Harnessing the power of the private sector is crucial to maintaining the LGBT+ Equality momentum we have known for the past 50 years.

NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Out Leadership, the only business organization working globally to promote LGBT+ equality is delighted to announce Mr. Fabrice Houdart is joining the company as Managing Director, Global Equality Initiatives. 

Mr. Houdart, co-author of the United Nations Global LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business joins Out Leadership following a 20-year career working at the World Bank and the United Nations where he initiated the economic and business case for LGBTI equality. 

At a time when Governments and multilateral institutions around the world are increasingly turning their back on human rights, progress will require innovation and new allies.

Said Mr. Houdart; "Out Leadership is the oldest, largest and most established network of companies working on LGBTI issues with 70 member companies among the largest and most recognized in the World. After working for the past ten years on LGBTI equality at the World Bank and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights four years ago, I have become convinced that harnessing the power of the private sector is crucial to maintaining the LGBT+ Equality momentum we have known for the past 50 years. This new position at Out Leadership is the path through which I will be able to make the largest impact on major global issues facing LGBTI people from economic empowerment to legal progress. It is also a unique opportunity to build on my work on the UN Global LGBTI Standards for Business I launched in 2017."

Quorum, Out Leadership's LGBT+ Board Diversity and Disclosure Guidelines.

Out Leadership CEO & Founder Mr. Todd Sears added; "We could not be more excited to have Fabrice joining as Managing Director, Global Equality Initiatives. 2020 is a big year for us as we celebrate 10 years in business. When I started Out Leadership in 2010, we were the first organization to focus on driving LGBT+ equality in business. We've seen this grow from a summit in New York to become a global movement. As we've evolved it has become apparent that businesses are now at the forefront in driving LGBT+ equality. To echo Fabrice, we can no longer rely on governments leading the way. Our member companies have played and will continue to play a leading role in advancing the cause of LGBT+ equality globally"

Out Leadership would also like to thank our member firm and global sponsor Greenberg Traurig whose immigration team helped make this global hire possible.

ABOUT MR. FABRICE HOUDART

Fabrice Houdart is Out Leadership's new Managing Director of Global Equality Initiatives. Fabrice Houdart was previously Human Rights Officer at the United Nations in New York, and for the past four years he worked on Free & Equal, an unprecedented United Nations campaign for LGBTI equality. He co-authored and led the United Nations Global LGBTI standards of conduct for Business, the largest corporate social responsibility initiative on LGBTI issues in the World. To date more than 270 of the largest companies in the World have expressed support for the initiative. From 2001 t0 2016, Fabrice was Senior Country Officer at the World Bank. At the Bank, he authored economic development analyses on Yemen, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Tunisia and provided contributions to the 2012 Gender World Development Report (WDR) and the 2011 Conflict, Security, and Development WDR. He holds a B.A. in economics and management from Dauphine University in Paris and an MBA from American University in DC. Fabrice volunteers on the Board of Outright Action International, Housing Works, the NYC Gay Men's Chorus, Alturi, the KindRED Pride Foundation, Witness to Mass Incarceration and the Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA).  In 2019, he received the Golden Gate Business Association Award, the IGLTA Pioneer Award and the Alan Turing LGTBIQ Award for his work on LGBTI rights. He was ranked 2nd by Yahoo Finance among LGBTI public sector executives globally in their 2019 Outstanding list. He was interviewed by The Economist, quoted in the New York Times, Foreign Policy Magazine and The Guardian on issues pertaining to the human rights of LGBTI people. He lives in New York City with twin sons 6-year old Maxime and Eitan.

ABOUT OUT LEADERSHIP

Out Leadership is a global LGBT+ business advisory that partners with the world's most influential companies to build business opportunities, cultivate talent, and drive LGBT equality forward. We believe that LGBT+ inclusion positively impacts business results, and that including LGBT+ people at the most senior level of executive leadership builds business. We call this idea Return on Equality™.

Comprised of 70 global member firms and dedicated to cross-industry collaboration, Out Leadership is a certified B Corporation. Out Leadership convenes CEOs, business leaders and allies at exclusive invitation only events across 4 continents. Out Leadership also operates three talent initiatives: Quorum, which aims to increase LGBT+ representation on corporate boards; OutNEXT, the first global talent development program for emerging LGBT+ leaders; and OutWOMEN, connecting senior level LGBT+ women in business. 

SOURCE Out Leadership

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