marking a crucial step towards achieving equal pay for equal work across workplaces in the country. This year, there has been a significant increase in the number of certificate holders, indicating the growing courage of organizations willing to examine their pay systems to confirm that their employees have the right to equal pay for equal work," said Aleksandar Zemunić, CEO of SELECTIO Group.

All companies that participated in the Equal Pay Champion certification process have shown progress compared to the previous year in preparing for the implementation of EU Directives and in building fairer pay systems. The SELECTIO Index, which has been measuring the share of women in company boards within the CROBEX index for 20 years, stands at 22.5% this year, while according to the new EU Directive, this share should be at least 33%.

"We had the opportunity to assess the quality of initiatives that lead to a more balanced gender representation in senior and executive positions. Some of these initiatives include leadership and mentorship programs, such as Equal Play Mentorship, an inter-organizational program for mentoring and development of women," said Lara Šubić Šuša, project manager of the Equal Pay Champion initiative at SELECTIO Group.