Lane S. Hopkins
Capital One Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

Capital One
Headquarters: McLean, VA
Business: Financial Services
CEO: Richard D. Fairbank
Employees: 42,243 (US)
Website: www.capitalone.com

CAPITAL ONE DEMONSTRATING D&I ACCOUNTABILITY

The more diverse the crowd, the more wisdom you generate. Capital One is a frontrunner in this area with across-the-board accountability for diversity and inclusion practices.

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Lane S. Hopkins’ team is creating valued opportunities that are opening doors for every Capital One employee to feel included, engaged, empowered and motivated. “Our goal is to generate the broadest possible range of ideas, and create exactly what our customers need. Inclusion is how we’ll succeed, for our customers and for our business,” Hopkins said.

“We all need to shift the conversation to focus on inclusion instead of solely on diversity. We’ll continue fostering diversity (meaning ensuring broad representation), but we’ll only truly succeed if an inclusive environment welcomes everyone to the team,” she added.

Hopkins describes inclusion as creating an environment where all individuals are understood, valued and respected. “Inclusion fosters collaboration, innovation and excellence and helps us reach our full potential and feel connected as associates,” she said.

ALLIES AND ADVOCATES

The biggest D&I opportunity Capital One is tackling is demonstrating the critical role allies play in building cultures and environments that welcome everyone. “Like many large organizations, we have employee resource groups that each center on an underrepresented segment.

“In 2016, my team’s internal focus is inclusion, starting with an educational campaign this first quarter. We’re addressing inclusion as a way to affect change in our organization, with a goal of turning some of the majority into advocates,” she said.

Lane identifies allies and advocates as change agents on the path to inclusion. “So we need Hispanics joining our Asian Network. Heterosexuals in our LGBT Network. And yes, men in our Women’s Network. When we understand each other better, we’re more comfortable inviting diverse points of view,” she added.

From the outset, Capital One has worked to build and maintain a culture that values diversity and provides a supportive business environment offering opportunity, respect and encourages inclusion. “To get the best and most creative thinking, people need to bring their whole selves to work. If you’re leaving a part of yourself outside our doors, we’re not going to get your best ideas. We must include people with diverse experiences, backgrounds and perspectives; the ingenuity born of broad-spectrum thinking is key in creating the best products and services for our customers,” Lane said. “We want to win in the marketplace, and our success depends on having a workforce that reflects our customer base,” she added.

MEASURING PROGRESS

Capital One’s corporate D&I Team is comprised of 12 members. Its D&I Advisory Board is made up of representatives coming from the corporate D&I Team, diversity leads for each line of business, and other key stakeholders.

The company has seven Associate Networks; each championed by an Executive Committee member, an Accountable Executive and a National Lead. Allies are a key component for driving engagement through its Associate Networks. It also has 78 local chapters across these Associate Networks. Approximately 33,000 of its employees participate in one or more of the networks.

Members of its D&I Advisory Board share regular updates with their respective functional areas. The line-of-business diversity leaders also provide updates to their respective areas on progress for their particular business-centric D&I strategies and programs. Many lines-of-business also have their own Diversity Council, comprised of executives from their specific area.

HIGHLIGHTS OF CAPITAL ONE’S RECENT D&I RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

• Profiles in Diversity Journal – Diversity Leader Award
• FORTUNE – 100 Best Companies to Work for
• Forbes – Best Employers in the US
• Fortune – World’s Most Admired Companies
• National Association of Female Executives – Top Companies for Executive Women
• Military Times – Best for Vets
• Profiles in Diversity Journal – International Innovation in Diversity Top 10 List
• G.I. Jobs – Top 100 Military Employers
• Human Rights Campaign – Corporate Equality Index: Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality 100/100 score
• Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption: Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List
• USBLN & American Association of People with Disabilities’ Disability Equality Index: 100/100 score
• Equal Opportunity: “Top 50 Employers” Readers’ Choice List
• Latina Style: 2015 Top 10 Employee Resource Groups of the Year (Hispanic employee resource group)

Maria G. Arias
Comcast Corporation Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion

Comcast NBCUniversal
Headquarters: Philadelphia, PA
Business: Media & Technology
CEO: Brian Roberts
Employees: 139,000
Website: www.corporate.comcast.com

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BUSINESS ADVANTAGE AT COMCAST NBCUNIVERSAL

As a world leader in media and technology, Comcast NBCUniversal drove a fundamental shift in the way diversity and inclusion is viewed throughout the company. With D&I embedded in its culture, the company puts its principles into practice daily with a focus on the audience and the future.

