Pictured above left to right: Kate Boyer, senior director, program implementation, Per Scholas; Brandy Lott, director, business solutions, Per Scholas; Marla Patterson, area director of field services, Ricoh USA; Cassandra Washington, CTAE director, Bibb County Board of Education; Marquetta Bryan, Of Counsel; Nelson Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, LLP.
Ricoh USA, Inc.’s slate of events for International Women’s Day 2019 has earned the company a Top 10 Diversity Action Award from the Association of ERGs & Councils, a practice group of PRISM International, Inc. and Talent Dimensions. The Top 10 Diversity Action honor is part of the Diversity Impact Awards, which were launched this year as a more data-driven successor to the ERG & Council Honors Award. Ricoh’s 4th place ranking was revealed at the USC Marshall School of Business Center for Effective Organizations ERG Leadership Summit Week, October 19-24, 2020.
For International Women’s Day 2019, Ricoh held events around the world for customers, vendor partners, community members and employees, including 16 such events in the United States and Canada. These events highlighted the contributions of women within the company and throughout history, while also discussing the importance and value of diversity. Since 2017, Ricoh has showcased its support of International Women’s Day by hosting events throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, Asia and South Africa. Diversity council members, along with other leaders, plan and execute these events that celebrate the achievements of women and proudly reinforce Ricoh’s ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion. Local events typically feature dynamic and inspirational women leaders from both inside and outside of Ricoh to speak, sharing their personal and professional journeys with inclusive audiences.
“Diversity is central to Ricoh’s success – not just as part of our Spirit of Three Loves, which has been integral to Ricoh for all of its nearly 85 years, but also as a source of tangible business benefits,” said Donna Venable, executive vice president of Human Resources and deputy general manager, Shared Services, Ricoh Americas and Deputy General Manager, Human Resources Division, Ricoh Company, Ltd. “By working to ensure a culture of diversity and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do, we’re able to bring a broader range of viewpoints into the conversation which help empower forward movement towards positive change and ultimate business growth. Bringing more people into the fold is the right thing to do. Furthermore, more diverse perspectives create more opportunity for truly groundbreaking innovation that can help our customers succeed.”
The Diversity Impact Awards leverage a scientifically validated model designed to encourage and reward buy-in from key stakeholders on diversity initiatives and help uncover actionable insights into how companies’ diversity programs stack up. The model was used to evaluate and inform applicants for this year’s awards.
Almost a year’s worth of research and surveying went into creating and launching the Diversity Impact Awards’ new structure, but organizers found the resulting clearer picture of who is leading the way in fostering diversity and inclusion well worth the effort.
“While launching something new during a time of such incredible change was a daunting task, we knew we had to continue,” said Cile Johnson, principal and chief business officer, Talent Dimensions. “The work was far too important, and the individuals volunteering countless hours to create organizations where all people felt engaged, included and welcome deserve this recognition. We want to do our part to encourage and honor these efforts.”
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