Diversity, equity & inclusion

At HeadFirst Group, creating an inclusive, equitable, and safe work environment is a central pillar of our social responsibility strategy. We believe that diversity of people, perspectives, and experiences is essential to innovation and sustainable business. In line with the current concepts of European Sustainability Reporting Standards, we focus on measurable actions and transparent reporting across key DE&I dimensions. Our DE&I Policy guides our ambition to ensure that every individual is treated fairly, feels valued, and has equal access to opportunities — within our own workforce, and across our broader network of clients, professionals, and suppliers.

Our material DE&I topics include diversity, gender equality, and equal pay for equal work.

Own workforce

Diversity

We actively prevent and reduce inequality by ensuring that decisions are made without discrimination on the basis of gender, age, ethnicity, religion, parental status, education, physical or mental ability, or sexual orientation. We support an open culture that reflects society and fosters belonging, equity, and psychological safety. All employees are encouraged to speak up and help shape an inclusive workplace.

Gender equality and equal pay for equal work

We assess and reward our people based on competencies and performance, not on gender or background. In line with our DE&I Policy, we strive for gender balance at all levels and equal pay for equal work. We regularly engage independent experts to review transparency in compensation and identify potential gaps. In 2024, we partnered with Mercer to analyse our entire job structure and salary architecture against the market benchmark.

Focus areas and actions

Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce

In 2021, we established the Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce to guide our organisation’s development in this area. Since 2023, equity has formally been added, resulting in our integrated Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Policy. The taskforce meets regularly and sets clear goals, monitors progress and initiates targeted actions throughout the year. Key actions include:

• Conducting biannual inclusion surveys among employees and professionals

• Monitoring inclusive hiring practices and recruitment outcomes

• Facilitating internal dialogue on lived experience and bias

• Organising internal workshops and awareness sessions

Inclusive recruitment

Since 2021, we have delivered a mandatory DE&I in Practice workshop every six months to all recruitment and hiring staff. These sessions provide practical tools and up-to-date knowledge to support inclusive decision-making. Since its introduction, we have seen a measurable impact: we now invite two more candidates per vacancy on average, improving access to opportunities for underrepresented groups.

As part of our inclusive recruitment approach, we also work to counteract unconscious bias by adjusting language in job postings, anonymising selection steps where possible, and using inclusive assessment criteria.

External engagement and awareness

We share our knowledge through collaboration with external partners like BrandedU and the Board of Believers. We co-host events that promote allyship and inclusive leadership, such as “Men as Advocates for Women’s Visibility,”. Through events like these, we provide concrete tips to prevent subtle forms of bias and promote a culture of active inclusion.

Gender equality in leadership

We are proud to report that 50% of our management positions are held by women, a direct result of our focus on inclusive hiring and leadership development. We continue to monitor and report on gender representation and use these insights to inform internal mobility and promotion strategies.

Diversity in business charter

Since 2021, we have been a signatory to the Dutch SER Diversity in Business Charter. This commits us to report publicly each year on our progress in workplace diversity, inclusion, and employee satisfaction. By doing so, we maintain a strong focus and accountability on our DE&I objectives.

Equal pay review

We continuously assess our progress on pay equity. Thanks to our structured and bias-aware recruitment and reward practices, we have observed minimal gender pay gaps in recent years. However, we recognise that ongoing attention is essential. Our current project with Mercer has helped us further refine our role-based pay comparisons and ensure that pay equity is measured meaningfully — not just through broad averages but through function-specific analysis.

DE&I in the value chain

Our responsibility does not stop with our internal workforce. We apply our DE&I principles to our professionals and suppliers as well. Through training, digital tools, and clear expectations, we aim to reduce bias in hiring across our network. Our DE&I Policy applies to all our activities and reflects our ambition to contribute to a fair, inclusive labour market.

Trends and analyses

Gender balance

We are proud to report a perfectly balanced gender distribution in 2024, with 50% male and 50% female employees. This follows a stable trend over the past years and reflects our commitment to gender equality across all levels of the organisation.

Gender in management

The share of women in management roles increased significantly in 2024, reaching 50% – a notable improvement from 38% the year before. This milestone confirms the effectiveness of our ongoing efforts to foster inclusive leadership and equal opportunities for advancement. We continue to prioritise inclusive hiring and talent development strategies to maintain and further strengthen this balance.

Age diversity

In 2024, 68% of our workforce was under 40, while 32% was aged 40 or older. This distribution has stabilised over the last two years, following a more pronounced shift in 2022 when younger professionals became the majority. The current balance offers a healthy mix of early-career talent and experienced professionals, supporting both innovation and organisational continuity.

Conclusion

The data reflect our progress towards a more inclusive and balanced organisation. Achieving gender parity in both the general workforce and management is a key milestone, and age diversity has remained strong. We will continue to embed diversity, equity and inclusion into all aspects of our people strategy, in line with our ESG commitments and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5 and SDG 10).