The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) is calling for applications and nominations for the 2009 NGLCC Diversity and Leadership in Financial Services (DLFS) awards. The 2009 awards will once again recognize outstanding achievements in diversity and leadership in the financial services sector. The event provides an opportunity for financial services companies to receive recognition for their notable LGBT diversity and inclusion efforts, and will continue to address many of the themes presented by top financial services companies at the 2008 DLFS Awards Dinner, which was sponsored by Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Citi. The Dec. 7 event will again take place at the New York Stock Exchange.
"Each year, the NGLCC is honored to bring together the leaders of the financial services industry to provide much deserved recognition to those companies that consistently work on behalf of their LGBT employees, customers and suppliers," said Justin Nelson, NGLCC co-founder and president. "We look forward to receiving nominations this year from a wide-ranging group of companies."
The following is a list of awards for which companies and individuals may be nominated:
- Financial Services Diversity Corporation of the Year: This award was designed to recognize one outstanding corporation, whose support and dedication to ensuring fairness and equality to all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, or gender identity stands above the rest. The winning company must have demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to ensuring workplace diversity, equitable marketing efforts, and inclusive initiatives for LGBT employees, customers and suppliers. The 2008 winner: JPMorgan Chase;
- Outstanding Corporate Leader Award: A company cannot have an outstanding diversity program without an outstanding person running it. This award recognizes a corporate champion with demonstrated commitment and forethought in developing unique and creative programs and resources for inclusion of LGBT employees. This individual will have leveraged his or her skills to include diversity in all aspects of the workplace environment. The 2008 winner: Ana Duarte McCarthy, chief diversity officer for Citi;
- Program or Initiative of the Year: This award was designed to highlight a corporate program or initiative that has shown exemplary success in bettering the lives and opportunities of internal and/or external LGBT stakeholders. The 2008 winner: Morgan Stanley;
- Excellence in Outreach and Marketing: The corporation that stands out for its culturally competent efforts to include LGBT customers in their marketing strategy. This award can be for a specific campaign or a firm-wide strategy. The 2008 winner: Wells Fargo and Company.
"The Diversity and Leadership Awards are an important way of highlighting the industry leaders that understand and appreciate the contributions that LGBT people make every day as employees, customers and suppliers," said Chance Mitchell, NGLCC co-founder and CEO.
Award Eligibility
Financial services companies are eligible to apply for one or all of the DLFS awards. However, no company is eligible to win more that one award in the same year. In addition, firms and individuals are ineligible to win the same award in consecutive years, but are eligible to apply for any award not received the year prior.
Applicants and nominees must be publicly traded companies. Privately held firms and not-for-profit organizations are not eligible for the awards.
Nominations and applications must be received by Friday, Oct. 23, 2009. To download an application to nominate a company, click here. Questions may be addressed to NGLCC's senior manager of corporate relations, Victoria Fulkerson, via e-mail (vfulkerson@nglcc.org) or phone (202-234-9181).
