2023 Members’ Choice – Game Changer Award Nominations
We are pleased to unveil the LGBTIQ+ 2023 Members’ Choice – Game Changer Award Nomination List, shining a spotlight on exceptional contributions and accomplishments in the realm of workplace diversity and inclusion. This distinguished award is all about recognising initiatives from among our members that ignite societal impact for the LGBTIQ+ community. Please use the Survey Monkey Link sent on October 9th to cast your vote.
Important Date:
Voting will close at midnight on Wednesday November 1 – no exceptions can be made.
Note: Only 1 vote per organisation is allowed.
LGBTIQ+ 2023 Members’ Choice – Game Changer Award Nominees
We would like to nominate Maxim Buise for this. For six years now, and stepping down end of 2023, Maxim is the Chair of the Aegon Proud NL group. For this established group, in the firm’s headquarters in The Hague he has been the driving force: the bricks and the mortar. He has worked on many activities that have a visible impact throughout the year.
Impact
Maxim has played a critical role in making transition leave being added to the CLA of Aegon in the Netherlands
Visibility
https://www.aegon.com/newsroom/news/2023/marking-transgender-day-visibility
Courage
It takes courage to initiate this for the company and to push barriers in a corporate. It really has a bit impact for our employees in transition or planning to.
EU LGBTQI+ equal benefits/policies project. Cross functional project team: Elizabeth van Ast HR – Jan Willem Nieuwland HR – Maarten Eddes DE&I – Mutlu Cavusoglu ERG – Nicoleta Pantelica HR – Nicoletta Baratta ERG – Patricia Kejzlar HR – Sabrina Paula DE&I – Warren Lloyd ERG
Impact
The project scope was to review current benefits/policies and working to close any gaps which, by legislation, do not ensure LGBTIQI+ employees equal benefits, solely because they are members of the LGBTIQI+ community. After a first period of assessment, as a result of the project, this year we have been able so far to align benefits or ensure dedicated financial support in the following countries across different business units: Italy, Romani and Poland.
Visibility
The project and related results have been presented in multiple occasions: internally in town halls and panel discussions and externally as best practice sharing with other companies we are establishing collaboration with. All the new policy updates have been published in our internal website and in some cases we have created specific guidebooks to be distributed to all employees including manufacturing employees.
Courage
The topic brought challenges, especially in conservative countries like Romania and Poland. The cost associated to the implementation of additional benefit was initially a barrier for the implementation. Despite the challenges HR and site leaders have strongly supported the project helping overcoming the obstacles.
We wholeheartedly nominate our unique and colorful Baker McKenzie Pride Tote Bag! With this Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (ID&E) campaign we raised awareness and supported (y)our LGBTQ+ colleagues and community, and globally spread an important statement when it comes to ID&E: #WeAreNotNeutral. Building on the success of our Pride socks last year, this Tote Bag was again especially designed for us and made of 100% recycled materials. We offered 75 lucky first to receive our exclusive and sustainable Pride Tote Bag. They only thing that people needed to do was to leave a supportive comment to secure their limited edition. This resulted that our Pride Tote Bags transcended countless borders and inspired individuals from diverse backgrounds across every continent around the globe. What sets this campaign apart is its unique ability to move and activate people with a sustainable, cheerful, and practical item carrying a positive message and supported (y)our LGBTQ+ colleagues and community!
Impact
Our Pride Tote Bag campaign embodies the spirit of leaving a legacy in today’s interconnected world, where an important message can ripple across the globe, leaving a positive mark. We even empowered people within the community in underrepresented regions! We demonstrate that you don’t need a “Barbie”-marketing budget to make a meaningful impact worldwide. With a dose of passion, drive and teamwork we created a successful campaign built on our brand strategy on Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, and sustainability. Additionally, we have showed the power of our global legal and tax network. Our Pride campaign’s with statement #WeAreNotNeutral ability to foster inclusivity, and raised awareness for the LGBTQ+ community on such a grand scale makes it truly deserving of the Members’ Choice Game Changer Award.
Visibility
Our Baker McKenzie Amsterdam LinkedIn Tote Bag post was our best LinkedIn post ever. Our campaign reached over 16.000+ views, engagement from 461 people from 26 countries and 5 continents, 187 comments, and resulted in multiple media publications and interviews. We had a remarkable 98,2% growth of new followers vs. the previous month. Within 30 hours our Tote Bags had found their new homes and now we are were officially out of stock.
