NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, almost 250 Chief Human Resources Officers and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers from CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ (CEO Action) signatory companies convened for a summit to learn, listen, and support CEO efforts to lead with action-oriented steps and drive diversity and inclusion commitments. The summit was hosted by global biopharmaceutical company, Merck & Co., Inc.

"This business community is united in our dedication to further weaving diversity and inclusion into the fabric of our companies," said Mirian Graddick-Weir, Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources, Merck & Co., Inc. "At this summit, participants are working together to find ways to recognize and overcome unconscious biases, create trusting environments where difficult conversations can take place, and share the stories of successes and lessons learned – with the purpose of bringing better results for our talent and our businesses."

Building off of the CEO Action November 10th CEO-Closed Door Session, the summit allowed for deeper conversations and understanding of issues beyond the CEO and into the C-suite. By prioritizing inclusivity, accountability and creating opportunities for collaboration, senior leaders met to focus on collectively identifying and strengthening strategies for operationalizing the CEO Action pledge commitments within their organizations to help drive cultural change and business improvements.

Attendees were also joined by a panel of CEOs, Human Resources, and Diversity and Inclusion leaders for leadership insights on demonstrating that diversity is visible throughout the organization; at the highest levels of leadership, in business strategy and with clear connectivity throughout functions and teams.

Recognizing that the world is comprised of complex tensions that can have significant impact on individuals as well as communities, CEO Action signatories are rallying together to take measurable action to change this by building productive, diverse, and inclusive workplaces where openness is the norm, not the exception.

Companies represented at the Chief Human Resources Officer and Diversity and Inclusion Officer Summit include: 21st Century Fox, AACSB International, Accenture*, Adobe, Advancing Minorities' Interest in Engineering, AIG, Air Products, Alaska Airlines, Alcoa, Ally Financial, Altria, American Heart Association, Apollo Global Management, Assurant, AT&T, Avery Dennison, Bank of America, Barilla, BDO USA, Becton Dickinson, Bentley University, BlackRock, Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts, Booz Allen Hamilton, Boston Scientific Corporation, C.H. Robinson, CA Technologies, Campbell Soup, Cardinal Health, CBS Corporation, Centene Corporation, Center for Talent Innovation, Cleveland Clinic, CNA, Con Edison, Contran Corporation, Corning Incorporated, Council on Foundations, Crowe Horwath LLP, CSAA Insurance Group, CSRA, Cubic Corporation, Dana Incorporated, Danaher, DanoneWave, Delta Air Lines, Denny's, Dentons US, DTCC, DTE Energy, Ecolab, Edelman, Edward Jones, Eli Lilly, Erie Insurance, Eversource Energy, Express Scripts, EY*, FactSet, Fannie Mae, Feeding America, Fifth Third Bank, FINRA, First Data, FirstEnergy, FIS, Franklin Templeton Investments, Fred Hutch Cancer Research Institute, Gap Inc., Genentech, General Atlantic*, General Mills, Guardian Life Insurance, Harris Corporation, Herbalife Nutrition, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Highmark Health, Hilton Worldwide, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, HSBC Bank, Humana, Huntington Bank, i4cp, IAC, IKEA US, Ingersoll Rand, Ingredion, INROADS, Jackson Lewis P.C., Janney Montgomery Scott, Johnson & Johnson, K12, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Kellogg's, KeyBank, KKR, KPMG*, L'Oréal USA, L3 Technologies, Latham & Watkins, Legg Mason, Levi Strauss, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Lockheed Martin, Lowe's Companies, M&T Bank, Macy's, Mars, Incorporated, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Masco, MasterCard, MDC Partners, Mercedes-Benz USA, Merck, Micron, Minor League Baseball, Moody's, Morgan Stanley, National Basketball Association, Navigant Consulting, New York Life*, , NiSource, Northwestern Mutual, Novant Health, Oaktree Capital Management, OhioHealth, Omnicom Group, Paul Hastings, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, PayPal, Peloton Interactive, Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine, Pepsico, Per Scholas, Perdue Farms, Pfizer, PGA of America, PIMCO, PPL Corporation, Procter & Gamble, Progressive, Prudential, Publicis Groupe, PwC, Qualcomm, QVC, Ralph Lauren, Reed Smith, Rockwell Automation, RSM US, S&P Global, Securian Financial Group, Sempra Energy, SONIC, America's Drive-In, Stinson Leonard Street, SunTrust Banks, SurveyMonkey, Symantec, T-Mobile, T. Rowe Price, Tapestry, Target, The Carlyle Group, The Clorox Company, The Dow Chemical Company, The Estée Lauder Companies, The Executive Leadership Council, The Hartford, The Hershey Company, The MITRE Corporation, The New York Times, TIAA, TPG Global, Tufts Health Plan, UMB Financial, Unilever, University of Arkansas, University of Dayton, UPS, VF Corporation, Visa, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Welbilt, Wellcare, Wells Fargo, WPP, XL Catlin.

To learn more about the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ contact info@CEOAction.com.

About CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™

CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Bringing together more than 350 CEOs and presidents of America's leading businesses, academic institutions and nonprofits, the commitment outlines actions that participating organizations pledge to take to cultivate a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected, employees feel comfortable and encouraged to discuss diversity and inclusion, and where best known—and unsuccessful—actions can be shared across organizations. Learn more at CEOAction.com and connect with us on Facebook: CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion and Twitter: @CEOAction.About CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™

Idalia Hill
Idalia.Hill@pwc.com  
571-888-6927

SOURCE CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion