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Committed to DIVERSITYAND INCLUSIONA diverse and inclusive workforceis critical to Ericsson’s future success.Diversity not only drives ahigh-performing team and strongbusinessresults, it also enhancesemployee motivation, and helpsattract and retain top talent.In an increasingly global market, diversityhelps us better respond to the needs ofour customers and tap into greater innovation.Diversity and inclusion are also ofgreat concern to our stakeholders and tosociety at large – a trend we expect to continue.We engage in a wide variety of initiativesrelated to gender diversity, bothwithin the company, and to contribute tothe global debate on these issues.The diversity of our employees is one ofour major strengths as a business. It is thiscollective mixture of individuals, culturesand organizational experiences that drivescreativity, makes us stand out from thecompetition and delivers great results forour customers.Diversity spurs innovationDiversity has been high on Ericsson’sagenda for many years and we believediverse teams are the best teams. Theyare high-performing and innovative, with avariety of perspectives, experiences andreferences, which spurs creativity.We believe that achieving success in anincreasingly multi-faceted, global andcompetitive market requires tapping into abroad talent pool in which diversity is acentral component. Our definition of diversityextends beyond gender, race, religion,ethnicity, age and other establishedparameters to focus on diversity of thoughtwhich is a driver of innovation. We arecommitted to increasing diversity andinclusion at Ericsson, and have madeprogress, but when it comes to genderdiversity, we are not where we want to be.Gender diversity in focusGender diversity is a key focus of ourapproach. In order to accelerate progresstowards better gender balance, we haveset a goal that by 2020 women will makeup 30 percent of our employee population.In 2014, 22% of Ericsson employees werefemale. See gender-related data, p. 25.Our diversity strategy and supportiveframework are geared at putting the rightprocesses in place, raising awareness andencouraging open dialogue amongemployees. We measure progress througha diversity dashboard, in which a widerange of diversity statistics are gathered.Key figures are shared externally on theericsson.com Diversity and Inclusionweb page.Progress in embedding diversityA Global Diversity and Inclusion Councilmade up of senior business leaders drivesthe strategy. In addition, we are workinghard to embed diversity into humanresource processes such as talent acquisitionand talent management.Mentoring is used to promote genderdiversity: all members of the ExecutiveLeadership Team mentor a high-potentialfemale in the organization. We have alsocreated mentoring circles in some of ourregional operations.Women in Leadership is an Ericssonemployee network spanning Ericssonoperations in several countries and regionsworldwide. It helps participants achievetheir career goals with the help of mentoring,networking and engagement. Membersdrive internal events, collaborate withlocal organizations and universities andpromote relevant external events.signing the UN pledgeAs part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, including genderequality, male employees are being encouraged to sign the UnitedNation’s HeForShe pledge. The HeForShe campaign, organized by UNWomen – the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and theempowerment of women – focuses on what men can do to address theinequalities and discrimination faced by women.Since its launch in September 2014, thousands of men around the worldhave supported the campaign including US President Barack Obama andUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. At Ericsson, male employees areasked to sign a simple pledge that they are committed to gender equality.Ericsson President and CEO Hans Vestberg has signed the pledge, and allof Ericsson’s male staff members are urged to do the same.The campaign states: “When women are empowered, the whole ofhumanity benefits. Gender equality liberates not only women but also men,from prescribed social roles and gender stereotypes.”Right: Valter D’Avino, Head of Ericsson Region Western and Central Europe, and Head ofEricsson’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, supports the HeforShe campaign.Ericsson | Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report 201423