“We recognize and celebrate diversity and inclusion, which is at the very heart of our culture, and we view it as a strategic business advantage,” said Comcast Corporation Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Maria G. Arias. Under her leadership, the company has made the business case for D&I by working in close partnership with business leaders and leveraging the perspectives of diverse employees through employee resource groups. “At a company like ours, gaining credibility and support means that we can do so much more,” Arias said.

The company’s success spans a broad range of D&I initiatives, and it was recently recognized for its leadership when it developed unique digital technology offerings for people with disabilities. Last year, Comcast was honored with an American Foundation for the Blind 2015 Access Award, given annually to corporations and organizations that eliminate or reduce inequities faced by people with vision loss.

LEVERAGING EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS

What began as a key value has evolved into a competitive business advantage for the company. “We’re committed to making our products and services more accessible to all people. This includes the nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population who self-identify as having a disability,” Arias said.

By leveraging the company’s employee resource group, developers gained valuable insights from the company’s Abilities Network. “Inclusion is at the heart of innovation, and our employees with disabilities were the ideal focus group for developing and testing our voice control remote,” she said. The device is part of the company’s X1 Entertainment Operating System, and includes the industry’s first voice guided remote that gives customers with disabilities a user-friendly experience to explore TV shows and movies.

ROADMAP OF INITIATIVES

Throughout the company, D&I initiatives and progress are regularly communicated to employees through a monthly digital newsletter, quarterly newsletter videos, blogs, and a variety of articles published both internally and externally. The company also publishes an annual report covering the company’s D&I initiatives in governance, workforce, procurement, community investment, and accessibility.

At Comcast NBCUniversal it’s not just about moving a business forward, but moving people forward.

HIGHLIGHTS OF COMCAST NBCUNIVERSAL’S RECENT D&I RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

• Profiles in Diversity Journal – Diversity Leader Award
• U.S. Business Leadership Network / American Association of People with Disabilities’ – 100 percent score Disability Equality Index
• Black Enterprise – Best Companies for Diversity
• HRC Corporate Equality Index – Rating of 100
• GI Jobs Magazine – Top 100 Military Friendly Employers
• National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development – Corporate Advocate of the Year
• LATINA Style 50 Report – Company of the Year
• The Legal Intelligencer – Best In-House Legal Departments of the Year for diversity
• Profiles in Diversity Journal – 25 Most Influential Companies for Veteran Hiring
• The American Association of People with Disabilities – Corporate Leadership Award
• Associated Services for the Blind – Corporate Recognition Award
• American Foundation for the Blind – Access Award
• Billion Dollar Round Table – Corporations that spend at least $1 billion with minority – owned and woman-owned suppliers.
• Black Enterprise – 35 Top Companies for Supplier Diversity

Dechert LLP
Headquarters: Philadelphia, PA
Business: Legal Services
CEO: Daniel O’Donnell
Employees: 1,914
Website: www.dechert.com

PROACTIVE FORCE FOR CHANGE WITH LGBT ALLIES PROGRAM

While consistently demonstrating a strong commitment to workforce equality, international law firm Dechert LLP is breaking new ground by expanding offerings to their LGBT workers around the world.

Building upon its strategies to increase diversity and inclusion, the firm is widening its affinity groups for underrepresented populations among employees in 26 offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Among those groups, the firm’s LGBT affinity group is evolving into a global proactive force for change within the firm. The group oversees a popular mentoring program and actively participates in the firm’s recruiting efforts. It has flourished, along with the firm’s other affinity groups, with international chapters in London and Paris, and a calendar of meetings and outreach events.

“In terms of number and influence, our group is quite remarkable,” said litigator Dennis Hranitzky, co-leader of Dechert’s LGBT affinity group. He is known for his initiatives within the group alongside his colleague and group co-chair Katherine Burroughs.

The program launched in June and more than 130 employees have since signed on as LGBT Allies. “A key feature of program is that anyone at Dechert can identify themselves as an LGBT Ally, reinforcing the message that we – not just the firm as an institution but the individuals within it – respect diversity,” Hranitzky said.

Its LGBT Allies concept was founded together with a new intranet site dedicated to the program, and has become the latest in a series of Dechert endeavors to support LGBT representation in the firm. Each ally receives a decal for display as a visible showing of support for LGBT representation in the work environment. “Those partners, administrators and associates volunteered to serve as sounding boards for colleagues with concerns about lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender issues in the workplace.”

