13TH ANNUAL DIVERSITY LEADER AWARDS

The 13th Annual Diversity Leader Awards

PDJ Celebrates the Creativity and Commitment of this Year’s Diversity Leader Award Recipients

Every year, since PDJ began celebrating organizations and individual Diversity Leaders who are committed to taking diversity to the next level, we have been impressed and encouraged by their commitment, their intelligence, and their creativity.

The Diversity Leaders we recognize in the following pages are reaching out, locally and globally, to embrace an ever-expanding variety of employees, vendors, clients, and communities. Diversity, inclusion, and equity are central to everything they do. For many, who at one time or another have felt excluded or ignored because they belonged to a particular gender, or ethnic or cultural group, making diversity a reality is a personal imperative.

This year’s Award recipients are working to connect with a more diverse group of potential hires, reaching out to women- and minority-owned vendors, supporting their communities, and teaching company leaders and hiring managers to recognize and confront their own unconscious biases. Most important, they are cultivating workplaces that invite all employees to bring their authentic selves to work every day.

We invite you to get to know these extraordinary Diversity Leaders. You may discover ideas and strategies that you can use to help drive your own organization along the diversity highway. And we know you’ll be inspired by their insights, their enthusiasm, and their inspiring personal stories.

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Headquarters: Washington, DC Industry: Education Policy Nonprofit CEO: Carissa Moffat Miller, PhD

As the Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), I strive to ensure CCSSO’s work is grounded in diversity, inclusion, and equity. Many women and people of color paved the way for me to become the first person in my family to go to college, earn a doctorate, and become the first woman to lead CCSSO. Among my first actions as the leader of CCSSO, I expanded my leadership team to hire our organization’s first chief equity officer, and to include more women and women of color, with the intent to mentor and strengthen women as leaders. It is critical that we soon reach a day when we no longer need to recognize these as “firsts,” because they should be norms in all industries and sectors of our society. All of our children, particularly girls and children of color, must be afforded the same—and even better—opportunities in the years to come to make sure positions of leadership equally represent the communities we serve. I remain committed to making many more “firsts” possible for the students we work hard to serve every day.

– Carissa Moffat Miller, CEO

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance regarding major educational issues. The Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses those views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.

Members look to the Council of Chief State School Officers to help them drive their own equity initiatives, and CCSSO is committed to incorporating equity into all its work in order to yield more equitable internal and external outcomes. Receiving PDJ’s 2019 and 2020 Diversity Leaders Award has allowed CCSSO to present its equity efforts to funders and corporate sponsors, which, in turn, has resulted in funding to support CCSSO’s development of the frameworks, tools, and resources identified in its Aligning Equity for Impact: 2-Yr Plan.

Chief Equity Officer Holmes ensures that personnel practices are aligned with an overall commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The organization has also created a voluntary diversity, equity, and inclusion committee whose purpose is to engage staff in enhancing workplace equity and encouraging inclusive voices in providing diversity-related staff training.

It is crucial for organizational leaders to identify the need for diverse representations in the C-Suite and the boardroom. Next, as we learn more about how identity impacts one’s experiences in life, it is imperative that executive leaders commit to lifelong learning in the D&I space. Lastly, since capacity is critical in the D&I space, organizations must continue to put resources behind those leading D&I strategies. By broadening the chief equity officer portfolio at CCSSO, the organization has been able to add capacity and be more strategic regarding collaboration for cross-Council initiatives.

Because CCSSO values diversity, equity, and inclusion, the chief equity officer reports directly to the chief executive officer and is a part of the executive leadership team. D&I initiatives are communicated to the board through email updates and agenda items on board calls. Also, during his or her year in that role, each board president adopts a platform that focuses on educational equity. CCSSO employs multiple platforms, including Microsoft Teams, staff meetings, and an internal intranet site, to ensure two-way communication with employees about Council equity initiatives. Externally, the organization communicates Council D&I values through the use of social media, op-ed articles, journal entries, and the CCSSO website.

As a nonprofit, transformative funding is a real concern. CCSSO accomplishes its goals through leading, convening, and influencing. We leverage multi-year transformative funding in order to impact the one industry that touches every human. Annie Holmes

Chief Equity Officer

Her Credentials: BS, Temple University; M Ed (2) & PhD (ABD), Pennsylvania State University

Her Philosophy: Empowered Black Women Empower Black Women.

