This year marks the second year in a row that Citi will have the privilege of hosting the OutNEXT Summit, and I cannot be more ecstatic to welcome many of you very soon! The OutNEXT Summit is the premier global LGBTQ+ talent accelerator focused on elevating and shaping the next generation of LGBTQ+ talent into out and visible leaders.
And as many of our communities continue to face geopolitical, social, and environmental challenges, now more than ever, it’s important we continue our commitment to fostering a more equitable and inclusive workplace where people of all backgrounds can thrive.
Watch Erika Irish Brown’s welcome message for the 2022 Global OutNEXT Summit proudly sponsored by Citi.
As Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Global Head of Talent at Citi, my team and I are focused on investing in the development of all our future talent and ensuring that the diversity of our talent reflects the clients and communities we serve. Therefore, when we were approached to host this year’s OutNEXT Summit again, we did not hesitate to accept.
At Citi, we also recognize the importance of learning the unique needs of our people and ensuring their development. We also recognize the important role out executives play at our firm – not only for our business but also for current and future LGBTQ+ talent. This year, we co-sponsored the Seeing is Believing Report, which provided research-based insights on the impact of visible role models for LGBTQ+ talent. Of the LGBTQ+ talent we surveyed globally:
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53% said that they would actively not apply for a role if they could not see LGBTQ+ role models at an organization
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70% said having visible LGBTQ+ role models at work helps improve their confidence in the workplace
Having out and visible LGBTQ+ role models is essential to not only ensuring that we have a robust potential pipeline of diverse talent but also an inclusive culture where all feel empowered to take ownership of their careers and can see themselves reflected in the diversity of their leadership. For many organizations, including Citi, the OutNEXT Summit provides a forum for the next generation of LGBTQ+ talent to connect with current role models, and be developed into future leaders for the next generation of talent.
Photos from the 2022 OutNext Global Summit proudly sponsored by Citi.
Having out and visible LGBTQ+ role models is essential to not only ensuring that we have a robust potential pipeline of diverse talent but also an inclusive culture where all feel empowered to take ownership of their careers and can see themselves reflected in the diversity of their leadership. For many organizations, including Citi, the OutNEXT Summit provides a forum for the next generation of LGBTQ+ talent to connect with current role models, and be developed into future leaders for the next generation of talent.
We look forward to welcoming many of you at this year’s summit at Citi and learning from the variety of thoughts, experiences, and perspectives during our time together. Also, we’d like to extend a huge thanks to my friend Todd and the entire Out Leadership team for their continued partnership and guidance. We cannot do this work alone. Progress takes cross-collaboration between subject matter experts like our partners at Out Leadership who help lead the way towards a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace for all.
Sincerely,
Erika Irish Brown
Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Global Head of Talent
Here’s what you need to know…
#1
Out Leadership’s OutNEXT Global Summit begins September 27th
Out Leadership’s Global OutNEXT Summit is returning this fall, empowering the next generation of OutLeaders.
Our 2023 cohort of emerging LGBTQ+ leaders will learn from our world-class leadership development curriculum, tackle the world’s most pressing problems in an interactive social impact workshop, and hear from inspiring speakers like transgender advocates Jake and Hannah Graf.
Log into the Out Leadership Member Portal to nominate a candidate from your company to OutNEXT.
Nominate a Candidate for OutNEXT
#2
OutNEXT features an impressive slate of speakers including Jake and Hannah Graf.
Pictured left to right: Jake Graf, Actor, Director, Screenwriter, and Captain Hannah Graf, MBE speaking at the 2023 Out Leadership Europe Summit VIP Dinner hosted by Hogan Lovells and HSBC.
When Captain Hannah Graf, MBE came out as transgender, she became one of the highest-ranking trans soldiers in the British Army. Jake Graf is an international multi-award-winning director, writer, and actor, who came out as trans in 2008. They met in 2015, and have been married since 2018. Together, they are inseparable advocates for trans rights and LGBTQ+ equality. Both are patrons of Mermaids, a nonprofit organization supporting gender-diverse children and their families, and were named the UK’s most influential LGBTQ couple on the year’s Independent 2018 Pride Power List.
In a time with rising anti-trans rhetoric from politicians, pundits, and the public, Jake and Hannah, with their unapologetic trans pride, commitment to public service, and dedication to strong family life, are a powerful representation of the LGBTQ+ community to our allies and the world.
