Barclays will host the OutNEXT: 2017 LGBT Emerging Leader Global Summit at its U.S. headquarters in New York today and tomorrow, Out Leadership announced today.
In its fourth year, the OutNEXT Global Summit convenes young leaders who have been identified as high-performance and high-potential by Out Leadership member companies and partner organizations.
Participants collaborate with their peers, future clients, and community partners, as well to engage with award-winning leadership development content. This year they’ll experience, for the first time, “Genius, Power, and Dreams,” a new leadership development module for LGBT+ business leaders, part of a three-year curriculum in development by PwC in partnership with Out Leadership. PwC is a global sponsor of OutNEXT.
“Valuing difference is a cornerstone for success in business – it is important to create an environment where all employees are treated equally and have an opportunity to be successful,” said Jes Staley, Group Chief Executive Officer, Barclays. “However, we are mindful that as we gather for this year’s Summit, the political landscape for LGBT+ people around the world is more uncertain than it’s been for some time. OutNEXT engages and cultivates the next generation of LGBT+ business leaders. In today’s climate, its mission is more important than ever. At Barclays, we are proud to partner with Out Leadership and the global OutNEXT community to help build a more inclusive business world.”
“As leaders, we all have a responsibility to lead by example, to promote inclusivion and cohesion in society and to create a culture where differences are actively valued,” said Kevin Burrowes, PwC UK Executive Board, Clients & Markets. “We also need to continue to reiterate the simple business case for diversity: diverse talent, views and thinking are critical if we are going to solve the world’s most complex problems and drive innovative thinking. Organizations with the most diverse talent will be best placed to respond to an ever-changing world, and so diversity represents an opportunity that organizations cannot ignore.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome this week’s cohort of young leaders to the global community of OutNEXT participants,” said Todd Sears, Founder and Principal of Out Leadership. “And we’re grateful for the leadership of Barclays and PwC, as well as Bloomberg, whose global support for OutNEXT has allowed us to build it into something truly special: the world’s first global network of LGBT+ emerging business leaders.”
OutNEXT 2017 will also feature a Social Impact Challenge, in which attendees will form small groups to discuss and propose solutions to issues the LGBT+ community faces, including: business challenges companies are facing in Russia, religion’s role in workplace inclusion, ways to keep up engagement regarding LGBT+ equality, and trans inclusivity in the workplace.
Additional sponsorship supporting the OutNEXT BBQ was provided by Capital One.