In 2020, Chief Equity Officer Annie Holmes and her team produced an internal Equity Summit to onboard all staff into the equity approaches that would be implemented going forward. They also were able to work with state education policy leaders to address systemic racism within the education system. And finally, they were able to convince 26 states to establish an equity leader position within the state education agency.

In 2021, Holmes plans to continue to build out additional strategies and policy shifts that will achieve even greater racial equity across the education system.

Dechert LLP Headquarters: Philadelphia, PA & New York, NY Industry: Law CEO: Henry Nassau

This is a painful and fraught moment in history, but we cannot give in to despair. Many of our colleagues are personally affected by these recent events and have too often experienced discrimination in their own lives. We must respond in the way that we as a community always do: listen and support one another and, just as when our clients’ problems are more difficult than expected, work harder. The search for justice has always been fueled and enabled by the law. We cannot turn away now simply because the task has become more complicated, or will take longer than we anticipated.

– Chair Andy Levander & CEO Henry Nassau

Satra Sampson-Arokium

Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer

Her Credentials: Masters of Public Administration, Marist College; BA, political science, State University of New York at Albany

Her Philosophy: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Dr. Maya Angelou; Take the time to listen, and always treat people with dignity and respect.

Dechert publicly condemned the tragic and unconscionable murder of George Floyd and countless others. In response to Black Lives Matter, the firm’s diversity team planned and implemented a comprehensive employee program to deepen our understanding of racism, anti-racist practices, and ally-ship. The program included a Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit; Juneteenth—A Day to Reflect and Recharge; Virtual Forums for Black Employees; and Stand Against Racism Town Hall and Speaker Series.

In 2021, to improve associate retention, especially for diverse and women associates, and promote a culture that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion, Dechert will launch a mentoring program, plan a work allocation system, build on its town hall and racial justice series, continue interactive sessions on inclusive leadership, launch and train a new class of diversity liaison partners who will oversee D&I efforts in their respective practice groups, and host a virtual Diverse Lawyers’ Symposium and a Sponsorship and Sustained Support program for senior female associates, counsel, and partners. As a leading global law firm with 26 offices around the world, Dechert views diversity and inclusion as a core component of the firm’s constitution and the responsibility of all Dechert personnel.

Each year, firm leaders dedicate time to intense interactive sessions on inclusive leadership at the firm’s Partner Retreat, an annual gathering of Dechert’s partners from around the world. In 2020, the program was expanded to associates and business service professionals, and topics included affinity bias, attribution bias, covering, in and out groups, priming, and unconscious bias. The most recent session focused on inclusive leadership in times of crisis, in response to both the global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Dechert’s formal D&I Strategy program includes a director, a manager, a senior specialist, a specialist, and a global talent assistant. Together, they are responsible for strategic oversight and implementation of the firm’s D&I initiatives.

The Diversity & Inclusion Committee, comprising 20 members, oversees policies and procedures that support the D&I strategy.

Diversity liaison partners, who oversee the D&I efforts of their respective practice groups, monitor assignments for equitable distribution of opportunities and workflow, and ensure that diverse individuals are mentored and sponsored, advised on their development, and promoted internally and externally.

Dechert’s Asian, Black, Family, Greater Middle Eastern, Latino, LGBTQ, and Veteran affinity groups, in addition to its Global Women’s Initiative, support the development and retention of diverse attorneys.

Ernst & Young (EY) Headquarters: London, England Industry: Professional Services CEO: Carmine Di Sibio

At EY, we have been on our own path to close the gender gap. These efforts are part of our firm strategy, which also includes our broader goal of advancing diversity and inclusiveness. Over the last few years, we’ve intensified that work by laying out a D&I roadmap for success, which I sponsor, along with the Global Head of Diversity & Inclusiveness at EY. The aim is for everyone—individuals, teams, and leadership—to design, track, and advance our progress. We’ve made some important strides, learned a lot along the way, and are committed to our plan.

– Carmine Di Sibio, EY Global Chairman and CEO

EY works hard to stay connected to and aware of the feelings and needs of its diverse workforce. To that end, we regularly conduct our Global People Survey to confirm that formal and informal cultures match, which helps guide our D&I journey in the most efficient direction. We also issue short People Pulse surveys on a quarterly basis to stay abreast of top-of-mind issues and concerns of EY people around the world.

We continue to keep D&I highly visible to our people and ensure that D&I is a positive driver to the growth of our business. This can be seen throughout our culture and in the initiatives we act on.

Some of our D&I actions are shared with our people through direct communications from senior leaders, including our global chairman and CEO, through all-hands calls and firm-wide emails. The firm also regularly shares updates about D&I progress, new initiatives, and learning opportunities through internal newsletter articles. For instance, the firm just launched Inclusive Leadership for All, a global training course designed to help our people become more inclusive leaders and team members.

At EY, we strive to provide equitable opportunities to all members of our diverse workforce. We encourage sponsorship, along with access to growth assignments, to help increase the representation of women and ethnic minorities in leadership ranks.

The firm is also committed to equity for partners and staff. Equity in opportunities, advancement, and compensation is a business imperative, and we strive to promote fair practices for all our people, across all genders and other dimensions of diversity. Karyn Twaronite

Global, Americas & US Diversity & Inclusiveness Officer

Her Credentials: BS, accounting, Miami University of Ohio; MS, taxation, Fordham University; Strategic Human Resource Management certificate, Harvard Business School; licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA), state of New York

Her Philosophy: Creating a sense of belonging is pivotal to aligning business practices with a commitment to social progress. And when different voices join together, they can pave the way toward a more sustainable and inclusive future— not only driving a lasting impact on business, but also on our communities.

In 2020, my team worked to evolve D&I efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our efforts included the following: promoting inclusive leadership practices, providing digital tools, offering resources, and helping facilitate connection points for those disproportionately impacted by world events; supporting EY’s efforts in the United States to help eradicate racism and discrimination against the Black community; leading the creation of EY’s Global Social Equity Task Force; sponsoring and helping to launch the EY Global Executive Diversity & Inclusion statement; spearheading efforts to update the company’s values to explicitly incorporate inclusiveness; and working to update EY’s Global Code of Conduct to further reflect inclusiveness as a core expectation.

While EY continues to navigate both the global health and social crises, we understand some of our D&I priorities might change directions in order to respond to important issues certain populations are facing. As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues and some return to the office, while other continue working remotely, EY must be prepared to address the cultural ramifications that come with hybrid teaming and company leaders must work together to ensure that opportunities are equitable, differences are valued, people feel supported, and all voices are heard.

HP Inc. Headquarters: Palo Alto, California Industry: Technology CEO: Enrique Lores

At HP, our long-held belief is that we should leverage our company and our abilities to leave a Sustainable Impact on the planet, our people, and local communities around the world. Protecting the environment and supporting diversity and inclusion are good for business and good for all of us. Since our company’s founding nearly 80 years ago, sustainability, diversity, and inclusion have been tightly woven into our DNA and guide the business decisions we make. We will always advocate and prioritize policies and programs that advance this agenda, while at the same time protecting human rights for everyone, everywhere.

– Enrique Lores, CEO

Harvey Anderson

General Counsel

His Credentials: Bachelor of Science, civil engineering, Marquette University; Juris Doctor, University of San Francisco School of Law

In mid- 2020, Harvey Anderson and his team implemented the Mansfield Rule for HP’s legal functions. In committing to the Rule, HP will be challenged to “walk the talk” and demonstrate substantive progress in redefining its strategy to source top diverse talent.

HP also launched a taskforce on Racial Equality and Social Justice. Anderson plays a key role in leading the taskforce’s work across three main pillars: people, industry, and local and national.

In 2021, Anderson’s team plans to expand the reach of diversity and inclusion efforts and make progress against the goals of HP’s taskforce on racial equality and social justice, notably, to double the number of Black/African American executives by 2025, raise Black/African American representation at HP to industry levels, and double the number of Black/African Americans in technical roles.

Anderson’s team will also continue driving toward Mansfield Certification, engage leaders and employees to grow the company’s Business Impact Networks, engage diverse communities, promote STEM education and career opportunities for diverse students, and foster inclusive work environments where employees are empowered to innovate and grow their careers. HP’s success is driven by the power of its people. Corporations who prioritize diversity position themselves to better understand and respond to the needs, experiences, and motivations of customers. To succeed as a global company, we must represent and encourage people from different countries, races, ethnicities, genders, religions, sexual orientations, ages, and all other demographics.

HP is proud to have one of the most diverse Boards of Directors in technology. Our directors care deeply about accelerating our business by embracing diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, along with all facets of our business.

We are driven to make HP the destination of choice for top talent, including women and underrepresented groups. In recent years, we have achieved a six percent increase in women in executive-level roles. In many global functions, including legal, finance, HR, and marketing, women now represent more than 55 percent of our employee base.

We create a diverse and inclusive environment by elevating awareness of unconscious bias in our management training, improving diversity hiring, and ensuring pay equality.

Diversity and inclusion shape our way of thinking and operating. More innovation and more creativity will come from groups that represent the areas of the world that we serve. This guiding principle helps drive the bottom line of our business and ultimately, we believe, benefits the communities where we live and work.

LinkedIn Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California Industry: Public Company CEO: Ryan Roslansky

At a time of global focus on racial injustice and a pandemic that has disproportionately affected Black and Latino communities in the United States, along with other marginalized communities worldwide, the work of economic equity has never been more important. At LinkedIn, we believe companies—as the enablers of wealth creation and professional mobility—must play a leading role in building a more equitable future for all.

– Ryan Roslansky, CEO

As an organization that exists to create economic opportunity for the entire global workforce, LinkedIn recognizes the organization’s responsibility to help build that future, both within its workforce and for hundreds of millions of members and customers. In the long term, this means building towards a world where professional organizations are a reflection of the communities in which they operate.

Its Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging strategy begins with LinkedIn’s workforce, with an ongoing focus on increasing representation of underrepresented communities and building an environment of inclusion and belonging at LinkedIn.

Beyond inclusive hiring, LinkedIn puts a heavy emphasis on retaining and growing people from all backgrounds. One way to do this is through mentorship and professional development programs geared to address the career paths of women globally and Black and Latino employees in the United States. Programming examples include: • Women’s Initiative (WIN)–Incubated in

LinkedIn’s sales organization, WIN produced a 66% increase in female leadership over four years; now expanding WIN’s scope across all G&A functions • Women in Tech (WIT)–Committed to achieving gender equality in technical roles • LinkedIn Engagement and Development program (LEAD)–Aimed at attracting, engaging, and developing Black and

Latino talent in the U.S., with plans to extend to underrepresented ethnic groups internationally • Evolving the organization’s leadership and governance model to better leverage LinkedIn’s 9 ERGs in developing future leaders Rosanna Durruthy

Vice President, Global Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

Her Credentials: BS, government and humanities, Harvard University; LGBTQ Executive Leadership Program, Design Thinking, Stanford University–Graduate School of Business

Her Philosophy: Belonging isn’t something any of us create for ourselves; it’s the product of a shared commitment.

In 2020, Rosanna Durruthy and her team launch a key initiative to achieve a diverse slate of candidates, inclusive of Black, Latino, and female talent, at all stages. They saw a double-digit increase in the achievement rate of diverse slates for hires year-over-year. The team piloted a new hiring program that recruited and hired people without traditional customer support backgrounds for our Customer Operations team. TransformHER events in 2020 created a forum to uplift women of color and their allies, which included more than 4,000 live participants and more than 100,000 viewers on replay. In the UK, an ongoing series of LinkedIn events focused on introducing Black professionals to opportunities at LinkedIn, while also offering opportunities to build skills and network. Led by Rosanna Durruthy, LinkedIn’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging goals are industry leading in women representation across industry averages. Four years ago, less than a third of LinkedIn’s leaders were women. Now, women represent nearly 42 percent of leadership—a 12 percent increase in the past two years, and 34 percent in the past four.

In 2021, the team’s top talent initiative will be focused on developing people managers who are world class at inclusive leadership. Along with being responsible for hiring and promotion decisions, and coaching and developing the people on their teams, these people managers will be setting the tone for an inclusive culture. The practices and principles Durruthy’s team applies will help build a culture of belonging for employees from many historically marginalized backgrounds. They will also launch a series of learning sessions in LinkedIn’s India, Japan, and China offices, focused on building an inclusive environment for people with disabilities.

New American Funding Headquarters: Tustin, California Industry: Direct Mortgage Lender CEO: Rick Arvielo

The New American Funding family is made up of diverse people of all genders and identities. Women make up 60 percent of all employees with many holding C-level positions, 45 percent of all employees are minorities, and 37 percent are Millennials. New American Funding’s executive staff, along with support team members, works diligently to cultivate a truly diverse and inclusive work environment. This promotes the company’s NAF360 culture initiative, which is designed to ensure employees experience an environment where they are treated with complete and total respect.