INCLUSIVE REPRESENTATION ACROSS FIRM

Within the firm, LGBT employees are represented at every level of leadership and include several equity partners, a Supreme Court appellate lawyer, directors and managers, and a member of Dechert’s Policy Committee.

The firm’s D&I program, overseen by a Deputy Chair of Diversity and Inclusion as well as a full-time Global Director of Diversity, is a growing program with plans for expanding its programming this year. The Deputy Chair sits on Dechert’s management committee. D&I has also been rolled into a larger HR effort to broaden its scope and leverage synergies with other departments. “D&I is truly the responsibility of all Dechert employees,” the firms’ Deputy Chair of Diversity and Inclusion Hector Gonzalez said.

The program has a 17-member Diversity Committee and a Global Women’s Initiative comprised of the 43 women partners in the firm. Each group has several subcommittees and initiatives that include firm partners, associates and administrators.

“Dechert periodically surveys different populations within the organization to better understand their diversity and inclusion concerns. We also closely monitor statistical data to appreciate D&I trends,” Gonzalez said. “Our Diversity and Global Women Initiative have been instrumental in creating a climate of change at the firm and making real progress in our recruiting and retention efforts,” he added.

HIGHLIGHTS OF DECHERT’S D&I RECENT RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

• Profiles in Diversity Journal – Diversity Leader Award
• Perfect score – Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Index
• New York Law Journal 2015 Diversity Initiative – Honoree
• The company has been singled out as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality

Karyn Twaronite
EY Global and Americas Diversity & Inclusiveness Officer

EY
Headquarters: London
Business: Professional Services
CEO: Mark Weinberger
Employees: 212,000
Website: www.ey.com

EY CREATING AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE ACROSS 150 COUNTRIES

With a diversity and inclusiveness strategy embedded in its business processes and practices, EY’s newly created global framework for D&I progress is gaining momentum with embracing the significant value of building an inclusive workplace.

EY’s Global and Americas Diversity & Inclusiveness Officer Karyn Twaronite is responsible for maximizing the diversity of EY professionals by enhancing its inclusive culture across 150 countries in areas including the Americas, EMEIA, Japan and Asia Pacific.

Most recently, she led the EY D&I work stream and partner advisory group that created the company’s global framework for D&I progress, Winning through Diversity and Inclusiveness: A Roadmap for Success. “The business value of D&I has been proven – an organization that is both diverse and inclusive generates more revenue, increases innovation and is more likely to retain high-performing talent,” Twaronite said.

EQUITABLE SPONSORSHIP CREATING SYNERGY

EY has taken bold steps in this area as part of its strategic roadmap, including creating a D&I Culture Change Continuum. It identifies four distinct stages that EY and each of its employees “need to progress through to build a culture that values and leverages all differences to create the highest-performing teams,” she said.

Stage three of the continuum is “practice and model inclusive teaming and leadership,” which can generate cultural shifts, including more equitable sponsorship across an organization.

“We recognize that equitable sponsorship is one of the greatest opportunities we have to make further progress in D&I. It enables our people to attain access to appropriate work experiences, coaching, and influential relationships and networks early in their careers to position them for advancement,” she said.

An example she shares is EY’s Inclusiveness Leadership Program that couples high-potential women and ethnic minority partners or principals with EY board members and an external career coach. More than 180 partners and principals have gone through the program.

Research shows that white men are 50 percent more likely to be sponsored than women, and that ethnic minorities are 66 percent less likely to be sponsored than white men, according to Twaronite. “Yet, when organizations build up a culture infused with inclusiveness – one that provides equitable opportunities for all people to grow, learn and advance – it creates a synergy that is contagious,” she said.

MENTORING AND SPONSORING

Education and awareness are also among key components of the company’s leadership program. “It is important that our people know how to sponsor, are aware of whom they are sponsoring, and aren’t inadvertently sponsoring only people who look like or act like them,” Twaronite said. “That’s why we work with our leaders to thoughtfully and proactively review who is sponsoring whom to ensure all of our top-performers are sufficiently supported and championed,” she added.