Courage
Our Pride Tote Bag campaign showed tremendous courage and embodies the spirit of sustainability, Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity. As a law firm, we typically don’t take center stage in marketing and campaigns, making this initiative an extraordinary testament to our courage, and we embarked on this journey without the luxury of a tremendous-sized marketing team and budget. This campaign demonstrates our courage in tackling social issues. We believe in using our global platform to spread the message of inclusivity and sustainability and to raise awareness. It takes courage to step into uncharted territory and make a global impact through a unique and colorful bag with powerful statement: #WeAreNotNeutral.
Within our Pride @ BayWa r.e. community as well as core team meetings we also talk about outings and listen to different outing stories. With this we want to show everyone in the community, no matter of ally, out and proud or still closeted member that we care, share, and accept. Moreover, it connects us all, as we get to know, nobody is alone, everyone has some kind of outings not just related to gender identity or sexual orientation but about being themselves in a world where this is sometimes just not an easy thing.
Impact
With sharing these stories, emphasizing with others, and educating one another we create a lasting effect. The community members connect more easily, learn from one another, and are deeply involved. LGBTIAQ-Colleagues do not feel alone or misunderstood, and allies get a better idea of the challenges of outings while also learning what they can do and how to be an even better ally.
Visibility
We are inviting the CEO and other colleagues who have not been part of the Pride @ BayWa r.e. community yet to a meeting, where three colleagues from Europe and the US will share their unique stories as mom of two queer kids, a gay male leader and a bi and non-binary person in Poland. This will have a lasting impact on all the participants, as we moderate this meeting and allow questions from the listeners to learn even more and to make all of them understand how important safe spaces and communities like that are within a company and beyond.
Courage
Our out and proud colleagues as well as allies that share their stories and coming out within those community meetings or in front of the CEO and other colleagues deserve the biggest respect there is and their courage pushes us every day to become a safe space for everyone at BayWa r.e.
Cisco PRIDE & Allies Community: Enabling Inclusion through Giving Back & Social Justice Cisco PRIDE & Allies Community: Enabling Inclusion through Giving Back & Social Justice It all started in 2020, Cisco transformed our longstanding advocacy for social justice into a global, enterprise-wide commitment to bolder action and greater impact. We embarked on a five-year journey backed by a US$300 million commitment to explore new ways to address inequities, break down barriers, and create more inclusive opportunities for people to thrive. Our 12 Actions for Social Justice began as a commitment to the African American/Black community. They now serve as a blueprint that drives us forward, working together to create lasting, generational change—within Cisco, across our partners and suppliers, and in communities around the world. There six main beliefs serve as a constant for Cisco and the leadership of our Social Justice Action Office and we’ve built them into our Social Justice Actions. They inspire us to take on longstanding challenges and to bridge gaps of inequity by using our technology, extended ecosystem, and the expertise of our people. One of the 6 is: Full-spectrum diversity We believe that social justice must ultimately be addressed across the full spectrum of diversity, including gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, nationality, religion, military status, background, culture, experience, strengths, and perspectives.
Impact
The Cisco PRIDE & Allies Community and its 21 chapters globally have been fundamental in shaping conversations around LGBTQI+ inclusion at Cisco for almost 20 years. To support Cisco’s vision of an Inclusive Future for All, the Community established the ‘PRIDE & Allies Social Justice Fund (SJF)’ in June 2022 to donate to foundations committed to social justice for the LGBTQI+ community. We focused on raising visibility and understanding of the challenges facing LGBTQI+ employees, and the Fund was amplified by speaker sessions and a segment on all employees’ global company meeting in June, attended by more than 20,000 employees. To date, employees have donated nearly $10,000.
Visibility
Additionally, community inspired action for social justice with Cisco donating $5 to the Fund for every employee who shared messages of support to their social media account.
Courage
More than 150 employees participated in the -proof-of-concept for enabling inclusion through Giving Back.
Drag BINGO 2023. This year, our Rainbow Lions community in Spain wanted to organize a groundbreaking event at ING’s facilities. We wanted to involve every employee and to do so, we set up a whole bingo game starred by 2 of the trendiest drag queens from Drag Race Spain.
Impact
Almost 300 people attended, including our CEO and retail manager board who gave a motivational speech supporting our community
Visibility
These two drag queens helped us to spread the importance of respecting to each other, to understand that we are all different and that we need to keep working towards a more inclusive society.
Courage
It is the first time we organized a drag show in our office, something that 5 years ago would have been difficult. RL team managed to arrange the contracts, the DJ, food catering, merchandising, and even set up our facilities for this event. And we were thrilled by all the positive feedback that we got!