– Rick Arvielo, CEO

Patty Arvielo,

Co-Founder and President

As a result of the company’s Latino Focus and New American Dream initiatives, New American Funding’s purchase lending in 2020 was 44.9 percent more than the industry percentage in lending to minorities, based on the most recently available data. Despite a year of upheaval due to the pandemic, New American Funding broke lending records in every month last year, helping more people buy a home or secure their financial future than ever before. Due to the growth of its business in 2020, New American Funding hired more than 2,600 new employees, more than doubling its workforce in one year.

In 2017, New American Funding pledged to increase Hispanic homeownership with $25 billion committed to new mortgages for Hispanic borrowers by 2024. That effort will continue throughout 2021 and beyond. The company will continue to offer competitive rates and a variety of loan programs, including Down Payment Assistance and Bond programs to help first-time home buyers meet down payment requirements, as well as help to pay closing costs. The company will also continue outreach efforts in minority communities to educate and encourage homeownership as a means to create wealth. New American Funding considers itself a family. Through the company’s Diversity and Inclusion initiative, New American Funding embraces and values our differences and recognizes that they make the company stronger. The company is constantly working to increase diversity among its employees. As a result, the company’s efforts ensure that diverse voices are contributing to New American Funding’s continued success.

New American Funding’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts are company-wide, starting at the very top of the organization and reaching each of the company’s approximately 4,700 employees. The company embraces and encourages differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics which make them unique.

New American Funding’s no-discrimination policy has led to a truly diverse workforce; approximately 60 percent of employees are female, approximately 45 percent are minorities, and approximately 37 percent are millennials.

One obstacle New American Funding will continue working to overcome is the decades of racial and economic inequality that have prevented minority communities from thriving. For far too long, members of minority communities have been denied the opportunity to become homeowners. Since its founding, New American Funding has fought to change that, and the company has no plans to slow down.

New York Life Headquarters: New York, New York Industry: Financial Services CEO: Ted Mathas

New York Life could not have achieved the success we enjoy today were it not for our richly diverse corporate culture. Rather than expect employees and agents to adapt themselves to a single way of doing business, everyone is encouraged to bring their own cultural and intellectual perspectives to the table.

Nor do we pursue a one-size-fits-all approach in the marketplace; our culturally sensitive outreach to customers has established New York Life as “The Company of the Community” in neighborhoods that reflect the changing face of America. Little wonder that we consider our commitment to diversity to be a fundamental strategic strength.

– Ted Mathas, CEO

We are living in turbulent times that require that we continue to respond to emerging needs quickly, providing support and guidance to our employees and leaders, as we continue our core programming. This requires balancing competing demands, prioritization, and heightened expectations. Diversity and inclusion have never been more important. The impact of the work we do is significant.

We continue our efforts of preparing women to take on new opportunities as they arise, including developing skills to run a P&L. Through the enhancement of existing professional development programs and leveraging our external partnerships and leadership opportunities within ERGs, we provide development opportunities, many of which reach beyond soft skills to the technical skills required to succeed in leadership roles. These prepared female leaders will be in the pool when C-suite and board opportunities become available.

Additionally, our Diversity & Inclusion team meets with department heads on a regular basis to discuss their workforce; year-to-date hiring, promotions, and attrition; upcoming opportunities; and progress against their D&I action plan. These efforts ensure that leaders are focused and accountable for preparing all talent.

For board recruiting, we have engaged a woman-owned recruiting firm that specializes in placing diverse candidates. Given this focus, they naturally have a variety of programs and approaches they have used to build their network of diverse candidates. Keith McClain

Vice President and Global Head of Compensation

His Credentials: Master’s degree, human resources management, Rutgers University; Bachelor’s degree, industrial and organizational psychology, University of Maryland

His Philosophy: Progress does not happen. Progress is made. Everything we are as a society and culture—all the good and all the bad—is the direct result of somebody deciding to act.

