Benchmark of executive gender diversity awards the top public companies in Canada out of 500 nominees
VANCOUVER, BC, April 21, 2022 /CNW/ - KITS Eyecare Ltd. (TSX: KITS) ("KITS" or the "Company"), Canada's leading, vertically integrated eyecare platform, is pleased to announce that it has been recognized in the Globe and Mail Report on Business's third-annual Women Lead Here list. This annual editorial benchmark identifies best-in-class executive gender diversity in corporate Canada.
Established in 2020 by Report on Business magazine, the Women Lead Here initiative applies a proprietary research methodology to determine Canadian corporations with the highest degree of gender diversity among executive ranks. This initiative highlights businesses that have made tangible, systemic, organizational progress related to executive gender parity.
"We're honored to have made the Women Lead Here List," says Sabrina Liak, CFO and co-founder of KITS Eyecare. "It's exciting to create a work environment that empowers women to take control of their careers. We're proud that 50% of our executive leadership positions are held by women."
Since 2019, KITS has hired over 100 employees, predominantly in the Vancouver area. A majority of KITS employees are female and 50% of executive positions are held by women. Additionally, one third of our board of directors are female. To encourage executive gender parity, KITS offers a flexible work environment, regular pay parity reviews, participation in best hiring practices, and a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying and harassment.
For the 2022 ranking, Report on Business conducted a journalistic analysis of nearly 500 large publicly traded Canadian companies, evaluating the ratio of female-identifying to male-identifying executives in the top three tiers of executive leadership. The resultant data was applied to a weighted formula that also factored in company performance, diversity and year-to-year change.
In total, 74 companies earned the 2022 Women Lead Here seal, with a combined average of 46% of executive roles held by female-identifying individuals.
The full list of 2022 Women Lead Here honourees can be found in the April issue of Report on Business magazine, and online at tgam.ca/WomenLeadHere.
To receive additional information, please visit KITS' investor relations website or contact the IR team at IR@kits.com.
About The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is Canada's foremost news media company, leading the national discussion and causing policy change through brave and independent journalism since 1844. With our award-winning coverage of business, politics and national affairs, The Globe and Mail newspaper reaches 7.1 million readers every week in our print or digital formats, and Report on Business magazine reaches 2.2 million readers in print and digital every issue. Our investment in innovative data science means that as the world continues to change, so does The Globe. The Globe and Mail is owned by Woodbridge, the investment arm of the Thomson family.
About KITS
KITS is a rapidly growing, vertically integrated, digitally native eyecare platform for eyes everywhere. We offer customers access to a premium selection of contact lenses and eyeglasses, including our own exclusive KITS designed products, as well as a robust suite of online vision tools. Our efficient digital platform, backed by our industry-leading manufacturing and designs, removes intermediaries, and enables us to offer great prices and deliver made to order personalized products with incredible care and accuracy. We are creating disruption in the industry by constantly pursuing cutting-edge technologies to enable the best customer experience, including online eyewear fitting tools, virtual try-on for glasses, and an integrated online vision test. We strive to delight our customers with our competitive prices, a convenient digital shopping experience, fast and reliable delivery options, and an unrelenting focus on earning our customers' lifelong trust.
KITS was co-founded by Roger Hardy, the former founder and CEO of Coastal Contacts Inc., which included Coastal.com and Clearly.com. Coastal grew to be the largest online eyewear provider in Canada and was subsequently acquired by Essilor in 2015.
SOURCE KITS
View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2022/21/c8198.html