INvolve has revealed 2021’s OUTstanding LGBT+ Role Models inspiring meaningful change from all corners of the world.
The coveted lists from the global diversity and inclusion consultancy celebrate 250 businesspeople who play a key role in breaking the glass ceiling for LGBT+ professionals. Supported by Yahoo! Finance, the OUTstanding LGBT+ Role Model Lists also showcase corporate leaders who are championing diversity and inclusion at work; and driving change for equality in business. The lists, which recognise positive role models worldwide within the workplace, are split into Top 100 Executives, Future Leaders and Advocates.
Moriaki Kida, Chairperson and CEO of EY Japan leads the Top 100 Executive Leaders list, followed by Amin Kassam, Head of Legal – Asia Pacific at Bloomberg; Emily Hamilton, Vice President – Strategic Change at Electrocomponents Plc; Beth Ford, President and CEO of Land O’Lakes; and Daisy Reeves, Partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.
BRITISH LGBTQ+ ROLE MODELS
Four out of the Top 20 businesspeople on the executives list are British or British-based; including filmmaker David Furnish, CEO of Rocket Entertainment, and Elton John’s husband (at number 11). Senior British TV executive Matt Scarff, Director of Media & Creative at ITV, and one of the champions of groundbreaking initiatives such as ITV Pride, is also among the Top 20 Brits on the influential worldwide Executives list.
Commenting on the recognition, ITV’s Scarff, said: “I am very excited to be named in this year’s OUTstanding list and so is ITV. What I love about the OUTstanding list is that it is consistent; and it has a positive reputation across our communities. It is really important to me that my company recognises my experience; and what I bring to the table as a leader. At ITV, I have only had really positive praise and comments.”
Founders of myGwork, the business community for LGBTQ+ professionals, also feature in this year’s top 100 LGBT+ Role Models list. “We are honoured to be included in this year’s Top 100 OUTstanding LGBT+ Role Model list; alongside so many of our supporters from around the world who are working with us to drive LGBTQ+ inclusion and much-needed change,” stated myGwork’s CMO Adrien and CEO Pierre Gaubert. “We would like to extend our congratulations to all the inspiring and OUTstanding LGBT+ role models on all three lists.”
UK’S FUTURE LEADERS
British-based Lex Chan, General Counsel at the Business of Fashion, is named number one on the Future Leaders list. “To be featured in the list with such amazing role models is an honour in and of itself,” commented Chan. “So to be ranked number one is not only a surprise, but also hopefully gives younger gender diverse people the fearlessness to pursue their ambitions; and the tenacity not to let the prejudices or ignorance of others lead them to believe that they should not have a seat at the table because of their identity.”
Chan is named alongside five other British businesspeople in the Top 20 of the Future Leaders list; including Bruna Gil, Channel Partner Lead at LinkedIn (number five) and Jules Buet, Quantitative Developer at Citi (number seven). “I’m extremely honoured being LGBTQ+ and female-passing; I’ve experienced a lot of homophobia, biphobia and sexism. I have also seen a lot of hateful transphobia online, though fortunately not in my workplace,” highlighted Citi’s Buet. “Being recognised now means a lot. It means I have not just survived those years of bullying, but I have been able to keep building my life; and thrive through my activism.”
LGBTQ+ ADVOCATES
Francesca McDonagh, Group Chief Executive Officer for Bank of Ireland Group, and one of the most powerful women in global banking, ranks number two on the Advocates list; along with Beatriz Martin, UK Chief Executive & Group Treasurer of UBS Group AG, and Caroline Frankum, Global CEO of Kantar.
“Lists like this show the power of visibility and will hopefully encourage more visibility in each of our organisations. They remind us of the progress we have made in recent years. But they also caution us against complacency. A number of serious homophobic events in Ireland this year reinforced to me that visible support for the LGBTQ+ community matters as much as ever,” highlighted McDonagh. “It goes without saying that diversity and inclusion goes far beyond badges and banners. D&I must be treated as a priority for your customers and colleagues, and for your business. At Bank of Ireland it is a fundamental part of how we think about our culture.”
US DIVERSITY CHAMPIONS
Four out of the top 10 executives in the annual OUTstanding LGBT+ global role model lists and an impressive third (32) of the overall Top 100 Executives are from the US. Beth Ford, President and CEO of agribusiness co-operative Land O’Lakes Inc, based in Minnesota, is the leading US businessperson on the 2021 Executives list at number four. Others in the Top 10 include Allyn Shaw, President and CTO of Recycle Track Systems in New York; Robyn Grew, Global COO, GC and Head of ESG and Head of Man Group US in New York; and Louis Vega, President North America of the Dow Group, also based in New York.
US executives from companies including Hootsuite, Komatsu, Google, Dell and SoundCloud; and wide-ranging sectors including media, consulting, government, manufacturing, finance, entertainment and technology also feature on the lists. Marc Pritchard, the Chief Brand Officer of Procter and Gamble, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, takes the number one slot; and is among four US businesspeople in the Top Ten Advocates List and 13 in the overall Top 50. Others include Rich Lesser, CEO of BCG in New York; Jimmy Etheredge, CEO North America for Accenture, based in Atlanta; and Laureen Seeger, Chief Legal Officer of American Express, based in New York.
US businesspeople also scooped four spots in the Top 10 of the Future Leaders OUTstanding LGBT+ role model list; including Jenn Renoe, Associate Media Director of Publicis Health Media advertising agency in New York ranked at number six.
POSITIVE LGBT+ ROLE MODELS & ALLIES
“Positive role models in business are vital. They blaze a trail for change and inspire others to take action for inclusion. I am proud to be celebrating this year’s global OUTstanding LGBT+ Role Models; and I’m thrilled to be able to showcase their incredible achievements in driving LGBT+ inclusion,” stated Suki Sandhu OBE, Founder and CEO of INvolve.
They are all working to “dismantle systems and smash barriers to progress that can prevent the LGBT+ community from succeeding; and thriving both in business and beyond. You can’t be what you can’t see, so there is a great need for strong and meaningful role models to be visible in business, across the media and in society”, added Sandhu. We must ensure that LGBT+ representation goes beyond optics and stereotypes to help drive a truly inclusive and equal world. With LGBT+ rights being scrutinised globally, the recent rise of transphobia and hostility towards the LGBT+ community, it’s more important than ever to celebrate and learn from those who are driving long-term, positive change for the LGBT+ community.”
Click here to see the full lists featuring all 250 of 2021’s LGBT+ Role Models, and here to see last year’s LGBT+ Role Models.
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