American Express

Pride Network UK

American Express is a global services company whose principal products and services are charge and credit card products and travel-related services offered to consumers and businesses worldwide. We have had a focus on diversity and inclusion for over three decades. Our employee Networks are developed and led by employees and sponsored by senior business leaders who are responsible for developing and driving strategies that support our business and deliver value to our employees and customers. Our Pride Network has a single mission: to drive American Express to be one of the UK’s most inclusive LGBT employer. Over 10% of all UK employees are network members with a diverse membership representing every aspect of the LGBT community, as well as a large proportion identifying as heterosexual. The network has led on many  community initiatives  including running a ‘Community Mentoring’ programme, mentoring LGBT students from Brighton Business School and has partnered with Brighton & Hove City Council to launch ‘role modelling in schools’ where members of the network visit local schools to talk about their experience of working for American Express. We have sponsored and participated in the Stonewall equality walk and Brighton Pride for many years and are proud to be sponsoring the anti bullying charity Ditch the Label this year. The good things we do are a reflection of the great people that we have, and it is them that make our network special.

Bank of England

LGBT Network

The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom. The Bank was founded in 1694 with a founding charter that stated its purpose was to “promote the public good and benefit of our people”. The Bank of England’s purpose today reflects that vision first articulated by our founders. Our mission: to promote the good of the people of the United Kingdom by maintaining monetary and financial stability. The LGBT Network is the Bank’s oldest network and exists to reflect the diversity of the organisation and help to support existing staff or staff joining the Bank. In the last two years we have reorientated the network to encourage wider participation with other populations within the Bank of England. This led to the creation of a Straight Allies programme which has attracted considerable interest. We have made ‘inclusion’ our theme for the last year and worked closely with our other diversity groups to improve the working environment for all staff. We have also supported LGBT History month and supported a number of external events. In our last Stonewall Workplace survey the Bank of England rose halfway up the rankings. In the last two years we have increased our Network by more than 100% and are constantly looking to link up with other networks across the City.

BNP Paribas

Pride

BNP Paribas is committed to making diversity and inclusion core to its culture. The bank believes that a community that must reflect and respect the society of which it is a part and it is therefore essential to implement a policy that promotes diversity and the fight against discrimination, that is supported at the highest levels of the organisation. In 2006, BNP Paribas added discrimination to the list of its top 30 operational risks. 

BNP Paribas’ PRIDE Network hold regular LGBT events to raise awareness both within the company and externally.  In 2011, the company launched the global Diversity and Inclusion Week, with over 50 events taking place across offices in the UK alone. The week aims to inspire and educate people through speaker series, events and panel discussions. In 2014, the PRIDE network hosted an opening event with Gok Wan, with nearly 300 people attending. We also hold regular LGBT events, engaging with other LGBT networks across the industry. 
We send our LGBT staff on Stonewall’s Role Model and straight ally programmes, and produce reports on to raise awareness of LGBT issues to other staff within the company. BNP Paribas has sponsored the BFI Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, the Pink News Awards, the film premier of the Stonewall anti-bullying film, FREE. Thanks to their work in diversity and inclusion, BNP Paribas CIB moved up nearly 100 places up the Stonewall Index.

Citi

Pride

Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. At Citi, we recognise diversity as one of our competitive advantages. A diverse workforce provides the potential to understand and serve clients better and be more creative and innovative on their behalf. The Citi Pride Network in London aims to create an inclusive environment where LGB and T employees can feel comfortable being out and bring their whole selves to work and to raise Citi’s external profile with the LGBT community. We organise regular events on a number of topics which are a combination of awareness raising events and Professional Development Events targeted at LGBT staff. We engage with other networks and hold regular joint events between the Pride network and other Citi Diversity networks. We have a Straight Allies program and produce materials to educate and raise awareness of LGBT issues and the importance of being a straight ally. We want our employees to know that Citi is a safe place to be ‘out’ at work. Citi recently sponsored Pride in London and collaborates with Pride groups around the world and are represented on a number of external LGBT organisations such as GWN, Interbank, Out on the Street, Inside and Our, Diversity Role Models, Stonewall.