New York Life kicked off 2020 with our campaign, You Belong: Building a future where everyone belongs. We created a Social Justice Steering Committee to advance the company’s social and racial equity efforts. Our Social Justice Working Group assesses current initiatives and proposes practices to support employees and the broader community. We developed a new Coming Together program for small team sessions that discussed being color brave instead of color blind. The company designed and delivered manager and executive training on Leading During Uncertain Times to address COVID-19, as well as courageous conversation and inclusive leadership training. We also created 11 resource guides related to COVID-19 and social justice, and launched a new mentorship program for our Asian, Black, and Latino ERGs.

In 2021, we will continue to focus on supporting social justice. Our annual campaign, Social Justice in Action: Let’s talk about us, will provide a platform to help employees understand the importance of identity in intersectionality and what it’s like to walk in others’ shoes. Our Social Justice Steering Committee and Working Group will continue to implement initiatives to drive meaningful progress. We plan to continue our Coming Together courageous conversation series, and training and support for employees and managers. We will also expand our mentorship program and implement the next phase of our unconscious bias training program.

RBC Capital Markets Headquarters: Toronto, Canada Industry: Investment Bank CEO: Derek Neldner

Now is a time where we must come together as a community to support each other, foster greater empathy and understanding, and show leadership in driving lasting change. I encourage you to check in on people who may be struggling, to provide your support and solidarity. I also encourage you to take action by speaking up and calling out instances of injustice when you see them and by championing inclusion and respect. It is important for us to have open, candid conversations—to listen, share perspectives, and understand the experiences of others. Together, we can and must make a difference.

– Derek Neldner, CEO

Sandye Taylor

Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion

Her Credentials: JD, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law; Bachelor’s degree, University of Maryland College Park

Her Philosophy: Stay solutions oriented. Create practical solutions that will be lasting, touch multiple areas of the business, bring valuable information to the entire organization, and most importantly, always stay focused on driving meaningful change.

RBC Capital Markets CEO Derek Neldner released the company’s first Global Diversity and Inclusion Blueprint in 2020, outlining strategic priorities and specific actions that would be taken over the course of the year to improve assessing and encouraging diversity and inclusion at work. The blueprint included a company-wide survey, the establishment of a Diversity Leadership Council, the introduction of KPIs that leadership would use to measure progress, and mandated diverse hiring practices. Additionally, the company committed to improving representation from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. This included a $100 million program to be distributed over five years in small business loans to Black entrepreneurs and investing $50 million through RBC Future Launch to create pathways to prosperity for 25,000 BIPOC youth.

RBC has three goals for diversity, inclusion, and equity in 2021, which the company is driving from an enterprise level: enabling equitable opportunities by removing barriers; fostering and strengthening an inclusive culture; and driving systemic change through partnerships and transparency. The organization has committed to driving equity representation at titled officer levels, enabling an inclusive culture to help drive innovation and representation, and becoming recognized as a thought leader on the subject of diversity and inclusion. RBC is driven by five core values: client first; collaboration; accountability; integrity; and diversity & inclusion. D&I being one of RBC’s key values means it is placed front and center in business discussions, and is a key pillar in our organizational structure. This is shown through the resources allocated to D&I initiatives, the senior leadership we have producing content focused on D&I initiatives, and the frequent communications we have around D&I with our stakeholders, both internally and externally.

It is RBC Capital Markets’ philosophy that our organization’s diversity and inclusion initiatives are a shared responsibility for each member of the organization. This means that we are communicating with employees about the initiatives and their progress from their first interview as a prospective employee and then, through regular emails and direct communications once they are on the team. With this in mind, we also know a dedicated D&I team is crucial to keep our many initiatives running. Across the larger Royal Bank of Canada organization, there are 15 full-time staff dedicated to D&I issues.

We are proud of the progress we have already made toward boardroom gender parity, with women making up 47 percent of our Board of Directors. To continue toward true gender parity among senior leadership, we have several specific strategies in place that we work on with our Human Resources team to elevate both the level of talent and representation within RBC.

Sephora Headquarters: San Francisco, California Industry: Prestige Beauty Retail CEO: Jean-Andre Rougeot

Sephora believes in championing all beauty, living with courage, and standing fearlessly together to celebrate our differences.

We will never stop building a community where diversity is expected, self-expression is honored, all are welcomed, and you are included.