HIGHLIGHTS OF EY RECENT D&I RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

• FORTUNE – 100 Best Companies to Work For
• Glassdoor – Best Places to Work
• US Universum Undergrad Overall IDEAL™ – Employer Survey
• Global Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE) Award
• Multiple recognitions for employee outreach groups
• Human Rights Campaign Foundation Corporate Equality Index – 100% Disability Equality
• Working Mother – 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers
• National Association for Female Executives – Top Companies for Executive Women

Joseph Searles
Excellus BCBS, Corporate Director of Diversity & Workforce Inclusion

Excellus BCBS
Headquarters: Rochester, NY
Business: Health Insurance
CEO: Christopher C. Booth, Esq.
Employees: 3,400
Website: www.excellusbcbs.com

EXCELLUS BCBS LOOKING BEYOND THE OBVIOUS

At Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, its leaders recognize diversity and inclusion are imperative to staying relevant in today’s business world. The health insurance provider is looking beyond the obvious for successfully leveraging and managing diverse efforts across its workforce.

“Diversity and inclusion helps us attract and retain the best talent, have the best ideas, and better relate to our customers,” said Joseph Searles, Excellus BCBS Corporate Director of Diversity & Workforce Inclusion. “In years past, our work was about building a business case to continually evolve diversity and inclusion efforts. Now, there’s no shortage of data and research illuminating inequities among cultures,” he added.

Under Searles’ leadership, the company is modeling real inclusive behaviors through education, self-awareness and accountability for personal action. “It’s important for all employees to understand the company’s inclusive strategy and rely on it as a behavioral compass,” he said.

BEYOND THE BEHAVIORIAL COMPASS

One particular code of conduct the company emphasizes involves getting to know others beyond their exteriors. “We encourage looking beyond the obvious. We all agree that there are visual cultural differences that set us apart. But, there are many other characteristics and experiences that are not so obvious that we can learn about by being more inquisitive,” according to Searles.

As a result, what the employees are learning about each other oftentimes identifies more similarities than differences and is opening the path to deeper relationships and increased employee engagement. “Being inquisitive can also help uncover hidden genius in others,” Searles said.

ENHANCED EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Another area the company is making a difference is training programs that go beyond race, gender or sexual orientation. “It’s about everyone and diversity of background,” he said.

In 2016, the company plans to offer half-day training sessions for its 3,400 employees about:

1. Authenticity – What it means to be authentic at work;
2. Diversity – Clarity around diversity, bias and reducing impact;
3. Inclusion – Clarity around inclusion and ways to model it; and
4. Decision Making – Understanding the dangers of group thinking.

From its core employee education model, Excellus BCBS is introducing more specialized modules assisting in working across cultures. It is planning new modules that focus specifically on LGBT, veterans, people with disabilities and unconscious bias.

Enhancing its educational initiatives, the company has plans for examining the unconscious mind and how it impacts decision making or causes potential inequities in areas such as hiring, promotions and relationships. Searles emphasizes there is an overall commitment to diversity and inclusion that is exemplified in its corporate behaviors and policies.

SEEKING DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

The Diversity and Inclusion’s mission, he says, is to have a culture where there is a deliberate practice to seek diverse perspectives as well as a practice to leverage commonalities to unite employees and strengthen the company. The company’s Office of Inclusion sponsors its Employee Resource Groups, which act as business resources for the company. “Our ERGs are empowered to align themselves in support of our company’s strategy while using participation in groups to network, enhance career opportunities and professional development,” Searles said. The company has 15 ERG leaders in addition to a Diversity and Inclusion team.

HIGHLIGHTS OF EXCELLUS BCBS’S RECENT D&I RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

• Profiles in Diversity Journal – Diversity Leader Award
• Human Right’s Campaign Corporate Equality Index perfect score, Best Place to Work for LGBT Employees
• Recognition for the co-development and launch of the PRIDE In Leadership Program.

Ahmed J. Davis
Fish & Richardson Diversity Initiative Chairman

Fish & Richardson
Headquarters: Boston, MA
Business: Intellectual Property Law
CEO: Peter Devlin
Employees: 1,126
Website: www.fr.com

LAW FIRM ENRICHING BUSINESS WITH COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCES

Fish & Richardson knows well that people from different backgrounds contribute to a diverse mindset and it ultimately leads to better business decisions. The firm also knows its people are its best asset.

“Diversity at our firm enriches our experience together; it allows us to draw upon our collective experiences and wisdom to be better lawyers and, quite frankly, better people,” says Ahmed J. Davis, a principal at Fish & Richardson and the national chair of its Diversity Initiative.

