CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion on Dec. 7 hosted a Day of Understanding, where more than 150 chief executive officers gathered for closed-door discussions on long- and short-term initiatives to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The ceo-driven coalition began in June 2017 with 175 ceo’s that included those from The Home Depot, Staples, Target Corp. and Walmart Inc. There are more than 500 companies that have signed the pledge.
The idea was the brain child of Tim Ryan, the U.S. chairman of PwC. The organization recently initiated a “Check Your Blind Spots” mobile tour, making 100 stops across the country in 2019. The aim of the tour — it expects to engage one million people — is to give participants the opportunity to learn how to mitigate unconscious bias in their everyday lives through immersive and interactive elements. And its key framework is to have a cross-industry dialogue on how to advance diversity across three areas — a safe working environment that fosters dialogue, mitigating unconscious bias and the sharing of best practices among the ceo participants.
Companies and their ceo’s who have taken on the D&I pledge include:
Ascena Retail Group Inc., David Jaffe
Ashley Stewart, James C. Rhee
The Estée Lauder Cos. Inc., Fabrizio Freda
Etsy Inc., Josh Silverman
Gap Inc., Art Peck
International Council of Shopping Centers, Tom McGee
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., Andreas Fibig
J.C. Penney Co. Inc.
L’Oréal USA, Frédéric Rozé
Levi Strauss & Co., Chip Bergh
Macy’s Inc., Jeff Gennette
Movado Group Inc., Efraim Grinberg
National Retail Federation, Matthew Shay
Procter & Gamble Co., David Taylor
PVH Corp., Emanuel Chirico
QVC, Mike George
Ralph Lauren Corp., Patrice Louvet
Tapestry Inc., Victor Luis
Target Corp., Brian Cornell
Tiffany & Co., Alessandro Bogliolo
Under Armour Inc., Kevin Plank
Unilever, Kees Kruythoff
VF Corp., Steve Rendle
Walmart Inc., Doug McMillon