Pride and Prejudice Summit: Business as a Catalyst for Change in LGBT Rights

NEW YORK, Feb. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 23, 2017, The Economist Events will host its second-annual Pride and Prejudice Summit, a 24-hour event spanning three cities, Hong Kong, London and New York, that will catalyse a fresh global discussion on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) diversity and inclusion, particularly by focusing on the economic and business costs of LGBT discrimination and the profitable opportunities that lie in overcoming it.

"The inaugural summit in 2016 made a powerful business case for LGBT inclusion and diversity," says Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist. "This year, we aim to expand on that theme by exploring how companies can be catalysts for change—and why we need them to be."

The Hong Kong summit will be held at the Hotel ICON; the London summit will be held at 155 Bishopsgate; and the New York summit will be at 10 on the Park at Time Warner Center.

Chaired by The Economist editors, Pride and Prejudice 2017 will link conversations between the three locations through live video sessions. Participants will include chief executives, politicians and activists, such as:

• Schuyler Bailar, NCAA Division 1 Men's Athlete
• Cyan Banister, partner, Founders Fund
• Xavier Bettel, prime minister, Luxembourg
• Jeff Bullwinkel, associate general counsel and director of corporate, external and legal affairs, Asia Pacific and Japan, Microsoft
• Alfred Cheung-ming Chan, chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission
• Michael Ebeid, chief executive and managing director, Special Broadcasting Service, Australia
• Robyn Exton, founder, HER
• Tony Fernandes, chief executive, AirAsia
• Christina Gaw, managing principal and head of Capital Markets, Gaw Capital
• Nathan Law, member of legislative council, Hong Kong
• Geng Le, chief executive, Blued
• Roberto Marques, president, North America, Mondelēz International
• Matt Patsky, chief executive, Trillium Asset Management
• Rica Paras, solution architect manager, Accenture Philippines and chairwoman, Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines
• Art Peck, chief executive, GAP
• Deborah Sherry, chief commercial officer, GE Digital, Europe
• Amanda Simpson, former deputy assistant secretary of defence for operational energy, U.S. Department of Defense
• Serpil Timuray, regional chief executive, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, Vodafone
• Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, former member of Parliament and former minister of culture, sports and tourism, Mongolia
• Steve Wardlaw, chairman, Emerald Life, Europe

In each city, policymakers and industry leaders will tackle the thorny questions pertinent to that region, but with common questions in mind. E.g., How will the rise of illiberal populism in the west impact the outlook for LGBT rights? How are new generations changing the meaning of diversity and forcing companies to rethink their inclusion policies? What can advocates for LGBT inclusion learn from other groups that have been marginalised? What can we learn from case studies of businesses operating in parts of the world where cultures or laws are hostile toward LGBT people?

In 2016, the business sector made some important strides in the fight against discrimination against LGBT people around the world. Eighty-seven percent of Fortune 500 companies now have non-discrimination policies based on sexual orientation, and for the first time ever, the issue made it to the agenda of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Millennials, who have great expectations for diversity and are pushing companies to embrace inclusion much more than previous generations did, are also contributing to a seismic shift in priorities.

Yet setbacks have shed light on how much still needs to change. LGBT communities continue to be targeted by authorities, with high-profile incidents taking place in Indonesia, Uganda, Turkey and Egypt. In the U.S., the Orlando nightclub shooting highlighted how far the country still has to come to close the equality gap, despite the Supreme Court's decision to legalise same-sex marriage just one year before.

For more information and updates on Pride and Prejudice or to register for the summit, visit pride.economist.com.

Pride and Prejudice is sponsored by Global Advocate, IBM; Global Supporters Alix Partners and AXA; Regional Advocates, Biogen and Goldman Sachs; Regional Supporters, ADP, Fidelity Investments, Nomura, TD Bank, T. Rowe Price and RBS; Regional Ally, ABN AMRO. Havas is the Public Relations Partner. UNDP is the regional host sponsor in Hong Kong.

To engage with Pride and Prejudice on social media, use #EconPride in your conversations and follow @EconomistEvents.

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Lauren Hackett
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About The Economist Events

We gather the world's top thinkers to build insight and exchange views on the issues that define our world. With a uniquely global perspective, we create over 100 unusually high-level and engaging live and virtual events each year. Our aim is to bring clarity to complex problems, inspire ideas and to help our audiences make better decisions.

SOURCE The Economist Events