D&I is an integral part of the firm and reflected in its long-standing commitment to building and sustaining an inclusive environment. Under Davis’ leadership, the firm’s primary Diversity Initiative links together a variety of programs and offerings that support recruitment, retention, professional development, and outreach. They’re all designed to attract, retain and advance a diverse legal staff.

“We recognize that diverse backgrounds provide unique perspectives that result in new and better solutions, and having a diverse team that reflects the diversity of the public arena enhances the quality of legal services we provide to our clients,” Davis said. “We also recognize the importance of fostering a work environment that values the diversity of experiences, perspectives, capabilities and talents of each member of the firm and contributes to a firm fabric and culture of intentional inclusion,” he added.

SUSTAINABLE INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT

Davis said the need for diverse lawyers to serve diverse individuals and interests is prevalent in the criteria businesses use for selecting law firms. “Businesses are demanding that law firms explain how they will utilize a diverse team to meet the client’s business goals,” he said. One example he shares is an understanding of the unique differences in representing Japanese versus Korean clients in the United States’ legal system can be increased when members of the legal team come from those cultures.

Globalization has changed the paradigm of diversity and inclusion, according to Davis. “In this new paradigm, law firms risk missing business development and client relation opportunities if they fail to appreciate decision makers’ backgrounds and their diversity inclusion goals,” Davis said.

D&I OVERSIGHT

At Fish & Richardson, the firm’s 18-member Diversity Committee is primarily responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of a broad range of diversity and inclusion efforts. The committee also manages diversity workgroups, focusing on specific areas such as best practices, recruitment and pipeline initiatives, retention, mentoring, internal advancement, communications and outreach.

The firm encourages and supports several internal affinity groups – including its Asian Legal Staff Affinity Group, Black Legal Staff Affinity Group, LGBT Affinity Group, and Hispanic/Latino Affinity Group. All are influential in fostering a sense of community among professionals who share common interests or backgrounds and providing additional networking, mentoring, career and business development opportunities. The firm also has a formal women’s initiative, EMPOWER, that addresses issues of importance to women in the legal profession, provide tools and resources that enhance their personal and professional development, and position them for success.

While this just touches the surface of the firm’s extensive D&I initiates, Davis said with the firms’ programs and the full commitment of its leadership to the importance of diversity, Fish & Richardson is well-positioned for its clients in an increasingly global world.

HIGHLIGHTS OF FISH & RICHARDSON’S RECENT D&I RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

• Profiles in Diversity Journal – Diversity Leader Award
• Ranked Top Law Firm for Diversity, American Lawyer Diversity Scorecard
• Named a Top Firm for Minority Attorneys by Law360 – Top 100 Law Firms for Minority Attorneys and Top 25 Firms for Asian-American Attorneys
• 100 percent on Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index.
• Vault, Inc.- Best Law Firms for Diversity, Top 25 List for Minorities, Top 25 List for Individuals with Disabilities, and Top 25 List for Military Veterans

Lesley Slaton Brown
HP Inc. Chief Diversity Officer

HP Inc.
Headquarters: Palo Alto, CA
Business: Technology
CEO: Dion Weisley
Employees: 48,000
Website: www8.hp.com

HP INITIATIVES SPANNING THE WORLD – ‘EVERYBODY IN!’

Diversity is at the core of HP Inc.’s global reach and its calling for “Everybody In!”

HP Inc. has more than 60 Global Employee Resource Groups located in14 countries and is in the midst of appointing business and site-based diversity leads across the company to provide guidance and sponsorship.

“Diversity and inclusion is embedded into everything we do. This means everyone at every level is accountable for our diverse and inclusive culture,” said HP’s Chief Diversity Officer Lesley Slaton Brown.

Under Brown’s direction, the company is re-inventing its culture by infusing energy into its company values, enabling dialog and continuous learning, emphasizing business outcomes, and empowering creativity and innovation in fun and unique ways. “We’re shifting the mindset of leaders and employees to understand the way for us to win as a company is to have everyone take a participatory role in increasing diversity, fostering inclusion, and impacting our business bottom-line,” Brown said. She emphasizes the opportunity for the HP Inc. D&I organization is to rally to get “Everybody In!”

COMPANYWIDE ACCOUNTABILITY

The diversity of the company’s nearly 50,000 employees reflects the diversity of its customers and partners. “By celebrating our differences, we bring unique experiences and perspectives to bear on our capabilities and expertise. This helps us deliver products and services that work for everyone, everywhere. We engineer experiences that amaze our customers and our employees” Brown said.

