October 5th, 2020
Largest business coalition aimed at advancing racial equity through public policy
Today, CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ (CEO Action), the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace, is announcing the launch of CEO Action for Racial Equity, a fellowship that provides the opportunity for CEO Action signatories to advance racial equity through public policy.
A recent survey noted that 71% of employees place more trust in companies to respond to racial injustice than in the government (36%). Leveraging CEO Action’s platform, the coalition is activating its 1,300+ signatory base to collaborate and advance social justice through public policy together.
Through CEO Action for Racial Equity, nearly 250 fellows, representing more than 100 CEO Action signatory organizations, work together to identify, develop and promote scalable and sustainable public policies and corporate engagement to address societal systemic racism and social injustice, and improve societal well-being. Fellows will focus their efforts on four key areas of societal well-being: education, healthcare, public safety and economic empowerment.
“Systemic racism and prejudice have driven harmful inequities in our world for generations, shaping everything from access to education, to the quality of healthcare, to treatment by the justice system,” said Roger Crandall, Chairman, President and CEO, MassMutual. “We can – and must – do better, and the CEO Action for Racial Equity is one way the business community is taking action to unify our collective voices. We look forward to seeing the contributions of these talented fellows in our effort to build a more just and equitable world.”
The CEO Action for Racial Equity Governing Committee appointed these individuals to help steward day-to-day leadership, strategy, and operations: Roy Weathers, PwC Vice Chair, Societal Engagement and Policy Solutions will serve as the Chief Executive Officer; Pia Flanagan, Chief of Staff to the CEO at MassMutual, will serve as the Chief Operating Officer; and Roz Brooks, PwC US’ Policy Leader will serve as the Policy Lead in addition to her role at the firm.
“CEO Action has always been driven by the belief that when businesses work collectively to drive progress, we can truly harness lasting change,” said Roy Weathers, CEO Action for Racial Equity CEO. “The systemic racial injustice across our country has disproportionately impacted Black Americans and it is what is pushing us to do more. Now is the time to use our collective talent, passion and diverse perspectives to advance systemic change and improve equitable opportunities.”
The establishment of the fellowship comes on the heels of a commitment from PwC US Chair and Senior Partner and CEO Action steering committee chair Tim Ryan’s announcement in June of six commitments to address racism in society, one of which was to launch a public policy fellowship to address social injustice alongside fellow CEOs who were seeking to make a change. It is overseen and governed by the CEO Action for Racial Equity Governing Committee, a group of 20 CEOs representing multiple industries and regions.
The CEO Action for Racial Equity Governing Committee includes:
For a full list of signatory fellowship participants or more information on how to become a signatory, visit ceoaction.com/racial-equity.
About CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™
CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Bringing together more than 1,300 CEOs and presidents of America’s leading businesses, academic institutions and nonprofits representing more than 13 million employees, the commitment outlines actions that participating organizations pledge to take to cultivate a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected, employees feel comfortable and encouraged to discuss diversity and inclusion, and where best known—and unsuccessful—actions can be shared across organizations. Learn more at CEOAction.com and connect with us on Twitter: @CEOAction.