Partnership will work to advance LGBTQ+ workplace equality and belonging, in line with Solvay’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) roadmap
Today, 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, Executive sponsor 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.
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Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 21,000 employees in 63 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet roadmap crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering a better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €10.1 billion in 2021. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (SOLB). Learn more at www.solvay.com
Out & Equal is the only organization focused exclusively on working for equality in the workplace by helping companies create safe and supportive workplaces for their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees. We are the go-to resource for learning about trends and getting updates on how companies and government agencies are increasingly paying attention to these issues as a way of attracting and retaining the best employees, valuing greater diversity in the workplace, and adhering to legal requirements. Out & Equal undertakes rigorous research on these issues, and has close relationships with Fortune 1000 corporations around the world. Learn more at www.outandequal.org
