Diversity & Inclusion Special
INCLUSION HAPPENS WHILE INTERACTING What do inclusion and diversity mean? At core, they are about simple acceptance and
session for our female leadership after
trying to understand one another and making sure people feel heard and truly valued
results from interview data showed
for who they are. Accenture has been investing in inclusion and diversity since 1998,
women at a leadership level felt especially
where the adage is that it’s okay to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them
disconnected due to COVID. This enabled
and change along the way. After being actively involved on the sidelines for some
people to share their experiences and
time alongside full-time roles in Cloud and Data & Analytics, Javier Leonor (Global
struggles and connect with the coaches we
Inclusion & Diversity Pride Programme Lead) and Catie Crossman (Inclusion
provided. That’s what we always try to do:
& Diversity Lead for France and Benelux Market Unit) were asked to work on inclusion
create impactful moments that bring about
and diversity full-time at Accenture. Catie: “I felt heard for the first time when I
change towards equality.”
joined Accenture and that made me especially keen to make a difference.” You are what you measure Inclusion and diversity are topics close to
global presence enables people to make
One thing that sets Accenture apart from
both Catie and Javier’s hearts. Their past
connections anywhere around the world. In
other organizations is their data-driven
personal experiences of self-discovery
addition, they have six or seven employee-
approach to addressing inclusion and
and discrimination, on the one hand,
led networks in the Netherlands, such as
diversity gaps. Javier: “We have a data
and positions of privilege, on the other,
Pride, Cross-Cultural, Women @ Accenture,
dashboard for everything we’re doing
fed a need to make a difference and help
and, since recently, Neurodiversity. Catie
in relation to inclusion and diversity.
people feel at home. “I try to make sure
is responsible for building awareness and
We measure how all our countries are
members of the LGBTIQ+ community –
promoting inclusive leadership locally. “I
doing on these topics, use that data
whom we call ‘Pride’ at Accenture – feel
really see our role being to bring people
to expose our gaps, and then we work
welcomed globally and can easily find
together and kick-start conversations and,
together with the local team to address
their way, teams and friends”, Javier says.
through that, make issues actionable.
that item. Nobody is perfect, there is
“We want everyone to be able to thrive
How you do that depends on where
always room for improvement, and the
within the company.” Accenture’s robust
people are at. Recently, we organized a
data shows our strengths and areas for
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