This report offers one of the most data-driven and transparent views of how a global institution is embedding diversity, inclusion, and merit into its leadership and people systems. In 2024, the OECD reached its most diverse Executive Leadership team in history, with leaders from 32 of its 38 Member countries, and achieved full gender parity at Director level, with women holding 48.6 percent of executive roles and 54.2 percent of new leadership appointments. The report also confirms that there are no statistically significant gender pay gaps across the organisation and that family-friendly policies deliver a retention rate of 89 percent for women returning from parental leave. Beyond representation, the report shows how inclusion is operationalised through structured frameworks: bias-aware recruitment, disability and accessibility action plans, leadership feedback systems, reverse mentoring, and people analytics that link workforce data to strategic decision-making. With over 69,000 external applications received in 2024, nationality diversity continuing to broaden, and a third of executive leaders approaching retirement over the next decade, the OECD’s approach highlights why building fair, future-ready leadership pipelines is not only a social priority, but a strategic necessity. This report is a powerful reference point for organisations that want to move beyond symbolic DEI and build leadership systems that are diverse, credible, and built to last.
