The Financial Times has published its inaugural Diversity Leaders 2020 list, recognising the European leaders in workplace diversity and inclusion.

National construction firm Willmott Dixon was named third among 700 organisations for its approach to inclusivity, succeeding the likes of Ikea and Google, and becoming the top UK company on the list.

The FT's Diversity Leaders 2020 were identified in an independent survey of more than 80,000 employees across the countries and sectors covered, which included surveying the performance of 10,000 privately held and publicly listed companies employing at least 250 people. This was backed by FT readers sharing their views and evaluating prominent employers, with Willmott Dixon scoring particularly high on ethnicity, gender and age.

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Rick Willmott, group chief executive said: "I was very proud to see Willmott Dixon representing both the construction industry and the UK in being a top five company in this pan-European list of diversity leaders. I strongly believe that successful companies are those that provide a diverse and inclusive environment where people feel challenged, contented and included within complementary teams. It is something embedded in our values.

"The FT's survey shines a welcome spotlight on the business imperative of workplace diversity which will serve as an inspiration to us in how we continue to be a company where our people feel valued and a key part of our growth."

This marks Willmott Dixon's third major national accolade this year, after being ranked 4th in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work for list and winning a Queen's Award for Enterprise in the category of Sustainable Development.

(CM/MH)