Todd G. Sears is the Founder & CEO of Out Leadership, a worldwide organization he established in 2010 to harness the power of business to advance LGBTQ+ equality. Sears began his career in investment banking and became the first openly gay financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, where he created the first national team of financial advisors dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community. He later served as the Head of Diversity Strategy at Merrill Lynch from 2007 to 2008 and as the Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Credit Suisse from 2008 to 2010.
Under Sears' leadership, Out Leadership has grown into a global network of 30,000 business leaders, including 1,200 CEOs, and has hosted 140 CEO-led Global Summits across five continents. As an advocate, Sears led efforts to mobilize over 300 businesses to sign amicus briefs supporting marriage equality in the U.S. and argued in favor of same-sex marriage in Australia, Ireland, and Thailand.
Sears serves on the boards of Lambda Legal, the Williams Institute at UCLA, and the U.S. State Department’s Global Equality Fund. His insights appear in Forbes and the Harvard Business Review, and his contributions to LGBTQ+ equality have earned him numerous accolades, including the Lambda Liberty Award and repeated recognition as a Crain’s Notable LGBTQ+ Leader.
In 2014, Todd launched OutNEXT, the largest global talent program for emerging LGBTQ+ leaders, engaging 4,500 leaders from over 200 companies. Sears also founded OutQUORUM, the first and only global initiative aimed at increasing LGBTQ+ representation on corporate boards, and OutWOMEN+, the first global platform dedicated to LGBTQ+ women in business.
Sears has led the development and publication of more than 50 research reports covering key topics such as board diversity, allyship, Self-ID, talent development, transgender equality, and public policy. He also created a range of tools and policies to improve business practices through LGBTQ+ inclusion, including Out Leadership’s Board Diversity Guidelines (available for the US, UK, Australia, and Hong Kong). OL-iq (Out Leadership’s corporate diagnostic tool), and a Business Leaders’ Guide to Trans Equality.
Out Leadership's annual LGBTQ+ State Business Climate Index, which ranks all 50 U.S. states on LGBTQ+ inclusion, has become a reference survey for leaders, accompanied by 50 detailed state briefs. Sears has been instrumental in bringing companies along using soft power to change the hearts and minds of business leaders, helping them embrace inclusion, transform their companies, and use their platforms to drive change.
Out Leadership’s Global Advisory Board provides our team with essential strategic advice on our global initiatives. Our board includes leaders of some of the world’s most influential institutions, and we are grateful for their counsel.