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LGBTQIA+

Illustration of people dancing through a Pride parade
Alan Jope, CEO Unilever, on supporting LGBTQ+ communities every day of the year Watch: Alan Jope, CEO Unilever, on supporting LGBTQ+ communities every day of the year

We believe that every LGBTQIA+ member of our community must be treated fairly and equally. On 19 June, our CEO Alan Jope signed the Declaration of Amsterdam, a global statement of support for LGBTQIA+ rights and we have joined Open for Business, a coalition of leading global companies to show we mean business on taking action on LGBTQIA+ inclusion globally. Working with Stonewall, we audit our policies and procedures to benchmark how we are progressing on LGBTQIA+ inclusion in our workplace.

Our global LGBTQIA+ network, proUd, has a clear mission statement, “We will be a beacon of inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies, amplifying their voice in society and at Unilever, to enable them to be their true, authentic selves.”

We will make Unilever the most inclusive company for the LGBTQIA+ community by:

  • Building a network of peer support and allies to help everyone to bring their true self to work
  • Creating a more inclusive and safer place to work and develop your career for everyone
  • Supporting brand activations and communications, and company policies and training to be more representative and inclusive of the community.
  • Building strong external partnerships with other employee networks and organisations supporting the LGBTIQA+ community

In UK and Ireland, we show our support for the LGBTQIA+ community through events and activities during key Pride moments and throughout the year. Each year we support Pride events across the UK and partner with LBGTQIA+ charities, such as Switchboard, to help raise awareness of the support they offer to the community.

lgbtqia community

Richard Sharp

In the UK & Ireland our proUd network is championed by Richard Sharp, our VP HR

Richard Sharp
"Diverse people and different points of view make us stronger as a business – they make our decisions better, they bring creativity and innovation, and they make it more fun to come to work.We are proud of all our employees, we want you to be who you are when you come to work, and we celebrate difference in all its forms.This network welcomes everybody, and provides a space for support, activism, celebration, and fun."

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