By: ICN Bureau
Last updated : June 03, 2022 9:49 am
Partnership will work to advance LGBTQ+ workplace equality and belonging, in line with Solvay’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) roadmap.
Solvay announces a partnership with Out & Equal, a non-profit organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ workplace equality, which collaborates with corporations worldwide to help cultivate work environments that are free of discrimination and equal for all. This new partnership reinforces Solvay’s deep commitment to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace in which every Solvay employee, regardless of background, identity or experience, can thrive.
By leveraging the expertise and vast resources of Out & Equal, Solvay’s LGBTQ+ Alliance Employee Resource Group will create development and networking opportunities for LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies within the company, and will help to advise Solvay leaders on how to attract, build and retain a strong pipeline of LGBTQ+ talent. Out & Equal will also provide Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training programs and toolkits that address issues related to LGBTQ+ inclusion and the business of belonging.
“Creating an inclusive workplace isn’t the work of just one person. If we want to have a culture that truly allows everyone to be their authentic self, we need strong partners to inspire us, help educate us and walk alongside us in our organizational journey,” said Nathalie van Ypersele, Chief DEI Officer. “We are thrilled to be working with Out & Equal, among other partners, to fully support employees and leaders in their careers and lives, to collectively achieve a greater positive impact on the world.”
“I am excited about this partnership and the support it will bring us on our journey to make Solvay a more diverse, equitable and inclusive company,” said John O’Shea, head of Solvay’s LGBTQ+ Alliance Employee Resource Group and General Manager of SBS. “Quite simply, everyone matters. And an organizational culture that allows people to thrive makes people and business sense.”
Solvay’s partnership is part of the Group’s One Dignity diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, which aims to cultivate an equitable and inclusive environment that attracts and embraces diversity. Solvay has set nine ambitious targets to be achieved by 2025, structured around three pillars: diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and regularly communicated progress on these objectives in its annual integrated reporting.