Sugar Land, Texas –DiversityGlobal Magazine is pleased to honor the 2023 Top 15 Influential Women in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Nominated by their organization’s top leaders and peers, the women are change agents creating new opportunities for women and diverse individuals in the United States and globally. Working in different cultures worldwide, their unwavering belief that DEI is crucial to the success of people, businesses, communities, and sustainability drives them as role models for inclusiveness.
In 2019, the PGA of America has promoted Sandy Cross to serve as the first Chief People Officer in the Association’s history. There, Cross leads the PGA’s initiatives regarding its most important asset—its people. She is charged with enhancing a purpose-driven and values-based culture, as the PGA of America strives to be personally fulfilling and meaningful to a multi-generational team. She focuses on creating opportunities to stretch, lead, grow and have fun, by supporting learning and development, coaching, recognition and reward, and making a positive social impact in the communities where the PGA team works and lives. Cross also oversees the Human Resources and Diversity & Inclusion Departments.
DiversityGlobal Magazine sent an online survey requesting nominations to over 37,000 diversity, ESG, and HR professionals and organizational leaders in corporate and nonprofit organizations in America doing business globally. The women nominated by their leaders and peers were asked to complete the survey to describe their strategies for building top-quality DEI, HR or ESG programs. As global leaders, they are challenged with bringing DEI to culturally different workplaces without veering from the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Most describe their philosophy and strategy as “glocalization,” meaning DEI strategies consider global and local considerations.
The nominees answered several survey questions that allowed each person to share their strategies and successes in the DEI space. The first question asked which initiatives or achievements the professional is most proud of. This allowed the nominee to describe specific approaches that have produced desired results. The second question asked the nominee to describe the key best practices they use to drive DEI success. The third question asked the nominee to describe their leadership strengths from a global diversity perspective.
The Top 15 Influential Women in Diversity work in a variety of industries. They include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, insurance, railways, auto sales, grocery stores, real estate, toys construction, market research, property casualty broker, benefits and wealth management, technology, oilfield services, and print and digital documents. The women are working to embed DEI in their organizations in all communities of operation, but in 2023 they elevated their goals to include belonging. Many bios mention DEIB because the vision is for everyone to feel a full sense of belonging. Inclusion may get people welcomed, but belonging gives them an equal voice and acceptance.
Maintaining a global diversity perspective is challenging, because DEI in each country and each culture is viewed differently. Global DEI professionals can begin their work with a foundation of DEI core values, but they must respect and work within specific cultures that often have different perspectives and definitions of diversity. The women leaders must be flexible and find new ways to address DEIB. It may mean strategies focusing on gender inclusion, neurodiversity, or migrants. There are also common strategies. They include leadership DEI training and integrating leaders as models of inclusive behaviors, developing and implementing the tools for leader and workforce success, utilizing data for reporting purposes, and looking at all Human Resources points to eliminate barriers for women and diverse people.
The Influential Women also have a strategic vision of developing a people-first culture, and that requires dialogue. Some professionals sponsor listening sessions, while others help their organizations hold compassionate conversations. There are learning sessions offered, psychologically safe conversations held, safe spaces created, and frequent communication with leaders. Gaining the support of leaders, from the CEO to the frontline supervisors, is crucial to moving the DEI needle and essential to developing shared values in the workforce.
The accomplishments of the Top 15 Influential Women in Diversity will be shared in the Q2, 2023 issue of DiversityGlobal Magazine, published online. The bios will remain accessible for a year and read by diversity professionals and leaders in the U.S., Canada, Australia, India, South Africa, Japan, the U.K., and the European Union.
DiversityGlobal Magazine brings the latest information and thought leadership on Human Capital, Diversity, and Inclusion to global leadership. For over 20 years, the quarterly magazine for C-suite executives and professionals has covered all aspects of international diversity topics and issues in leadership, innovation, talent management, minorities in STEM, inclusion, human capital, social media, and life coaching. Clients include Fortune 500, Global 500, and a variety of medium-to-small-sized businesses.
The full list of Diversity Global Magazine’s Influential Women in Diversity includes:
