Consultancies named top employers at LGBT+ Inclusion awards
Global consultancy firms Capgemini, EY, Accenture, PwC, Deloitte and KPMG have been named top employers at this year’s Australian LGBT+ Inclusion awards.
Held since 2011, the LGBT+ Inclusion awards are determined according to submissions to the Australian Workplace Equality Index, with organisations which have achieved gold status in four of the past five years receiving platinum recognition.
This year, Capgemini, EY, Accenture, PwC and Deloitte were awarded platinum status, recognising their long-term, high scoring performance within the Workplace Equality Index.
Meanwhile, KPMG took home the LGBT+ Inclusive Innovation award.
Dawn Emsen-Hough, the Pride Inclusion Programs director for NSW community health organisation Acon, drew attention to the decreasing number of LGBTQ+ people who are fully out at work due in part to the impacts of the “negativity and misinformation that is playing out on social media and in the country more broadly.”
“These awards are a testament to the remarkable commitment of organisations who understand this importance and the individuals who are strong visible allies for LGBTQ+ people at their places of work. We hope this sends a powerful message to Australian employees that we are working incredibly hard to ensure that you can feel safe and empowered to bring your whole self to work.”
Sapphire Inspire
Recognising queer women in leadership roles, the Sapphire Inspire award has this year gone to EY financial services consulting partner Maggi Hughes, who also serves as Asia Pacific co-chair of the firm’s global LGBT+ employee network Unity. Currently based out of Melbourne, Hughes has been with EY for almost a decade, with the majority of that time spent in Singapore.
“Maggi has been a longstanding champion of LGBTQ+ inclusion and is an inspiration and role model to our colleagues,” the firm stated. “We know that for us to belong, perform and thrive, everyone should feel free to bring their true self to work, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This is a commitment we make through our inclusive leadership, allyship programs, and the actions we take every day.”
Employer of the Year
A long-time leader in LGBTQ+ inclusion, Ernst & Young claimed the overall employer of the year title back in 2018, with the award this year jointly going to DLA Piper and the Star Entertainment Group following Capgemini’s triumph in the two previous editions.
Commenting at the start of Pride Month, Capgemini’s diversity & inclusion OutFront lead Cemre Ergun said, “We strongly believe that diversity, inclusion, and belonging are key drivers of innovation and creativity and by nurturing an inclusive workplace that reflects society in all its richness we’re empowering our people to bring their best selves to work.
Inclusive Innovation
Looking to join the top-level next year will be KPMG, which has now achieved three consecutive gold tier rankings. The Big Four firm will certainly be buoyed by taking home this year’s LGBT+ Inclusive Innovation award for its ‘Voices of Our People’ project, which sought to move beyond simply collecting data and create platforms for LGBT+ employees to share their lived experiences.
“Using stories together with data can be a great tool to connect communities, educate people, amplify voices, advocate for safe spaces beyond the (Pride@KPMG) network into the broader organisation, empower people to safely explore their identity, and support others on their journey,” stated project leader Aina Musaeva, an associate director with KPMG in Sydney.
