NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) announced today that it has been named to the 2016 list of “Top 50 Companies for Executive Women” by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE). This is the ninth time in the past 10 years MetLife has been named to the list.

NAFE recognizes organizations whose policies and practices encourage women’s advancement and whose numbers at the highest levels of leadership demonstrate that commitment. The intensive application includes over 200 questions to assess female representation at all levels, with a focus on the corporate officer and profit-and-loss leadership ranks, the number of employees that have access to and participate in programs and policies that promote the advancement of women, and how managers are held accountable for the advancement of female employees.

“MetLife is honored to be recognized for our efforts to develop and advance women,” said Elizabeth Nieto, global chief diversity and inclusion officer for MetLife. “We are proud to have many women in key senior roles across the organization, including on our board of directors and executive group, and we remain committed to attracting, developing and advancing women at all levels of the company.”

“MetLife’s focus on women ties to our bottom line,” said Marlene Debel, executive vice president and treasurer for MetLife. “Women are a major, global economic force accounting for an increasing portion of financial and healthcare spending decisions, so building a workplace that reflects our customer base is critical. MetLife continues to work to understand and incorporate women’s needs and values as customers.”

Through its Global Women’s Initiative, MetLife offers a wide array of programs for women in the company. They focus on developing leadership competencies, strengthening the pipeline of women and increasing their representation in broader leadership roles. These programs include:

• Women’s Business Networks, resource groups in more than 30 countries that female employees can use to share insights and build informal networks
• The Global Women’s Leadership Forum, an annual program that brings together the most influential senior women in the organization to connect on leadership topics and develop plans to advance women in their respective countries and lines of business
• Developing Women’s Career Experience, a 14-month developmental program focused on the female talent pipeline
• Lean In Circles, modeled on the concepts in Sheryl Sandberg’s best-selling book

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the largest life insurance companies in the world. Founded in 1868, MetLife is a global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management. Serving approximately 100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.