Myriam Moussa Nalcin has been an active member of the Inclusion & Diversity team since August 2021 and has been leading that team since January 2023. In her dual role as a Senior Strategic Buyer and the leader of our Inclusion and Diversity team, Myriam exemplifies dedication to the values of inclusion, not merely as a job requirement but as an integral part of her identity. This dedication extends far beyond the workplace, shaping her actions, advocacy, and interactions in her daily life.
Impact
In her role leading a team of 12 individuals, Myriam has not only set a standard for inclusivity but has also set the bar high. She spearheaded the creation of the Yearly Inclusion Calendar, a comprehensive plan that ensures ongoing efforts to promote diversity and inclusivity within the organization. Myriam’s dedication extends beyond the workplace—she actively seeks knowledge through webinars, symposiums, and continuous self-education to stay informed and equipped to drive change effectively. Myriam’s impact has been felt throughout the company, notably through her initiative in organizing Pride week at the workplace every August, a celebration that brings together colleagues to honor the LGBTQI+ community. Her involvement extends beyond festivities, as she annually participates in Pride walks, demonstrating her unyielding support for the cause. In response to a pressing need for more gender-neutral facilities, Myriam led efforts to increase the number of gender-neutral toilets on site. This action not only spoke to her commitment to inclusivity but also showcased her proactive approach to identifying and addressing gaps in the workplace.
Visibility
Above all, Myriam has been a fierce advocate for the LGBTQI+ community within the senior leadership, ensuring that the voices of the community are heard and represented at the highest levels of the organization. Her advocacy has been instrumental in fostering a culture where every individual feels respected, supported, and valued for who they are.
Courage
Myriam’s relentless dedication and tireless efforts to drive LGBTQI+ inclusivity in the workplace make her an outstanding nominee for the Game Changer Award. She embodies the true spirit of inclusivity and is a beacon of inspiration for us all.
On behalf of KLM Over the Rainbow board and the entire community, we would like to nominate Helen Demosthenous for Game Changer Award 2023. Helen works as Program Manager in KLM’s transformation office and is responsible for D&I within the company. With tireless energy she brings D&I to the forefront in KLM.
Impact
She did so first at KLM Cargo and since 2022 at KLM HQ for whole of KLM. She is never afraid to speak out and up. Her South African background and growing up in SA during apartheid has fueled her to fight against injustice and for equity and respect for each “beautiful human” as she calls those around her. She has raised awareness on sensitive topics, for instance when there was commotion within KLM about an aircraft with a Progress logo. She does not shy away from starting a conversation with those who are not in favor of it. She challenges our CEO who incorporated D&I in the KLM Strategy. People listen to her!
Visibility
She organizes workshops for Management and teams on D&I and unconscious bias and these workshops are gamechangers in itself. Even if you are already very much aware of the need for D&I, you leave the workshop with a changed perspective and energy to walk the walk and talk the talk. With every workshop she organizes, and she organizes a lot of them, she changes our workplace. She has a pivotal role in bringing the various networks in KLM (Women on Board, Young KLM, Experienced KLM, Connecting Colours and Over the Rainbow) together and join their strengths. This way she enhances learning from each other and by being made aware of each other’s challenges makes all the networks stronger.
Courage
She is a role model and a true inclusive ally, who, with her energy and drive for the cause, is a true gamechanger in KLM. We therefore believe Helen should be awarded the Game-Changer 2023 award.
Nationale-Nederlanden (NN) captured its commitment to diversity and inclusion in the overarching promise ‘Whatever your pride, you have our support’ and brought this to life: internally, externally, locally and globally. We supported queer artist Laxmi Manuela to share her story through art. Her courageous coming out reached and inspired many through a mix of (social) media, PR and the festive reveal of her 3x3m painting during the Rotterdam Pride Festival where NN hosted a vibrant stage as main partner of Rotterdam Pride. We supported colleagues with LGBTIQ+ masterclasses, panel discussions and by inviting them to join the Pride festivities. Queer colleagues from a.o. Japan, Turkey, Poland and Spain participated in our colorful presence at the Pride Walk and the festival. We supported future queer colleagues by sharing the personal story of Romée about being queer at NN and the support she gets in an employer podcast, illustrating our welcoming workplace.
Impact
Even though our budget was limited we reached a diverse audience with our message of support, equality and acceptance through an effective mix of paid, owned and earned media. The social media campaign revolving around Laxmi reached over 600.000 people, 250% of our target. In PR we added an additional reach of 1 million people. Internally we have activated more colleagues than ever before to join in the Pride activities. By including our international colleagues we were able to spread our message globally. Our employers campaign revolving around the stories of colleagues has reached over 500.000 people resulting in an increase in traffic, applications and hires of 18%. Last but not least, we had an undeniable presence at the festival. Next to the reveal of Laxmi’s painting we invited visitors to share their support to the community on a blank canvas which resulted in an unique piece of inclusive art!
