GFT Technologies SE is a Stuttgart-based international IT services and digital transformation company operating primarily in the financial services, insurance, and manufacturing sectors. GFT is a mid-size European technology company with a notably mature sustainability programme relative to its scale, and this assessment finds a strong overall record with meaningful room for improvement in climate transparency.
GFT Technologies
Charity Journal sustainability scores are independent assessments based on publicly available data. Organisations may submit corrections via our editorial team.
Climate action: B (77/100)
GFT’s climate credentials are more substantive than most companies of its size. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validated emissions reduction targets are among the most credible commitments a company can make.
Specifically, a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and a 60% intensity reduction in Scope 3 emissions per euro of value added, both against a 2020 baseline. SBTi validation means these targets have been independently assessed as consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
Meanwhile, GFT’s GreenCoding initiative, launched in 2020, promotes energy-efficient software development practices among employees, freelancers, clients, and partners. The climate score does not reach A territory because GFT has not yet published detailed annual emissions data transparently enough to track progress against its SBTi targets in real time.
Governance: A− (88/100)
GFT’s governance on sustainability is a genuine strength. The company publishes a comprehensive annual non-financial group report aligned with ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards), which is a more demanding framework than many competitors voluntarily adopt.
Furthermore, the Administrative Board conducts a formal review of the sustainability statement annually, and sustainability-related impacts, risks, and opportunities are systematically assessed through a double materiality analysis.
Executive compensation is directly tied to sustainability performance. In 2024, the sustainability component of the short-term incentive comprised employee training and development (40%), promotion of external IT talent (30%), and employee satisfaction (30%).
The Administrative Board’s diversity concept includes a formal gender target of at least 29% female representation, a target that was met in 2024. Meanwhile, the company navigated a CEO transition in 2024, from Marika Lulay to Marco Santos, without disruption to its sustainability governance structure.
Community inclusion score for GFT Technologies: B+ (82/100)
GFT’s Grow Tech Talent Worldwide initiative is its most visible community contribution. The initiative is a structured programme that partners with universities, sponsors independent events, and runs community activities specifically designed to bring more people, particularly women and girls, into technology careers.
The programme operates across GFT’s global footprint, including markets in Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Furthermore, the company received the Great Place to Work certification for the third consecutive year, an independently verified employee experience signal that reflects positively on its internal community.
GFT was among the first signatories of the EU Pact for Artificial Intelligence, committing to responsible AI development. However, community investment figures are not broken out as a standalone budget line in publicly available disclosures, which limits the ability to benchmark against peers. The company’s work in financial technology also carries an implicit financial inclusion dimension.
Gender inclusion: B− (73/100)
GFT’s gender inclusion record is mixed but improving. The company has a published Diversity and Inclusion Policy (version 1.6, updated December 2024) and a formal board-level gender target of 29% that it met in 2024. The Grow Tech Talent Worldwide initiative explicitly targets girls and women in technology, which is a meaningful structural commitment rather than a communications exercise.
However, detailed workforce gender breakdown data, particularly at management and senior leadership levels, is not prominently published in accessible public formats, making it difficult to assess whether board-level diversity translates into the broader organisation.
Furthermore, no gender pay gap data has been publicly disclosed. For a company that explicitly champions gender inclusion in its sustainability narrative, the absence of quantitative workforce gender data and pay equity disclosure is a gap that needs addressing.
Financial accountability: A− (86/100)
As a publicly listed company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, GFT Technologies is subject to German and EU financial reporting requirements. Currently, annual audited financial statements are published on time and freely accessible.
A close look at the 2024 annual report and non-financial group report reveals that they are current and comprehensive. The Remuneration Report is published separately and transparently discloses the structure and amounts of Managing Director compensation, including sustainability-linked incentive components.
The Audit Committee held five meetings in 2024, a strong frequency signal for a company of GFT’s size. However, no material audit findings or regulatory enforcement actions are recorded in recent filings.
SDG alignment: B (78/100)
GFT does not publish a formal standalone SDG mapping document, but its sustainability strategy credibly maps to several goals. SDG 4 (Quality Education) is addressed through the Grow Tech Talent Worldwide initiative and the training of over 1,500 employees in privacy engineering in 2024.
Meanwhile, SDG 5 (Gender Equality) is supported by the Diversity and Inclusion Policy and board gender targets, though, as noted above, the depth of reporting needs to improve. SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) is reflected in the Great Place to Work certification and the company’s explicit commitment to fair working conditions globally.
Furthermore, SDG 13 (Climate Action) is addressed through SBTi-validated targets and the GreenCoding initiative. SDG 9 (Industry and Innovation) aligns with GFT’s core business of enabling digital transformation for financial institutions. SDG 17 (Partnerships) is evidenced by the EU AI Pact signatory status and university partnerships under Grow Tech Talent Worldwide.
GFT presents a strong case for ESG-focused portfolios with its SBTi-validated climate targets, ESRS-aligned reporting, and sustainability-linked executive pay all signal a company that has institutionalised sustainability. The primary concern is the gap between policy ambition and publicly available data, particularly on emissions progress and gender workforce metrics.
Three consecutive Great Place to Work certifications are a credible signal of a positive employee experience. The diversity and inclusion commitment is genuine, but candidates from underrepresented groups should seek specific data on management-level representation before drawing conclusions about career progression.
Sustainability highlights for GFT Technologies
- Received the Great Place to Work certification for the third consecutive year.
- Won the prestigious PICCASO Award in 2024 for the ESG Privacy Initiative — recognising GFT’s approach to baking data privacy and responsible AI principles into software design
- Updated the GFT Group Diversity and Inclusion Policy to version 1.6 (December 2024) and published a new Group Climate Policy (version 1.0, November 2024) — signalling strengthened policy infrastructure
- Trained more than 1,500 employees in privacy engineering as part of the Sustainability by Design CSR goal.
- Maintained SBTi-validated emissions reduction targets for 2030 and continued advancing the GreenCoding initiative to promote energy-efficient software development across clients and partners
Final verdict for GFT Technologies
GFT Technologies is a mid-size technology company with a sustainability programme that genuinely punches above its weight. SBTi-validated climate targets, ESRS-aligned reporting, sustainability-linked executive pay, and the Great Place to Work certification across nearly all national companies are substantive achievements that reflect years of deliberate investment in sustainability governance.