Equal opportunity and diversity are core values at UNIQA Insurance Group – not only in the corporate culture but also in the strategic goals. Throughout the year, the company implements measures to ensure fair opportunities, equitable pay, and greater visibility for women in leadership positions.
One occasion to highlight these initiatives was Equal Pay Day on November 2. Symbolically, it marks the day when men have already earned the income that women will continue working toward until the end of the year. The day draws attention to existing inequalities and underscores the importance of driving structural change.
UNIQA’s annual gender pay analysis is a key tool for creating transparency and identifying structural differences. In 2021, the insurance company started with an adjusted gender pay gap of 1.4% in Austria, and it were able to reduce it to below 1% within the first year. Despite organizational changes, this figure has now remained stable for years. UNIQA is also on track at group level, where the annual target is 2.8%: since starting 2023 at 4%, the figure had already improved to 2.7% by June of this year.
“The figures show that we are on the right track, but we must keep at it. For us, gender pay analysis is not a reporting tool, but a strategic instrument for genuine equality. We don't just want to know whether there are differences in salaries, we also want to understand why they exist and how we can specifically reduce them”, says René Knapp, Member of the Management Board for People, Brand & Sustainability.
UNIQA's group-wide goal remains ambitious: if the gap is above 1%, the group aims to reduce it by 20% annually. If it is below that, it will be kept stable. Austria continues to be a pioneer within the group in this regard.
For us, gender pay analysis is not a reporting tool, but a strategic instrument for genuine equality. We don't just want to know whether there are differences in salaries, we also want to understand why they exist and how we can specifically reduce them.
The top management is also sending a strong signal for equality. As part of the performance-related remuneration of the holding company's Executive Board, a concrete target for increasing the proportion of women in management positions has now been established for the first time.
Starting from a proportion of 39.4% female managers (2024, according to the ESRS definition), this is to rise to 45% by the end of 2028. In addition, in the medium term, the proportion of the underrepresented gender in each region should be between 45% and 55%.
This measure makes female leadership a measurable success factor and shows that equality is strategically anchored at UNIQA.
The recruiting guidelines have been revised and have been in effect since November 1, 2025, for office staff in several areas. They are a central component of the strategy for justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion and aim to achieve greater diversity at all management levels and in all teams.
The focus is on ensuring equal opportunities for all employees – especially when filling management positions. The guideline commits to a transparent, uniform, and objective selection process. What is new is that in future, there will be even greater documentation and communication when the guidelines cannot be met. This “comply or explain” logic creates more transparency and enables targeted improvements.
“Equality does not happen by itself; it requires the courage to make decisions. The revised guideline takes us an important step forward: it highlights where we are adhering to our principles and where we still need to improve. This not only creates transparency, but also lays the foundation for real change,” says Ulrike Kienast-Salmhofer, Diversity & Inclusion Officer at UNIQA.
Other elements of the guideline concern the use of neutral language in job advertisements, the mandatory internal advertising of every position, and the requirement that shortlists for management positions must include at least two people of different genders.
Equality is a strategic goal – and it must be practiced in all areas of the company. The importance of targeted measures is particularly evident in IT: at UNIQA IT Services GmbH (UITS), less than two out of ten leadership positions are currently held by women. The gender imbalance here is even more pronounced than in the company overall – and that is precisely what needs to be changed.
That’s why UNIQA and UITS are joining forces to drive real progress. As part of the recently launched “Culture Code” program at UITS, the “Women Leading IT” initiative is one of the key pillars. The aim is to actively empower women and increase their visibility in IT – providing access to networks, mentoring, and professional development opportunities.
"Diversity is not a nice-to-have, but crucial to our innovative strength. In IT in particular, we need different perspectives in order to act in a future-oriented manner. I am convinced that equality must be a central strategic goal that we will actively shape and promote. Initiatives such as “Women Leading IT” are a key lever for us to make women more visible, promote their development, and strengthen diversity in our teams in the long term,“ says René Roider, Managing Director of UITS.
In parallel one of the main goals of the UNIQA’s “Beruf & Familie” certification program is dedicated to increase the share of women in management positions in general. A cross-functional team is working on concrete measures to achieve a common goal: to support women on their journey into positions of responsibility and strengthen diversity in leading positions in the long term.