– Sephora Manifesto

Sephora is motivated by seven core values that are part of our DNA and inherent in everything we do. They are the foundation of our culture, our brand, and our business strategies. Through our values, clients can expect a strong assortment of product, the best-in-class beauty shopping experience, and to be serviced by our expertly trained beauty advisors. 1. Respect: We are fearless in fostering a sense of belonging for everyone 2. Passion: We are fearless about putting our client at the center of everything we do 3. Innovation: We are fearless when we take risks to enhance the client experience 4. Initiative: We are fearless when it comes to taking action and designing solutions 5. Expertise: We are fearless when it comes to learning and growing 6. Balance: We are fearless in demonstrating care for ourselves and each other 7. Teamwork: We are fearless in how we work together and accomplish any task at hand

At Sephora, our diversity and inclusion mission is simple: championing all beauty fearlessly and building inclusive environments for our employees, consumers, and communities. Together, we’re committed to creating a culture of belonging. In 2020 Sephora became the first major retailer to take the 15 Percent Pledge, committing 15 percent of our store’s shelf space to prestige Black-owned companies. George-Axelle Broussillon Matschinga

Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion

Her Credentials: Women and Power Executive Program, Harvard University; Master’s degree, management of people and organizations, ESCP Europe University; Master’s degree, human resources, communication and negotiation, Bachelor’s degree, corporate communications and advertising, CELSA Sorbonne University

Her Philosophy: What gets measured gets done.

In 2020, Sephora debuted its “We Belong to Something Beautiful” campaign—an articulation of Sephora’s values and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our work became all the more salient, when calls for racial justice took hold, and major companies were called upon to show up and take action.

Leveraging insights from listening sessions with over 400 of our Black/African American employees, we launched a holistic, company-wide Diversity & Inclusion strategy, Sephora D&I Heart Journey. The strategy comprises 11 initiatives with a simple mission: championing all beauty fearlessly and building inclusive environments for our employees, consumers, and communities. We identified six categories and focused our efforts not only on hiring and advancement, but also on working across all parts of the company to create inclusive environments.

Sephora’s focus is on building a more inclusive beauty community and improving the shopper experience, for the benefit of its employees, clients, and the beauty and retail communities at large. In 2021, Sephora will reinforce its goal of being a place where everyone belongs via its workforce, leadership, shopping experience, and product assortment. Existing commitments like the 15 Percent Pledge will be brought to life in 2021 through programs like Sephora’s Accelerate brand incubator.

Walmart Headquarters: Bentonville, Arkansas Industry: Retail CEO: Doug McMillon

Listening is a critical first step, but it is not sufficient on its own. We must follow up our listening with a commitment to learn and then to lead. It’s only when we are willing to understand another point of view, allow that to change our thinking, and then take action that we’ll continue to make progress. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that none of us knows what tomorrow will bring. What I do know is that if we’re all committed to listen, learn, and lead, there’s hope that tomorrow will be a little more inclusive and equitable than today.

– Ben Hasan, SVP, Chief Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer

Richard Mayfield

EVP, Global Sourcing & Regional CEO - Walmex & Canada

His Credentials: BA & MA, economics, Cambridge University; ACA

His Philosophy: Valuing people for who they are and for the unique perspectives and capabilities they bring matters deeply to me. I am passionate about creating fair and equal access to opportunity and I know that our business is more innovative, agile and successful when our diverse associates feel a sense of belonging and can reach their full potential.

In 2020, our team established the following Vision, Objective, and Priorities for the President’s Inclusion Council: • Vision: At Walmart, we value our differences and believe in including everyone. • Purpose: Lead inclusion globally, creating a culture where diversity is essential and everyone is encouraged to be themselves. • 3 Priorities: Build an Inclusive Walmart; Build Inclusive and Equitable

People Processes across the Associate Life Cycle; Drive a Culture of

Ownership, Accountability, and Engagement.

We committed $100 million (over the next five years) to create a center on racial justice, established 4 Shared Value Networks to identify issues Walmart can help address, built a comprehensive program to drive learning and awareness around inclusive leadership, took action to improve diversity in recruitment and hiring, increased transparency of diversity data and measurement, increased accessibility for disabled customers and associates, developed SMART action plans to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, and mandated that corporate officers attend a two-day Racial Equity training session.

