OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Diverse and inclusive workplaces promote better decision making, economic growth and professional development. That’s why Black & Veatch announced today that Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steve Edwards has joined the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Edwards’ signature on the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ pledge commits the company to nurturing a trusting workplace that values inclusiveness, enables difficult conversations about diversity and inclusion, expands education about unconscious bias and examines both best and unsuccessful practices aimed at creating an inclusive work environment.
“Embracing inclusiveness and celebrating diversity contributes directly to our success,” Edwards said. “Research shows that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially and are more innovative. We must reflect our clients and the world around us, because a diverse workforce enables us to bring more innovative solutions to our clients faster. More importantly, this is the right thing to do.”
The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ pledge has rallied more than 500 CEOs toward more inclusive working environments, including leaders across the retail, aerospace, technology and manufacturing spaces. CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ was collectively formed and is led by a steering committee of CEOs and leaders from Accenture, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte US, The Executive Leadership Council, EY, General Atlantic, KPMG, New York Life, P&G and PwC.
Black & Veatch has taken strong steps to foster diversity and inclusion, developing training around implicit and unconscious bias, encouraging and raising participation in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and recently welcoming an intern class that included more women, veterans and people with disabilities and ethnic backgrounds over previous years.
“Steve’s signature marks a clear commitment to shaping Black & Veatch as a work place that thrives on the talents and expertise of a global workforce brimming with different backgrounds and perspectives,” said Stephanie Hasenbos-Case, Black & Veatch’s Chief Human Resources Officer. “We have made significant strides toward our goal, but much work remains ahead. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive workplace that brings out the best of our people.”
Editor’s note:
- Black & Veatch recently received a 100 percent score from the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, the HRC’s benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBTQ employees.
About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch is an employee-owned, global leader in building critical human infrastructure in Energy, Water, Telecommunications and Government Services. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people in over 100 countries through consulting, engineering, construction, operations and program management. Our revenues in 2018 were US$3.5 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and in social media.
About CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™
CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Bringing together more than 450 CEOs and presidents of America’s leading businesses, academic institutions and nonprofits representing 12 million employees, the commitment outlines actions that participating organizations pledge to take to cultivate a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected, employees feel comfortable and encouraged to discuss diversity and inclusion, and where best known—and unsuccessful—actions can be shared across organizations. Learn more at CEOAction.com and connect with us on Facebook: CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion and Twitter: @CEOAction.