#3
OutNEXT LA — We’re coming back to the city of Angels!
OutNEXT LA | October 17, 2023 | Los Angeles, CA
For the first time ever, we’re bringing OutNEXT to the City of Angels, hosted by City National Bank and sponsored by RBC Capital Markets. The OutNEXT curriculum has been honed over 10 years to help LGBTQ+ leaders understand their OutVANTAGE™, leadership skills that are unique to the LGBTQ+ experience.
The OutNEXT curriculum was developed in partnership with McKinsey and PwC, and in the past 10 years has become a world-class global leadership development program, which includes outstanding speakers, a social impact challenge, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities.
#4
OutNEXT nominees learn from world-class LGBTQ+ advocates. Past speakers include:
Senator Tammy Baldwin
United States Senator Tammy Baldwin was the first openly LGBTQ+ woman elected to the House of Representatives and the Senate. Since entering national politics in 1999, Senator Baldwin has been a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ equality.
At the 2022 OutNEXT Global Summit, she spoke to emerging LGBTQ+ leaders about the importance of fighting for (and holding on to) our seat at the table in national, state, and local politics – and persevering even when the going gets tough.
Javier Gomez and Mila Jam
Javier Gomez achieved national recognition for organizing walkouts against the anti-LGBTQ+ “Don’t Say Gay” laws in Florida – laws that are crippling the educational and economic future of the Sunshine State. Gomez spoke at a White House celebration as President Biden signed an executive order increasing LGBTQ+ protections.
Mila Jam the Senior Advisor for Global Transgender Initiatives at Out Leadership and a pop recording artivist. Her new song “Fierce” is currently #4 on the UK Commercial Pop charts.
At the 2022 OutNEXT Global Summit, Mila and Javier shared how leaders can amplify their voices to create change.
Gus Kenworthy
In 2018, Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy made history at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics when he kissed his then-boyfriend on television, becoming a symbol of LGBTQ+ joy and excellence in front of the entire world.
Last year, Gus joined emerging LGBTQ+ leaders at our OutNEXT Global Summit to discuss how being authentically and unapologetically yourself pays dividends both personally and professionally.
Jim Obergefell
He’s synonymous with marriage equality. Jim Obergefell’s fight for the recognition of same-sex unions in the United States culminated in the landmark 2015 Supreme Court cases which extended marriage equality to all fifty states. A longtime friend of Out Leadership, Jim’s experience, and wisdom inspired a new cohort of emerging LGBTQ+ leaders at the 2022 OutNEXT Global Summit as they prepare to fight the new frontier for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States.
#5
OutNEXT alumni like Lanaya Irvin and Janessa Cox-Irvin are superstar OutLEADERS.
Janessa Cox-Irvin, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion and Corporate Citizenship, Alliance Bernstein, and Lanaya Cox-Irvin, CEO, Coqual at the Out Leadership 12th Anniversary Celebration
OutNEXT empowers the next generation of high achievers to soar to levels of leadership — and maybe even meet your future significant other.
Meet Lanaya Irvin and Janessa Cox-Irvin.
In April 2013, Janessa attended an OutNEXT salon where Lanaya was speaking on the panel. After the panel, one of Janessa’s colleagues (who was also a mutual friend) insisted on introducing the couple. The friend arranged a dinner between the three of them a month later in Hell’s Kitchen. After sending the two home in a shared cab back to Brooklyn, Lanaya and Janessa realized they had been living just a block away from each other for four years. Each using a subway on opposite ends of the avenue on which they lived, their worlds — coffee shops, dry cleaners — had grown like parallel lines, alongside one another but never intersecting. Until OutNEXT!
Today, Lanaya Irvin is a global business executive and CEO of Coqual (formerly Center for Talent Innovation), an 18-year-old think tank that conducts research on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion and advises the world’s largest corporations. Irvin spent more than a decade at BofA Securities where she led strategic initiatives in global equities, managed global client relationships, and led multinational teams.
Janessa Cox-Irvin is the Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) and Corporate Citizenship at AllianceBernstein (AB) and a member of the Operating Committee. In her role, she partners closely with the CEO, other executive committee members and human capital to lead AB’s global D&I strategy, and provides thought leadership on advancing efforts that align with business priorities, meet the needs of a diverse range of clients, and positively impact over 3,800 AB employees worldwide.
They married in July 2017 and live together in Brooklyn. You can hear their full story on the Black Love podcast.
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