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Aon, KPMG hold pro-LGBT event
Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Angelique Smith
2014-10-21

This article shared 214 times since Tue Oct 21, 2014
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As part of LGBT History Month, Aon and KPMG brought together inspiring guest speakers, firm employees and members of the press on Tuesday, October 14th at Aon, 200 E. Randolph St., for the "All Out! Being Your Authentic Self in Baseball & Business" event.

For the seventh consecutive year, Aon—a global provider of insurance, risk-management and human-resources solutions—received a 100-percent rating on the HRC's Corporate Equality Index, a distinction also held by other companies such as Boeing, Hyatt, Leo Burnett and MillerCoors.

"We want to create a global culture where our LGBT colleagues feel like they can bring their authentic selves to work, without fear of feeling judged or mistreated," said Aon CEO Greg Case. He went on to talk about how seriously Aon takes the HRC honor, that its commitment starts from the top in terms of attracting diverse talent, and that diversity and inclusion will be considered a vital opportunity versus an issue or challenge. The firm also announced the launch of its Safe Space initiative, created to "be aware of the needs of our LGBT colleagues and helping to meet those needs through genuine appreciation, support and awareness," said Case.

According to Aon Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion Nichole Barnes Marshall, "Being authentic creates the space for employees to do their very best work: organizations experience new innovations and new opportunities."

Event co-host KPMG—an international network of firms offering audit, tax and advisory services—has seven diversity programs, including an LGBT networking group and a national women's advisory board. The firm is also a partner to Out Leadership, with KPMG's chairman speaking at each of its summits since 2010. Linda Imonti, KPMG's advisory leader, stated, "The firm believes [diversity] is a business imperative and it helps us in our ability to engage our people and our clients … to give back to our community and to drive change."

Imonti also introduced Out on the Street and Out Leadership founder Todd Sears, who told his story of encountering bigotry early in his career as an investment banker. After going back in the closet—as 41 percent of U.S. employees have, according to a study cited by Sears—he later quit his job, found a firm that was much more accepting and vowed to never conceal who he was again.

Out on the Street started as a half-day summit with the goal of focusing on three things: LGBT business opportunities, LGBT talent opportunities, and how to get Wall Street to push LGBT equality forward. Now worldwide—with major players from companies such as Ernst & Young, MasterCard and HSBC discussing diversity and inclusion and its positive affects on business—Out on the Street has seemingly started the spirit of competition among host firms. For example, HSBC changed the lighting scheme of its Hong Kong building to be a giant rainbow for four nights in a show of support. "Being out as an [LGBT] ally, as a leader and as a company is hugely important," said Sears as he discussed the buying power of not only the LGBT community, but also those allies who care about their LGBT mothers, brothers and sisters.

The theme of authenticity continued with Major League Baseball's first ever ambassador of inclusion, former baseball player William "Billy" Bean—the event's keynote speaker. Bean shared stories of his struggle with coming out, his tragic loss of love in the height of his career and meeting Matthew Shepard's mother more than a decade ago and how it shaped his future endeavors. Bean asked himself, "What am I doing? Am I still doing enough? Am I better than when I sat next to Judy Shepard?"

In addition, Bean stressed that those in the audience—as members of the LGBT community and allies—should share their stories. "The message of inclusion is everywhere, it's in everything," he said. "What's kept the LGBT community a step behind in our fight for equality is [the] choice to hide it.

"It doesn't matter if you're Black, white, male or female, young or old, we've all hidden it. Because we want to be included, feel connected, feel loved, want to belong, and we certainly want to have a fair chance at that damn promotion that's coming up in two months. But, when I stopped lying about everything in my life, everything got better."


This article shared 214 times since Tue Oct 21, 2014
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