Nielsen CEO Mitch Barns recently joined more than 250 fellow chief executives in signing the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion pledge. By taking this pledge, these CEOs solidified their shared commitment to diversity and inclusion and have created a unique opportunity for collaboration on business practices, employee engagement and continued dialogue among various companies and organizations.
“Diversity and inclusion are crucial to Nielsen’s growth, strength and ability to innovate,” said Mitch. “The results of work done by our diversity & inclusion team and our company at large have proven that diversity of talents, skills, experiences and cultural backgrounds make our company stronger.”
The goal of the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion is to work across industries to enhance employee engagement, improve corporate performance and drive business growth. In order to implement this initiative on diversity and inclusion, the CEOs who are part of the collective have committed to the following actions:
- Continue to cultivate workplaces that support open dialogue on complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity and inclusion.
- Implement and expand unconscious bias education.
- Share best known and unsuccessful actions.
In alignment with these actions, we have already celebrated a few milestones in our efforts to expand diversity and inclusion within the company. Earlier this year, we were named to DiversityInc.’s coveted Top 50 Companies for Diversity List at spot No. 32. This year, we also launched our ninth Employee Resource Group (ERG), MOSAIC in the U.K. Through our global ERG chapters, we’re committed to making sure thousands of our associates around the globe have a forum to share experiences, participate in community outreach and engage with our clients. In addition, our unique 15-month Diverse Leadership Network program recently celebrated its third graduating class. It is the company’s most diverse leadership development program, which provides opportunities for advanced mid-level leaders to learn from senior leaders within the company, collaborate among their peers and leverage these skills with practical business case studies.
With more than 340 external engagements (including sponsorships, events and thought leadership), we also support the communities we serve by sharing our diverse insights with everyday consumers, community leaders and government officials. We produce an annual collection of reports titled the Diverse Intelligence Series, which are full of consumer trends and insights that help our clients understand the unique consumption behaviors of diverse consumers. In addition, we support diverse suppliers through our Supplier Diversity program, giving them the access and high-level corporate visibility needed to continue to fuel the growth of their small businesses.
“At Nielsen, we’re creating a culture where we are truly inclusive of the diversity of ideas, experiences, backgrounds and cultural nuances of each of our associates around the world to drive superior results for our clients and our own business,” said Angela Talton, Chief Diversity Officer, Nielsen. “By joining the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion pledge, Mitch is codifying our commitment to infusing diversity and inclusion into everything we do, which sends an empowering message to our diverse associates around the world. Additionally, the exchange of ideas and best practices among participating companies, which include many of our clients, will be invaluable as we work together to make workplaces around the world more inclusive of the diversity that defines us.”
For more information about the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, read the entire pledge.