The company demonstrated its focus by first starting at the top. It has one of the most diverse Boards of Directors in the United States, including 33 percent women and 17 percent African American. The company plans to continue growing its diverse representation on the board as well as at all levels of the company, according to Brown.

While diversity and inclusion is lauded the right thing to do for businesses, Brown emphasizes that research shows it’s the best thing to do to increase innovation and have greater impact to the business bottom-line.

OBJECTIVES, OPPORTUNITIES, SYNERGIES

The objectives, opportunities and areas of synergy for HP’s Global Diversity & Inclusion organization are to:

• Integrate diversity & inclusion across functions and businesses for greater impact to business results;
• Ensure a mindset of accountability by all exists to transform the culture;
• Creatively broaden the diverse talent pool;
• Empower individuals to participate and contribute to their full potential;
• Introduce new and progressive D&I policies to support business needs.

MEASURING PROGRESS

HP takes a structured approach to measuring, tracking and improving employee engagement. About 80 percent of its employees share feedback on its annual survey and their input is used to measure engagement levels and focus areas for improvement. In the last three years, engagement has increased 23 percent, according to Brown. The company also benchmarks results against other companies in the IT industry and global, multi-nationals as an external reference point.

In addition to the structured measurement, HP includes monthly “Quick Click” polling on hot topics and scans internal blogs and public comments from its workforce to identify in “real time” any concerns, trends and reactions to ongoing programs and initiatives that may need attention.

“Our goal is to connect all of our employees worldwide to internal communities that help them contribute to the conversations, learn, thrive, and grow, and that each and every employee plays a role in weaving diversity and inclusion into the fabric of who we are,” Brown said.

HIGHLIGHTS OF HP INC.’S MOST RECENT RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

• Recognized as the most diverse board of any technology company in the United States. businessinsider.com/hp-will-have-the-most-diverse-tech-boards-in-the-us-2015-8
• 1st rank in German Women Career Index by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Family Affairs
• Working Mother – 100 Best Companies
• National Association of Female Executives – Top 50 Companies for Executive Women
• Victory Media – Military Friendly: Top 100 Employers List
• Black Data Processing Associates – Top Company For Blacks in Technology Epsilon Award
• Corporate Equality Index Human Rights Campaign – 100% Best Places to Work for LGBT
• Equal Opportunity Publications: Top 50 Careers – Disabled Magazine, Top 50 Employers – Workforce Diversity, Top 50 Woman Engineer

David Korunic
CEO and Diversity Lead Krungthai-Axa Life Insurance PCL

Krungthai-AXA Life Insurance
Headquarters: Bangkok, Thailand
Business: Life Insurance
CEO: David Korunic
Website: www.krungthai-axa.co.th/en

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AT HEART OF THAILAND INSURER’S D&I STRATEGY

Leading Thailand insurer Krungthai-AXA Life Insurance has a strong employee engagement program that is committed to streamlining diversity and inclusion initiatives into the Thai society.

“We place employee engagement at the heart of our business strategy. Achieving this means creating a workplace built on values that foster diversity and equal opportunities for all, promoting employee participation, encouraging professional development, and supporting employee well-being”, the company’s CEO and Diversity Lead David Korunić said. “People are key to the success of our business”, he added.

“We are accountable for initiating and implementing D&I activities and actions for disability, LGBT, gender and generation by integrating those into our business strategy to enhance our inclusiveness in the organization and reflect the strong determination to share our good intention to Thai society and to the world”, Korunic said.

INTEGRATING DISABLED EMPLOYEES INTO THE BUSINESS

As part of its D&I initiatives, KAL concentrates significant resources on hiring and treating people with disabilities equally with the non-disabled. Korunic said throughout the company, employees with disabilities are a benefit to the success of the business. “Their positive attitude and drive benefits the company immensely. Great people build great companies,” he said.

Korunic explained the company integrates disabled employees into the workforce through a strategy of securing talented people and investing in a training program that allows them to realize their full potential. ”We do not differentiate between the able bodied and the disabled as we focus on equal opportunity and open the door for all people to be a part of Krungthai-AXA Life,” Korunic said.

He said a primary challenge has been the focus in Thailand of giving charity to people with disabilities rather than providing them with opportunities. “I believe in giving opportunity not charity,” he said. By focusing on their abilities, the company taps into a wider talent pool of differently abled people.

