Amsterdam, 6 November 2026

On Friday 6 November, Workplace Pride marked its 20th anniversary with a black-tie gala at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. Under the theme Icons of Inclusion: Celebrating the Past. Building the Future, more than 90 organisations from across the community gathered for an evening of recognition, farewells, new beginnings and celebration.

Set in the Art Deco grandeur of the historic Beurs van Berlage, the evening brought together Global Benchmark top scorers, Workplace Pride Leaders, Partners, members and allies for a three-course dinner, live entertainment, the 2026 Impact Awards and an after-party.

The 2026 Impact Award winners

The Impact Awards recognise the people, networks and organisations making a real difference to LGBTIQ+ inclusion in the workplace and beyond. This year’s winners are:

• Volunteer of the Year: Patrick van Rosmalen, Accenture
• Ally of the Year: Miriam Kartman, KLM
• Role Model of the Year: Nichole Pritchard, Metso
• Media Outreach Award: Randstad, for “Unified in Pride”
• Network of the Year: ING, for “One Voice. Greater Impact”
• Members’ Choice Game Changer Award: IKEA / Ingka Group, for “Make Room for Love”

Workplace Pride congratulates every nominee and shortlisted finalist. Their courage, leadership and commitment are changing workplaces, and lives, around the world.

Global Benchmark 2026: Ambassadors and Advocates

The evening also celebrated the results of the 13th edition of the Workplace Pride Global Benchmark, the leading tool for measuring LGBTIQ+ workplace inclusion worldwide.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Lenovo were welcomed as new Advocates (scoring above 90%), joining De Nederlandsche Bank, ING, McKinsey & Company, PwC, RELX, Shell, Sodexo and Unilever. SLB joined the Ambassadors (70 to 90%), alongside Accenture, Aegon, Robeco and the combined submission of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature.

Eneco and SLB were recognised for improving their scores by more than 40% compared with last year. Although the overall median score declined by 5.7% in a challenging global DEI landscape, organisations with sustained leadership commitment and a strategic approach to inclusion continue to make measurable progress.

A royal honour for David Pollard

One of the most moving moments of the night was the appointment of co-founder and former Executive Director David Pollard as Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau (Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau). The Royal Decoration was presented by Araya Sumter, Deputy Mayor of the city of Amsterdam, with Co-Chair Michiel Kolman and Advisory Board Member Graham Sparks on stage.

The honour recognises David’s exceptional and long-standing contribution to LGBTIQ+ inclusion in the Netherlands and around the world. Twenty years ago he took the initiative to found Workplace Pride, which has since grown from a Dutch initiative into a global movement with more than 100 member organisations, a reach of 7.7 million employees worldwide and more than 5,000 people trained in LGBTIQ+ inclusion.

The nomination was supported by letters of recommendation from leaders across business, government and civil society, including Edward Boeijenga (ING), Boris Dittrich, Hans Docter (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Lisa van Ginneken, Ken Janssens (Open for Business), Lyn R. Lee (formerly Shell), Bianca Nijhof, Margot Slattery (ISS Group), Olaf Sleijpen (De Nederlandsche Bank), Lucien Spee de Castillo Ruiz (Pride Amsterdam / WorldPride) and Czesław Walek (Pride Business Forum Fund).

The gala also marked a handover, as Workplace Pride welcomed its new Executive Director, Javier Leonor.

“Tonight, surrounded by people who have spent twenty years making workplaces safer and more welcoming for LGBTIQ+ people, I was moved beyond words. I am humbled to follow in David’s footsteps. Inclusion at work is never finished, and together with our members, partners and volunteers we can make an even greater impact.” Javier Leonor – Executive Director, Workplace Pride

Honouring our honorary members

Co-Chair Michiel Kolman invited four honorary members on stage to reflect on Workplace Pride’s legacy and 20 years of the foundation: Marion Mulder, Paul Overdijk, Marion Tahapary-Keislair and Mark Emdin. Each received a certificate and flowers in recognition of their vision and dedication.

Best Interpretation of the Theme

Guests chose this special award themselves. More than 295 participants voted through Menti during the evening for the look that best expressed Icons of Inclusion, and Livasko won.

Congratulations also to Alex (Shell), Ed Kooijman, Laura Dijkstra, Eden (Eaton) and Lidewij (BAM), who all received many votes.

Entertainment

The evening opened with a spectacular performance by Channah Hewitt and the dancers, and closed with a finale by Paul Morris. DJ Sebastiaan Van der Lans kept the dance floor full during the after-party.

Looking ahead

Workplace Pride thanks all members, partners, volunteers, board members, team members, The Beurs van Berlage and guests for celebrating 20 years of progress. True icons are not defined by fame. They are defined by the difference they make.

To learn more about Workplace Pride and the Global Benchmark, visit https://workplacepride.org/what-we-do/global-benchmark/