Today, March 8 is International Women's Day. To mark the occasion, B Team Leaders Richard Branson, Francois Henri-Pinault and Paul Polman have called for action against all forms of violence and discrimination against women and are encouraging business leaders to build companies that truly value diversity.

There is a definite, irrefutable business case for diversity, yet there continues to be a gender gap across the business landscape. Worldwide women are still paid 10-30% less than men on average, and 16% less in OECD countries. Only 12% of companies globally have female CEOs, and despite more women graduating from colleges and universities than ever before, an overwhelming 79% of new graduate hires are men.

Alongside UN Women, The B Team is calling for support of the HeForShe Initiative, a chance for men to stand alongside women and girls in calling for gender equality.

To read The B Team's call for support of HeForShe and gender equality click here.