“In Thailand there are about 1.6 million of these special people and all they ask for is an opportunity to demonstrate their talent and to make a meaningful contribution to the world thereby gaining self-respect, something we all take for granted” Korunic said. “People bound to a wheelchair, the blind, the deaf – all people with disabilities can make a difference to society and build for themselves an independent life,” he added.

RAISING AWARENESS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR

Korunic said the company shares its D&I strategies and legal opinions in supporting the employment of people with disabilities throughout the Thai Society to encourage other private sectors and governmental organizations to provide opportunities. He also added that the company drives its employees’ benefit taking into account LGBT as equal in all respects. Krungthai-AXA Life also works on gender diversity and Gen Y’s voice agendas.

The company actively participates in a variety of international and national efforts promoting diversity and inclusion. “Everyone deserves to have opportunity to have equality in their life,” Korunic said.

Krungthai-AXA Life Insurance joint ventured with Krungthai Bank, the largest Thai Government Bank and the AXA Group, the First Global Insurance Brand as ranked by Interbrand.

HIGHLIGHTS OF KAL’S RECENT D&I RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

• Profiles in Diversity Journal – Diversity Leader Award
• Springboard Consulting LLC. – Disability Matters Awards – Asia Pacific Region: Workforce
• Workability Thailand – Welcome Disability (Well-D)
• Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Department of Empowerment of People with Disabilities – Social Contribution for Disabled People Award
• Ministry of Labour, Department of Skill Development – The Annual Best Employer Award in Employee Skill Development
• Office of Insurance Commission of Thailand -The Best Development Life Insurance company

Dawn Frazier-Bohnert
Senior VP and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group

Liberty Mutual Insurance
Headquarters: Boston, MA
Business: Insurance
CEO: David H. Long
Employees: 55,000
Website: www.libertymutualgroup.com

LIBERTY MUTUAL EMBRACING DIVERSITY THROUGH ENGAGEMENT, INNOVATION AND MARKET COMPETITIVENESS

Diversity and inclusion is actively being integrated in the way Liberty Mutual Insurance does business and in just three years it’s already resonating with its 55,000 employees. The company’s D&I framework is connecting employee engagement, innovation and market competitiveness.

“Diversity is not only about race, gender, sexual orientation or perspective – diversity is about ‘all of us.’ This idea is woven into our mission and vision statements and is an integral part of everything we do,” said the company’s Senior VP and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dawn Frazier-Bohnert.

Under her leadership, Liberty Mutual is launching programs and strategies to connect diversity and inclusion to engagement, innovation and market competitiveness. As a result, “the employees are increasingly reflecting the diversity of our clients, customers and communities we serve,” Frazier- Bohnert said.

Her team has developed a consistent platform along with the language to communicate the company’s D&I mission and business case to employees. This framework was designed to engage the workforce and help them embrace D&I initiatives with open communication. “Without the support and acceptance of all employees, no D&I program can be successful. Employee engagement is critical to our success,” she said. “We’ll continue to invest in it to create a stronger global organization,” she added.

AWARENESS CAMPAIGN THE IMPACT TOUR

Her department includes eight professionals who develop and implement the strategy in partnership with HR colleagues and business leaders across the enterprise to drive the company’s D&I initiatives. “We are providing the tools and direction for our employees to champion a diverse and inclusive workplace,” she said.

As part of this, the team launched an awareness campaign called the IMPACT Tour to drive this message across the enterprise. The acronym stands for: Innovation, Mindset, Personal Commitment, Alignment with Principles, Customer/ Community and Talent.

The tour visited multiple cities across the United States and held in-person sessions as well as utilizing live streaming and on demand technology to make the sessions available to all employees. The goal was to involve all employees and make everyone accountable for building a more inclusive work environment.

As a result, a foundation for development began with the rollout of an Unconscious Bias Awareness program to all employees. The program gave employees a uniform language to talk about the impact of bias and is currently being integrated into the company’s core management curriculum.

ERG’S ARE AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT

Liberty Mutual’s Employee Resource Groups are another essential ingredient of its D&I strategy. The company has five ERGs focusing on employees of African Descent, Asian Americans, Latino/ Hispanics, LGBT, and Women and Allies. This year they are planning on launching a sixth group for Veterans. “The ERGs are open to everyone and allies are an important component of the program’s success,” Frazier- Bohnert said.