KPMG

Breathe

Breathe, the KPMG LGB&T network is supported by a strong straight ally programme, with the Senior exec sponsor being a straight man and a plethora of LGBT partners supporting the work. The network is one of 14 at KPMG and is dynamic, effective and adds value to the business. Breathe hosts events that raise awareness as well as up-skilling staff in being LGBT inclusive. These have included hosting an interview with Steven Hawking and Ben Cohen as part of KMPG Inclusion week, supporting the Stonewall No Bystanders campaign. During LGBT history month, Breathe hosted web chats, supported a recruitment campaign on LinkedIn with LGBT role models and held events, including a women’s only lunch to increase voice of lesbian staff. As well as events, the network is routinely part of all policy reviews to ensure policies are inclusive and play an active role in induction – sending out information and arranging to meet new staff on their first day. Externally, as well as opening most of our events to clients, we support the Radius group, reach out to LGBT student groups and have sponsored research for Stonewall. We also encourage all of our LGBT staff to mentor students as part of our CR work.

Royal Navy

LGBT Network

The Naval Service LGBT Network represents LGBT personnel who serve with distinction and pride in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Maritime Reserves on operations at home or abroad 24/7, 365 days a year. The Network works hand in hand with the Royal Navy’s D&I Policy desk to help shape and inform RN D&I Policy. The co-ordination between the Network and policy desk helped the Naval Service rise up the Stonewall WEI in recent years – securing its Top 100 listing. The Network also provides a forum in which personnel can reach out for advice and assistance on matters that they may not want to talk directly to their Chain of Command and provides information of interest to the LGBT community. The Network currently has 124 active members who all volunteer their free time to assist the RN support both Stonewall and Diversity Role Models in many of their education and role model programmes. The Network also works with Naval Recruiters at various recruiting events around the country to highlight our credentials as a diverse employer who values the individual for their professionalism rather than one that judges them based on their sexual orientation.

Moody’s

LGBT Network

Moody’s is an essential component of the global capital markets, providing credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that contribute to transparent and integrated financial markets. We believe that different perspectives, backgrounds and skills add value to our organization and enhance our ability to service our customers, whether it’s issuing a credit opinion, delivering a new software product or developing a new employee program. Moody’s is committed to being an employer of choice and a big part of that is ensuring that we have a culture of inclusion where all employees have an opportunity to grow and develop personally and professionally. The support of our diversity initiatives is the responsibility of all employees. Moody’s UK LGBT & Allies (LGBTA) ERG fosters an inclusive environment where all employees can bring their authentic selves to work. Our core value of inclusion drives our global allies program. Open to all employees, our ERG is a valuable business resources that promotes inclusive policies and helps the company recruit and retain LGBT talent. Moody’s UK LGBTA ERG is proud to be nominated for this prestigious award, which celebrates our commitment to workplace equality.

Pinsent Masons

LGBT Network

Pinsent Masons is fundamentally a “people” business and we have always worked hard to develop and sustain an inclusive culture for all our people and a diverse workforce that is fully representative of all of the communities in which we live and work. We have a thriving LGBT employee network of 48 people and over 100 Straight Allies globally and we are proud to have been ranked 9th in the 2015 Stonewall WEI. The LGBT Network organises and attends a variety of events for our staff, clients and the wider community.  In the last year this has included career mapping training with the Gay Women’s Network, a networking event for FREEHOLD, LGBT graduate recruitment event, DiverCity, and a presentation of the film ‘Brother Outsider’ with our BME network group and UBS. The Network works in partnership with Stonewall, OUTStanding and The Rainbow Trust and regularly provides advice and support to clients and suppliers on LGBT diversity and how to establish a successful network. In addition, the Network assists and advises on internal policy development e.g. reviewing the design of an innovative advanced diversity training course for line managers and proposing amendments to the firm’s new Adoption and Surrogacy Policy.  The group offers a mentoring service which is advertised across our workforce.