MSI is proud to announce that it has earned EDGE certification, a leading global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender equity in the workplace. In addition, MSI came close to the second-tier certification level, EDGE Move.

The Economic Dividends for Gender Equality—EDGE—Foundation certification is considered the leading global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender equity. The process included an intensive third-party audit of MSI’s gender equity practices, policies and employee perceptions and benchmarking them against other organizations.

“This EDGE certification strongly aligns with our DNA and work that we have been doing in support of diversity and inclusion for many years. It affirms our commitment to creating a workplace environment that lives up to our vision of MSI as a fair and equitable working community for men and women,” said Keith Brown, MSI President.

Brown noted that MSI exceeds requirements in several categories, including gender representation. For instance, EDGE’s minimum standard for gender representation of 30% was well exceeded in all categories. At top management, men and women are equally represented; at upper management, women hold 56% of the positions; men hold 44%; at middle management, women hold 64% and men hold 36% of the positions; and at junior management, women hold 51% and men hold 49% of the positions.

“As a M/E firm, we truly valued the third-party benchmarking process, which brings a critical lens to our policies and practices and further underscores our commitment to transparency and accountability,” Brown added.

EDGE provides a three-tiered certification: EDGE Assess, EDGE Move and EDGE Lead. MSI has been certified at the first level, EDGE Assess, and is close to meeting the requirements for the second level of certification, EDGE Move. As part of the EDGE Assess level, MSI commits to an action plan, which documents how we will accelerate our progress in terms of gender balance across the talent pipeline, gender pay equity, and creating effective policies and practices that ensure equitable career flows and fostering an inclusive workplace culture.

MSI is also eligible for an EDGEplus certification demonstrating its commitment to investigate intersectional issues related to gender identity and race/ethnicity.

“In achieving EDGE Assess, MSI was found to have a good gender representation, with the share of men and women above 30% at all levels. Additionally, the results of the pay equity analysis demonstrate that there is no high-level risk associated with gender pay equity,” explains Aniela Unguresan, Founder of the EDGE Certified Foundation. “It’s also great to note that MSI was close to meeting the requirements for the second level of certification, EDGE Move. This is a testament to their commitment in assessing gender equity.”

MSI joins leading certified companies, donors and non-profits, including the OECD, the World Bank Group, UNICEF, Abt Associates, the World Resources Institute, the International Committee of the Red Cross, IKEA Switzerland, and L’Oreal USA.

Note: EDGE is the leading global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender equity. It measures where organizations stand in terms of gender balance across their pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices to ensure equitable career flows as well as inclusiveness of their culture. Launched at the World Economic Forum in 2011, EDGE has been designed to help companies not only create an optimal workplace for women and men but also benefit from it. EDGE stands for Economic Dividends for Gender Equality and is distinguished by its rigor and focus on business impact.

EDGE assessment methodology was developed by the EDGE Certified Foundation, which continues to act as the guardian of EDGE methodology and certification standards. Its commercial arm, EDGE Strategy, works with companies to prepare them for the EDGE Certification. EDGE Certification’s diverse customer base consists of 200 large organizations in 44 countries across five continents, representing 29 different industries and employing globally more than 2.4 million employees.