Nearly 100 New CEOs Join The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™

NEW YORK, July 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Only one month after 175 CEOs came together to launch the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, nearly 100 additional CEOs have taken the pledge, committing themselves – and the organizations they lead -- to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This extraordinary show of force builds on the energy from the launch and grows the potential impact of the pledge.

Business, non-profit, and academic leaders are coming together to learn how best to cultivate welcoming, collaborative, and thriving environments for their employees. The collective of more than 270 signatories have shared almost 250 actions across a variety of categories—from supplier diversity and succession planning to mentorship and recruitment—exchanging learning opportunities and creating collaborative conversations via the initiative's unified hub, CEOAction.com. Continuing this momentum, the signatories will convene at a Summit in November to discuss longer-term growth strategies that will advance the agenda.    

Organizations joining the pledge are taking a step towards effecting positive change. A diverse and inclusive workforce facilitates community, but also drives innovation and creativity. A recent study found that 85 percent of those surveyed reported that diversity is a key component to fostering innovation.

CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ is cultivating a new type of ecosystem centered around collaboration and sharing. The actions, available via CEOAction.com, showcase real-life examples of the open and transparent conversations to cultivate more diverse and inclusive workplace environments. The addition of new signatories expands the impact of this work beyond the office to communities and industries.

"We are so proud that we are continuing to build momentum and support for the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ across companies, industries and regions. This collaboration expands our reach and brings in unique values, actions, and perspectives to continue to raise the bar for the entire business community," said Tim Ryan, U.S. Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC and chair of the steering committee for the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™. "The overwhelming support for the coalition has been amazing to see and with each and every new organization signing on, we have the opportunity to put our commitments into action by working together to improve diversity and inclusion in our workplaces and communities."

The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ welcomes as many different voices and perspectives to foster knowledge sharing and greater collective contributions. And, as the initiative continues to expand the impact and reach of companies, workforces and communities grows as well. The coalition now represents 70 industries, all 50 US States, and millions of employees globally.

CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ steering committee quotes:

Accenture North America CEO Julie Sweet: "As every industry faces disruption, continuing to recognize the importance of inclusion and diversity – building on our collective experience, both successes and failures -- will help fuel the competitiveness of both our companies and our country."

BCG Senior Partner and Managing Director Joe Davis: "With each new signatory that joins the coalition, our group is able to reach a new community, workforce and industry. Adding nearly 100 companies to our group shows that CEOs are looking at advancing diversity and inclusion not from a competitive standpoint, but rather, a collaborative effort to tackle this for all organizations." 

Deloitte US CEO Cathy Engelbert: "In today's world, it's more important than ever that we focus on diversity and inclusion. It's encouraging, and vital, that we're seeing a large number of companies joining CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ and making a commitment on collaborating to move this forward. We've made progress, but there's also much more work to be done."

The Executive Leadership Council President and CEO Ronald C. Parker: "Since launch we have seen almost 250 companies publicly share a best known action to improve diversity and inclusion results. I am honored to be part of a pledge that continues to work across business, sectors, and geographies to advance the conversation of diversity and inclusion in the workplace."

EY US Chairman and Americas Managing Partner Steve Howe: "The rapid growth of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ underscores the importance of our collective focus on truly diversifying today's workforce. This is just the beginning of our work with other businesses and leaders who are also committed to creating inclusive workplace cultures. We at EY are honored to be a part of this growing movement."

General Atlantic CEO Bill Ford: "The overwhelming outpour of support for the coalition has been amazing to see. I am energized for what's to come and to make an even greater impact on our workforces and the communities we serve."

KPMG US Chairman and CEO Lynne Doughtie: "I am thrilled to see the continued momentum that is building with each new company that signs onto the pledge. The vibrant exchange of best known actions and knowledge, which grows daily, shows our collective commitment to promote inclusion—and that we can accomplish more together."

New York Life CEO and Chairman Ted Mathas: "The support and positive response we have received has been gratifying with almost 250 actions that have been shared so far. With each shared action, we advance the conversation and drive it forward toward a more diverse and inclusive workforce."

P&G ‎Chairman of the Board, President and CEO David Taylor: "We have a proud and growing coalition of CEOs that is leading the conversation to advocate for action that drives progress. I am thrilled by shared conversations the coalition has had to date and am looking forward for the Summit to continue to address these challenges head on."

The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ coalition will come together to for the first-ever 2017 CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ Summit in November. It will be an opportunity for the signatories to act on the commitments within the pledge, share best known actions, and look toward developing additional commitments for advancing diversity and inclusion within the workplace.

To learn more about the pledge, visit CEOAction.com. The website serves as a hub for information sharing, idea generation, and program development. With almost 250 best known actions shared, companies that are not currently implementing the elements of the pledge can use it as an opportunity to learn from others that are already doing so. Learning from, and sharing, actions help companies drive greater engagement within their own programs, as well as mentor others on their journey.

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 270 CEOs of America's leading organizations, the commitment outlines actions that participating companies 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.

The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ is led by a steering committee of CEOs and leaders from Accenture, BCG, Deloitte US, The Executive Leadership Council, EY, General Atlantic, KPMG, New York Life, Procter & Gamble, and PwC. The coalition represents 70 industries, all 50 US States, and millions of employees globally.

Press Contacts: 
Megan DiSciullo  
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(609) 903-4394

Damon D. Jones 
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(513) 983-0190

SOURCE CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion

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