In 2021, we expect to see meaningful progress toward our goal of achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects our communities. We will be working to achieve continuous improvement in inclusion and equity as measured by our Associate Engagement Survey. We also expect to make significant progress in our drive for awareness and learning, as measured by completion of mandatory training and usage levels of training on Inclusive Leadership. We’re in the business of welcoming—our associates spend a lot of time supporting and serving one another, as well as our customers and communities. That’s why inclusion is a cornerstone of Walmart’s business, and we are a better, more resilient company because of it. We focus on helping people save money so that they can live better. For us, living better also applies to fostering an inclusive culture and equitable workplace, so that every associate has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential.

As of July 2020, our U.S. workforce of more than 1.4 million associates included 20.7 percent Black or African American associates, 16.4 percent LatinX associates, 4.9 percent Asian American or Pacific Islander associates, and 1.1 percent Native American or Alaskan Native associates. Women represented 55.1 percent of our global workforce, which included 44.8 percent of global management associates and 30.2 percent of global officers.

By fostering a workplace culture where everyone is included, everyone wins. Associates are happier, perform at their best, and in turn, provide better service to our customers and members. The mission of our Global Office of Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is to create an inclusive culture where all associates are engaged to deliver on our purpose of saving people money so they can live better.

To drive change inside and outside our company, we announced in June 2020 that Walmart would develop strategies and invest resources to increase fairness, equity, and justice, with specific attention paid to America’s health care, financial, education, and criminal justice systems.

Wayfair Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts Industry: e-Commerce CEO: Niraj Shah

We can reconfirm our belief that racism in any form (explicit or implicit) is unacceptable in our community, both at Wayfair and in the communities in which we live. We need to keep saying this, more loudly and even more often. And, we must confront, and change, any examples we find. While I believe that we have always tried to do this, I think the early success of our internal efforts from the last year, and the plans of things to come, show that we can and should do more. But the most important thing for all of us to do today is support each other, take care of each other. This is true here at our Wayfair community and this is also true in our other communities, with our families and friends, places of worship, towns and cities. Each of us can be there for each other, listening and learning, and it will make the world a tiny bit better.

– Niraj Shah, CEO

At Wayfair, there are no corner offices. In fact, there are no offices at all. We support an open, transparent workplace where leaders mentor the more than 16,700 bright talents that sit among them—and vice versa.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team serves as Wayfair’s internal compass that promotes a global community, ensures an inclusive culture, and grows market penetration through innovation, which can only be provided through a sense of belonging across a diverse workforce.

We use data to understand the current state of DEI at Wayfair, set goals for improvement, and track our progress over time. Looking at our representation data, we see that our corporate, tech, and leadership populations are not as diverse as we would like them to be. This knowledge informs our DEI strategy and initiatives. Our goal is to move the needle on representation as a result of these initiatives. We will achieve this by doing the following: • Leveraging qualitative and quantitative data to better assess people patterns • Identifying intervention points throughout the employee lifecycle • Highlighting opportunities within physical and virtual spaces to enhance a sense of belonging • Striving to delight the customer by leveraging a workforce that reflects them KeyAnna Schmiedl

Global Head of Culture & Inclusion

Her Credentials: BS, human services & MBA, human resources, Fitchburg State University

Her Philosophy: We know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our community to help us build a better Wayfair—and world. Every voice, every perspective matters. Embedding DEI principles into Wayfair practices allows the organization to take full advantage of the ideas, suggestions, and feedback unique to our diverse and talented workforce.

In just 18 months, KeyAnna has established the DEI function at Wayfair, driven our focus on data transparency, rewritten our core People Principles, structured our ERGs, and placed DEI at the forefront of everything we do.

In 2020, the DEI team spearheaded the launch of a company-wide DEI Council to build and sustain an inclusive culture, and co-created new DEI training for recruiters to increase diversity in candidate pools. The team elevated Wayfair’s DEI tracking and measurement, focusing on data transparency and leveraging data to understand the current state of DEI and inform training. And partnering with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the team supported the rollout of a program that doubled employee donation matching and a day of service, leading to more than $900,000 in donations to organizations that support ending racism, hatred, and violence.

In 2021, through cross-functional partnerships, the DEI team will continue to create strategies and identify initiatives to increase diversity in the talent we recruit, develop, and promote. These efforts will foster an inclusive environment that encourages all employees to bring their authentic selves to the workplace, propelling the innovative potential of the organization. Using qualitative and quantitative analysis to identify levers to create equitable outcomes, Wayfair will strategically build a best-in-class culture.