Celebrating DEI
Advancement
Faena Forum | Miami, Florida
March 27, 2024
Impact Awards
World 50 Group’s 2023 Inclusion & Diversity Impact report revealed an encouraging trend: Nearly three-quarters of respondents expressed that momentum behind their DEI initiatives had either increased or dramatically increased in the past 12 months. While DEI has become a critical priority for businesses today, the companies that are successfully turning DEI conversations into meaningful—and measurable—action are the ones that are empowering the right voices along the way.
We are dedicated to continuing this momentum through the 2024 I&D Impact Awards, spotlighting outstanding organizations, leaders, and teams who are trailblazing systemic and scalable solutions for more equity within the workplace.
“We have made progress, but we are not done. We need to continue to make DEI a focus. This is a business imperative.”
– Eliana Nunez
Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, The Cigna Group
Our Winners
Inclusion Award
Why EY Won
"Creating a center of excellence for neuro-diverse employees and measuring their increased productivity is remarkable. This could serve as the blueprint for many other companies."
"The expansions are allowing for more jobs in key areas; this is phenomenal."
"Great to focus on a topic like neurodiversity."
In partnership with
EY’s Entry
In an attempt to broaden and deepen its hiring pool, EY transformed its organizational processes to focus on neurodiversity inclusiveness. As part of these efforts, EY established Neuro-Diverse Centers of Excellence in 20 cities across nine countries, Including Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, India, Poland, Spain, the UK, and the US. Nearly 500 EY people working across these centers of excellence have helped develop creative solutions that save millions of service delivery hours and have enabled almost US$1 billion in value creation. Internally, EY’s neurodiversity inclusiveness is contributing to a more diverse and equitable workplace culture where differences are regarded as strengths, and employees feel a strong sense of belonging.
Why Amazon Won
“Amazon stood out for its transformative work in creating equity for next-gen tech leaders by empowering underserved and unrepresented communities with the tools and resources they need to thrive. Their Amazon Future Engineer program has demonstrably improved lives and built a brighter future and pathways to alter the trajectory of entire communities.”
"A great example of a joint-up approach tackling the issues of future engineers from underrepresented groups. This is an example of an end-to-end solution starting with young kids and supporting them into adulthood. Working with partners, educators, and education system demonstrates the sustainable nature of this work."
Impact Award
Why Kimberly-Clark Won
“Their well-thought-out and intentional strategy to create a gender-balanced workforce is remarkable. The comprehensive and integrated approach used has yielded impressive results, with measurable impact beneficial to both business performance and the communities. This is an excellent case study that many companies can learn from.”
"Kimberly-Clark has truly created a playbook for others to consider in order to help expand gender equality and have the awareness of the full ecosystem in order to support the employees, community, and company to achieve great results in equality."
Award
Kimberly-Clark’s Entry
Why Ferrero Won
“Creating a grants program that is sustainable and impactful over time shows is a great example of allyship from an arm of the business. Working with partners both internally and externally to drive the DIB agenda through a business lens is amazing to see.”
"With Black entrepreneurs across the US seeking financial resources and mentoring, it is clear that the Famous Amos Ingredients For Success initiative is addressing the real needs of the communities and making an impact."
Award
Why Lydia Won
“Lydia's contribution to Victoria's Secret is remarkable, and even more impressive is the partnership she formed to support women with disabilities.”
"Lydia has instituted a complete approach to influencing every part of the organization to engage and incorporate D&I."
Victoria Secret and Co.
In partnership with
Why Inizio Evoke Won
“Inizio Evoke's DEI Team embodies a remarkable ideal, transformational and true diverse team to lead DEI.”
"Inizio Evoke stands out for their ability to translate vision into action. They have not only established a clear purpose for their team, but also consistently deliver results that move the needle on inclusion and diversity. Their focus on building trust, encouraging individual voices, and fostering collective growth makes them a true embodiment of the I&D Team of the Year spirit."
