What EQUAL-SALARY Foundation does

EQUAL-SALARY Foundation is a Swiss nonprofit organization established in 2010 (with related activity dating to 2005) that operates as an independent certification body for equal pay and equal opportunities. It serves multinational enterprises across luxury goods, logistics, automotive, retail, beverages, financial services, and professional services, with a cumulative portfolio of 150+ certified companies covering more than 500,000 employees worldwide.

The foundation offers two certification products: the Certification of Equal Pay (launched March 2025), a streamlined offering built on rigorous statistical salary analysis, and the Certification of Equal Pay and Opportunities (the historic certification), which combines statistical analysis with on-site audits executed to ISAE3000 standards covering HR policies, governance, and employee perception. Supporting products include a 4-day Auditor Training program priced at CHF 2,000 per participant and the EQUAL-SALARY Lab, an incubator for root-cause research. The methodology is co-developed with Université de Genève.

Revenue is generated through certification fees delivered via authorized audit partners (Forvis Mazars as preferred partner since October 2025, SGS, and CORESO), auditor training fees, and donations. The foundation operates with a 12-person team from Lausanne, Switzerland, and is governed by a Board of Foundation with membership drawn from public, political, and corporate Swiss leadership.

Name

EQUAL-SALARY Foundation

Legal name

EQUAL-SALARY Foundation

Website

https://equalsalary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EQUAL-SALARY Foundation is a Swiss nonprofit certification body that verifies equal pay and equal opportunities for multinational enterprises through statistical salary analysis and ISAE3000-compliant audits, delivered via authorized partners Forvis Mazars, SGS, and CORESO.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pay Equity Certification Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Equal pay certification
• Gender pay gap
• Salary equity auditing
• Pay transparency
• Workplace DEI verification

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. EQUAL-SALARY Certification Services: Organizations pay for certification audits conducted by authorized partners to receive EQUAL-SALARY or Equal Pay and Opportunities certification.
2. Auditor Training Program: Intensive 4-day practitioner training delivered by Forvis Mazars Switzerland to equip HR professionals and auditors with skills to assess equal pay. Fee is CHF 2,000 with group discounts available.
3. Donations and Support: The foundation accepts donations to support its mission of closing the wage gap globally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EQUAL-SALARY Foundation is a Swiss nonprofit that issues internationally recognized certifications verifying that organizations pay men and women equally for work of equal value. Certification is delivered through authorized audit partners (Forvis Mazars, SGS, CORESO) who conduct statistical salary analyses and ISAE3000-compliant on-site audits. The foundation also runs an auditor training program and an innovation lab, and accepts donations to support its equal-pay mission.

Product overview

EQUAL-SALARY Foundation operates as a certification body offering two main certification products: the Certification of Equal Pay (launched March 2025), a streamlined offering based exclusively on statistical salary analysis for rapid, accessible verification of equal pay; and the Certification of Equal Pay and Opportunities, the Foundation's historic and more comprehensive certification covering equal pay, equal opportunities, and fair and equitable policies and processes via statistical analysis and on-site ISAE3000 audits. Supporting these core certifications, the Foundation provides an Auditor Training programme delivered by Forvis Mazars Switzerland, and the EQUAL-SALARY Lab, an idea incubator for innovative solutions addressing root causes of pay inequality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Certification of Equal Pay: New certification launched in March 2025 based exclusively on statistical analysis of salaries for independent, fast and accessible verification of equal pay
• Certification of Equal Pay and Opportunities
• EQUAL-SALARY Lab
• Equalizer Ambassador Program

Products and services

• Certification of Equal Pay A certification launched in March 2025 based exclusively on rigorous statistical analysis of salaries, providing an independent, fast, and accessible verification that organizations pay equally for work of equal value. It is designed for organizations seeking streamlined, audit-backed proof of equal pay.
• Certification of Equal Pay and Opportunities The historic EQUAL-SALARY certification, renamed to reflect broadened scope, verifying equal pay and equal opportunities including fair and equitable policies, processes, and opportunities. It is assessed via statistical salary analysis and on-site audits executed in line with ISAE3000 standards.
• EQUAL-SALARY Auditor Training An intensive 4-day practitioner training delivered by Forvis Mazars Switzerland that equips participants with technical expertise and audit capabilities required to assess equal pay and opportunities and contribute to the EQUAL-SALARY certification process. Priced at CHF 2,000 per participant with group discounts, including training materials, theory, hands-on application, case studies, group work, and a mandatory exam.
• EQUAL-SALARY Lab An idea incubator designed to broaden the scope of equal pay and equal opportunities and find innovative solutions that tackle the root causes of pay inequality.