Visibility
We wanted to spread our message of support to a diverse and relevant target group. We did so by being very visible at the Rotterdam Pride festival with our vibrant and interactive stage, the reveal of Laxmi’s artwork and the personal story behind it. By inviting visitors to share their own message of support. And by showing our support internally. By inviting colleagues from all over the world, including those from countries where LGBTIQ+ rights are at stake, inspiring and supporting them to ignite change back home. And by giving the stage to a queer colleague to share her sincere story making future employees enthusiastic about our welcoming working environment. Overall, NN’s visibility at the festival and beyond helped to make a significant impact in promoting a more inclusive society. We reached a broad audience and spread our message of support, equality and acceptance in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and abroad.
Courage
Unlike what is customary in the financial world, we did not put ourselves but a queer talent at the center. As an established insurance company with over 175 years of heritage, NN took a bold stand stating ‘Whatever your pride, you have our support’. We gave a queer artist a stage to tell her truth and talk about her queerness. By offering everybody a canvas to express themselves and share their support to the community. By spreading a message of support and equality crossing borders. And by exciting people about our welcoming workplace with an authentic story of our colleagues. By being more than a logo on a festival, by taking a firm stand and by ‘practicing what you preach’ NN has shown courage. By emphasizing the importance of support, by giving our own support and by continuing to do so we strive to help build a more inclusive society.
LGBT+ Inclusion Multi-Year Plan Guidelines are our global guidelines to deliver on our Powering Lives LGBT+ aspirations. Our Powering Lives goal is to become one of the most diverse and inclusive companies in the world, a place where everyone feels valued and respected and has a strong sense of belonging. Developed by the Global LGBT+ Forum, with input from several LGBT+ ERG country leads, volunteers from the LGBT+ community, HR professionals, the LGBT+ Steering Committee and our Executive Committee sponsors, these guidelines are based on best practices within Shell as well as external research and guidance, and are framed to meet Shell countries where they are at (considering country context and the level of acceptance of LGBT+ people in each country).
Impact
As a multinational company that operates globally, we are mindful of the local legislation and the social environments in which we operate. To ensure that we are ‘moving the dial’ as much as possible within a given context, we have categorized that we operate in into 3 tiers based on an assessment of legal, social and company risks in each country. this was done based on external research and an internal assessment, in consultation with various stakeholders including the global lgbt+ forum and steering committee, local lgbt+ ergs, and hr professionals. for each of the 3 tiers, baseline and ambition goals have identified across five pillars, ‘awareness & communication’, ‘policies, processes & practices’, ‘talent & support’, ‘expertise & monitoring’, and ‘brand & reputation’.
Visibility
Internally: Our LGBT+ Inclusion Multi-Year Plan Guidelines are available to all and are now included as part of the core content in our country chair onboarding workshop which is held annually. The Guidelines also firmly position countries as accountable for DE&I progress in country with support from our global infrastructure. Externally: we are sharing widely about our multi-year plan construct in the hope that other organisations will learn and adopt similar practices.
Courage
We categorised countries into 3 Tiers using an external model that reflects the realities on the ground and the journey that countries go through to achieve LGBT+ equality. Tier 1 “When in Rome” is the earliest tier where we follow the norms of the relevant jurisdiction and focus on conscious inclusion of everyone. Despite the conservative and difficult stance of many of these countries, we have still included these countries in the framework and built out clear actions to enable progress from Local leadership being aware of and understand the global Business Case for DE&I inclusion to Communications on DE&I focusing on respect for people, incl. reference to sexual orientation & gender identity, and from using gender-neutral language in policies, communications, etc. through to engaging and working on the advancement of the DE&I agenda with local embassy (e.g. UK, NL etc).
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Jose Nava, Equity Diversity & Inclusion lead at Unilever. Jose moved into 2022 into this self created role, where he could fully focus on ED&I and help the Unilever business forward by implementing ED&I policies and initiatives into the business.
Impact
In his new role, Jose implemented with lightning speed various initiatives, such as Self Identification, Gender Neutral toilets across all Unilever sites in the Netherlands and support for all functions to make ED&I more prominent. Examples are support to our Procurement teams on how to identify and select partners for Unilever that meet our #unstereotype requirements.
Visibility
Jose is very visible and often invited to panels and as key note speaker, whether this is for the European Parliament, Transgender Network or commercial organizations such as Tiktok or Robeco.
Courage
Jose initiated many ‘first’ initiatives, such as the partnership with Transgender Network NL but also business partnering many functions to explain the benefits of LGBTIQ+ inclusion.