When building the group for Women and Allies, the company knew the importance of finding ways to engage men in the group. Frazier- Bohnert’s team created the Engaging Men strategy which is unique from the traditional ways of focusing on women’s advancement exclusively.

“Our ERGs raise employee engagement, help us attract and retain talent, and provide an inroad for reaching our expanded customer base,” Frazier-Bohnert said. With a strong foundation in place, the company’s focus is now on greater integration of D&I principles into core business processes, or as Frazier- Bohnert describes it, “looking at everything through a D&I lens.”

HIGHLIGHTS OF LIBERTY MUTUAL’S RECENT D&I RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

• Profiles in Diversity Journal – Diversity Leader Award
• 2020 Women on Boards – Gender Diversity list
• Equal Opportunity – Top 50 Employer’s list
• Arnold Rosoff Award – Marketing to Promote Inclusion for diverse social media campaign
• Boston Chapter Black MBA – Outstanding Dedication and Leadership Award to
• Gary Morton head of Liberty Mutual’s African-American ERG

Jeremiah DeBerry
Director of Diversity & Inclusion – US, Mayer Brown LLP

Mayer Brown
Headquarters: Chicago, IL
Business: Law Firm
CEO: Paul Theiss
Employees: 1,500
Website: www.mayerbrown.com

MAYER BROWN SERVING AS CHANGE AGENT IN LEGAL SECTOR

As a leading international law firm with more than 1,500 lawyers in 22 offices world-wide, Mayer Brown LLP, is committed to enhancing diversity in the legal profession.

Under the leadership of US Director of Diversity and Inclusion Jerry DeBerry, the firm is on track in its efforts to recruit, hire, develop and promote diverse lawyers. “We have made changing the culture of the firm our ultimate goal,” DeBerry said.

A trailblazer in the industry, DeBerry has spent the past 18 years as an active proponent of diversity in the legal sector. He says the role of diversity leader continues to evolve and change. “Over the years, I have witnessed a shift in focus from recruiting, to development and retention, to, most recently, business development and promotion,” he said. With those broad categories, he serves in a variety of functions at the firm, including recruiter, counselor, mentor, career coach, business developer, thought leader and change agent. “The most important is change agent,” he said.

The success of diversity and inclusion efforts in the legal field will increasingly be measured not only by the number of diverse lawyers, but also by the quality of experience and professional development of lawyers. Working toward that end, DeBerry said key issues Mayer Brown is focusing on include unconscious bias, micro-inequities and social isolation. “The key is understanding the concepts, because they are more than theoretical for those who experience their impact on a daily basis. They have a profound effect on professional confidence, performance and career trajectory,” DeBerry said.

BUSINESS IMPERATIVE DIVERSE LEGAL TEAMS

Improving diversity and inclusion has become a business imperative for law firms, as an increasing number of corporate clients are demanding that law firms staff their matters with diverse legal teams. “These clients aren’t just requiring that diverse lawyers be staffed on their matters, they are also demanding that diverse lawyers hold leadership positions on such matters,” DeBerry said.

As a result, he said his responsibilities as diversity leader have expanded to include significant client interaction. This usually involves meetings with clients to discuss the firm’s overall diversity and inclusion goals and its strategies to increase the diversity of the teams that are handling clients’ matters.

“Due to the increased client focus on diversity and inclusion efforts at their outside counsel law firms, diversity and inclusion initiatives will become an important component of all firms’ overall strategic plans,” he said.

ENGAGING AT THE TOP

Engaging senior leaders of the firm and enabling them to make meaningful contributions to the firm’s diversity and inclusion initiatives is critically important. “The more involved leaders are in the effort, the greater the chance for long-term success and institutional change,” DeBerry said.

Sharing an example, he demonstrates how Mayer Brown is making progress in this area through his participation in the firm’s high-level partner promotion process. “This is a significant step that ensures diversity and inclusion principles are incorporated into the decision-making process when promoting lawyers to partner in the firm,” he said.

In 2015, 75 percent of the associates promoted to partner in the firm’s New York office were diverse and 75 percent were women. “It’s a testament to the sincerity of our commitment to improving diversity and inclusion,” he added.

HIGHLIGHTS OF MAYER BROWN’S RECENT D&I RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

• Profiles in Diversity Journal – Innovation in Diversity Award
• Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index – Best Places To Work
• Metropolitan Black Bar Association – African-American group recognition
• Various recognitions for significant pro bono support and commitment to the community