Quantifiable outcome

• The certification demonstrates organizational commitment to fair compensation on objective and credible grounds, enabling organizations to prove their equal pay practices to stakeholders.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core, former core and foundational.

• We Pay Fair Label (Competence Center for Diversity, Disability and Inclusion)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026The Fair-ON-Pay Advanced label has been officially recognized as a valid pay analysis within the EQUAL-SALARY certification process.
• Forvis Mazars SwitzerlandcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 October 2025Strategic transfer of EQUAL-SALARY certification activities and specialist team from PwC Switzerland to Forvis Mazars Switzerland in October 2025. Forvis Mazars is now the preferred audit partner, conducting audits, salary analyses, and deploying the certification globally.
• PwC Switzerlandformer coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPreviously the preferred audit partner from 2017 until October 2025, conducting over 150 assessments covering 500,000+ employees. Practice transferred to Forvis Mazars.
• SGScoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorld's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company involved since the beginning of the certification program. Secondary audit partner.
• CORESOcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides salary analyses and statistical expertise for the certification methodology.
• Merities ConsultingsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStrategic consulting firm partnership established to support companies in implementing fair and transparent pay practices.
• Swiss Confederation (Federal Office for Gender Equality)foundationalOthersFinancially supported the development of EQUAL-SALARY certification.
• Université de GenèvefoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration supporting the scientific methodology and development of the certification framework.
• Women in PowersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional network working to increase women's representation in leadership roles in the Swiss energy sector.
• Pay Transparency AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational coalition of organizations committed to pay transparency and sharing of best practices. EQUAL-SALARY joined as a member.
• EPIC (Equal Pay International Coalition)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEQUAL-SALARY is a member of EPIC, working to tackle the gender pay gap globally through collaboration and best practice sharing.
• EquileapsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecognizes EQUAL-SALARY as a gender equality audit methodology for their ranking and assessment work.
• UN Global CompactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEQUAL-SALARY is committed to UN Global Compact principles and promotes Sustainable Development Goals for Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequalities, and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Athena SWAN (Advance HE): Athena SWAN is a gender equality charter and accreditation framework primarily serving higher-education and research institutions in the UK and Ireland. It is structurally analogous to EQUAL-SALARY — a recognized third-party accreditation scheme driving institutional change on gender equity — but operates in academia rather than corporate settings.
• EDGE Certification Foundation: EDGE Certification is the most direct comparable, offering third-party gender equity (and intersectional) certification for workplaces across more than 50 countries. Like EQUAL-SALARY, it sells independent verification of equal pay and equal opportunities to multinational employers, competing for the same ESG/DEI compliance budgets.
• Equileap: Equileap benchmarks and ranks companies on gender equality criteria and provides the data behind investor-focused gender indexes. It is both a partner (recognizes EQUAL-SALARY audits) and a competitor, as organizations may pursue Equileap recognition as an alternative pathway to demonstrate gender-equity credibility.
• Fair Pay Innovation Lab (Fair Pay Workplace): Fair Pay Innovation Lab is a Swiss-rooted initiative that promotes fair compensation practices and offers certification/labels (including Fair-ON-Pay, which EQUAL-SALARY now recognizes). It overlaps significantly with EQUAL-SALARY's methodology and partner network and competes for corporate fair-pay certification mandates.

Emerging players

• WEConnect International: WEConnect International certifies and connects women-owned businesses to corporate procurement opportunities. It shares EQUAL-SALARY's model of independent third-party certification used by large enterprises for DEI and supplier-diversity goals, though focused on ownership rather than pay equity.
• Catalyst: Catalyst is a global nonprofit working to advance women in the workplace through research, advisory services, and recognition programs (including the Catalyst Award). It overlaps with EQUAL-SALARY in serving corporate DEI agendas and offers benchmarking/recognition as an alternative to certification-led models.

Broad incumbents

• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): GRI sets global standards for sustainability reporting, including disclosures on diversity, equity, and pay. Many EQUAL-SALARY customers cite GRI alignment in ESG strategy; GRI is both a potential substitute (organizations may rely on disclosure standards instead of certification) and a complementary framework.
• B Lab Global (B Corp Certification): B Lab administers the B Corp certification, a broad social and environmental performance label that includes DEI and fair-pay components. It competes for the same ESG/sustainability branding budgets from multinationals, though its scope is wider than EQUAL-SALARY's narrow equal-pay focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/equalsalary
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbnua2V2bSt-l5WUJDRKjZg
• Facebookfacebook.com/labelequalsalary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/equalsalary
• Instagraminstagram.com/equalsalary

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EQUAL-SALARY Foundation