In partnership with
Inizio Evoke’s Entry
Our three-year strategic plan started with education and awareness and moved toward action and accountability with measurable impact. Recognizing we couldn’t tackle every subject simultaneously with meaningful attention, our approach was to view DEI holistically while focusing annually on key strategic areas. Our inclusion efforts have a systemic and direct impact because we started with leadership. We demonstrated innovation through initiatives like our sponsorship program and DEI action plans. We also pushed for data transparency. Empathetically overcoming challenges, our tenacity to inspire change is keeping the momentum going. We are committed to ensuring DEI at Inzio Evoke is not just a temporary moment, but an ongoing game-changing movement
Why Victoria’s Secret & Co. Won
“Victoria’s Secret stands out for its groundbreaking technology that has revolutionized DEI efforts in the fashion industry. Their solution not only addresses a critical need for an often overlooked community but also demonstrates creativity and ingenuity, setting a new standard. ”
"Excellent to see a mainstream brand lean into disability inclusion and produce products that are accessible."
In partnership with
Why Rio Tinto Won
“Rio Tinto stood out for its unwavering commitment to transparency. They didn't shy away from publicly declaring their stance, even when it involved acknowledging shortcomings. Their open sharing of intentions and improvement targets showcases honesty, realism, and ambition, setting a stellar example for others.”
"Transparency is not only about showing the good stories, but it’s about sharing the good and the bad in order to acknowledge one's willingness to improve, but at the same time, helping others to learn from one's mistake. It was impressive to see Rio Tinto share its DEI journey, and its plans in place to address the challenges."
In partnership with
Why Cummins Won
“It is absolutely impressive to see Cummins successfully embedding DEI throughout its employee lifecycle, supply chain, communities, and overall business value chain. This comprehensive approach has positively impacted the lives of its employees through mentoring, coaching, equitable compensation, and benefit programs to support their well-being. It has also benefited the communities through supplier diversity program and other impactful community development initiatives.”
"Significant impact across a number of areas which included the strengthening of the DEI strategy, accountability, tracking progress, and dialing up transparency both internally and externally. This focused approach has positively impacted numerous areas, such as employee representation, supplier diversity, education for the community, and advocating for racial equity."
In partnership with
Cummins Entry
At Cummins, we recognize that leadership requires an unwavering commitment to constantly examining our role in society and how we can meet the evolving needs of our people. In 2021, we advanced several initiatives to ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion remain fundamental principles that connect us to one another across our global footprint. We introduced new, more comprehensive quarterly DEI Dashboards for our senior leaders to consistently monitor and act upon crucial metrics that aid in comprehending the representation, development, and advancement of diverse groups throughout the organization. Simultaneously, we launched extensive training and resources to facilitate meaningful dialogue about race and conducted workshops with our leadership team to enhance their understanding of the profound roots of systemic racism in the United States and its contemporary implications. We recognize we are only as strong as our communities, and we intentionally take actions that focus on uplifting those who remain unfairly disadvantaged. We are united in our relentless desire to see a world and workplace where all people are embraced for who they are and what they aspire to achieve. This is how we win with the power of difference.
Meet the Judges
Busisiwe
Sithole
Keyla
Cabret-Lewis
Eloiza
Domingo
Tiffany
Davis
Amelia
Williams Hardy
Shameka
Young
Earl
Newsome
Frantz
Tiffeau
Robert
Matthews
Putri
Realita
DeShaun
Wise Porter
Dawn
Jones
Simone
Coultress
Shaheen
Akram
Kristine
Remedios
Calvin
Crosslin
Ibtehal
Fathy
Cindy
Pace
Nichole
Barnes Marshal
Deirdre
Tejada
Crystal
Andrews Banks
Asif
Sadiq
Sunita
Cherian
Andy
Eichfeld
Partners
If you’re interested in partnering for next year’s awards, please email matt.dias@world50.com