More than 200 LGBT+ business leaders gathered in May 2019 in New York for Out Leadership’s 9th annual U.S. Summit, sponsored by EY, Ogilvy, and Ropes & Gray.
Ropes & Gray hosted the second session, Global Insights: Business Innovation Driving Change.
Peter Erichsen, Partner at Ropes & Gray closed out the session:
“Today’s speakers reminded us that those of us who are in leadership positions in business, finance, law, accounting, have the power to model values, to set policies, to make investment decisions, and use our business platforms in every way to make a difference. It’s been inspiring to see the dedication in this room to driving progress for LGBT+ inclusion, and driving the conversation about how diversity and inclusion provide returns for the bottom line, and for your company’s culture.”
Peter spoke about the importance of Out Leadership and Ropes & Gray’s latest research partnership, Visibility Counts: Corporate Guidelines for LGBT+ Self-Identification:
“Frankly, we hope this report makes waves. We want it to get attention. That was our purpose in creating a practical guide rather than a varied thought piece about LGBT+ self ID. And we did it because while we’ve made a lot of progress, and we’re proud of our firm’s role in the marriage equality fight, there are still people around the country and around the world who are either fighting that progress, or more aggressively trying to turn the clock back.”
“As Todd said, please use this report—don’t let it gather dust on your credenza. That’s a personal note, because there’s a lot of dust on my credenza. Please share it with your colleagues in senior leadership. Share it with your colleagues in HR. Share it with your infinity groups. Talk about it.
I can’t do better in concluding, than by repeating what Beth told her colleagues, which is ‘don’t stop talking’. Thank you very much for joining us.”