In our first-ever Progress Proud Podcast, six executives tackled many aspects of inclusion and diversity in the American workplace, and how we can improve.
If anything good came out of 2020, it was the worldwide recognition that more must be done in corporate America to address inclusion and diversity. It’s a topic often mentioned in company values, but the real-world landscape shows too many organizations have fallen short of these high ideals. Ours included.
To make our workplaces more welcoming to people of all backgrounds, we must start having frank conversations. It was in this spirit that Progress executives sat down for an intimate exchange about inclusion and diversity in the first-ever Progress Proud Podcast.
Workplace Diversity: There’s a Long Way to Go
A recent report of Massachusetts employers by the Boston Club laid the disparities bare. Its annual Census of Women Directors and Executive Officers found women only held 18% of these coveted positions. And women of color only accounted for 3.1% of these roles.
Progress is proud to have made significant strides to address this, being only one of six Massachusetts employers to have three or more women on its board. But this improvement came after a wakeup call of our own. We had fallen short and needed to change. And we did. It took a concerted effort and continuing to stride forward with diversity and inclusion requires equal dedication.
Progress Leadership Podcast: A Frank Inclusion and Diversity Conversation
The inaugural Progress Proud Podcast featured a frank conversation between six Progress executives about diversity and inclusion in corporate America. Please enjoy this dialogue between Progress CEO Yogesh Gupta, Chief People Officer Katie Kulikoski, Senior Vice President and General Manager Loren Jarrett, Chief Financial Officer Anthony Folger, General Counsel Steve Faberman, and Vice President of Marketing Jenn Ortiz.
Danielle Sutherby
Danielle Sutherby is a marketing communications manager at Progress, where she supports Progress’ employer brand efforts, raises awareness of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and inclusion and diversity (I&D) efforts, assists in PR activities, and strategizes employee engagement activities worldwide. Danielle is also the co-founder of the first employee resource group at Progress, Progress for Her, which aims to empower women at the company by providing leadership and networking opportunities. When she is not at work, you can find her writing, reading, or acting like a tourist in her own city.