In line with its commitment to support women participation in the private sector, Serena Hotels has become the first company in Pakistan to collaborate with International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to work for the worldwide Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) certificate. “As a leading hotel chain, we make every effort to encourage women for their professional development for assuming higher positions including the leadership role,” said Aziz Boolani, Serena Hotels chief executive officer at the agreement signing ceremony. “At Serena Hotels, women make up 12% of overall workforce despite many social and cultural challenges. Applying for EDGE gender certification is a next step for us towards identifying how we can further improve and position ourselves as a Women Employer of Choice,” he added. “There’s no doubt that companies can deliver greater business impact and become more competitive by fostering an equitable and inclusive workplace for women and men,” said Nadeem Siddiqui, IFC’s senior country manager in Pakistan. “We hope that more companies in Pakistan will discover the strength of the business case for greater gender equality in the workplace,” he added. EDGE is the leading global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender equality. Launched at the World Economic Forum, EDGE certification has been designed to help companies not only create an optimal workplace for women and men but also benefit from it. EDGE is distinguished by its rigor and focus on business impact. The methodology uses a business rather than theoretical approach that incorporates benchmarking, metrics, and accountability into the process. It assesses policies, practices, and numbers across five different areas of analysis: equal pay for equivalent work, recruitment and promotion, leadership development training and mentoring, flexible working, and company culture. EDGE certification has received the endorsement of business, government, and academic leaders from around the world.