World 50 I&D Impact Awards 2023 Winners Announced

ATLANTA, March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- World 50, the global community of business leaders from the most respected and influential companies, is pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural 2023 World 50 I&D Impact Awards.

Recognized for their innovation in creating scalable solutions and systemic change in diversity, equity, and inclusion, the winners were announced last night at the I&D Impact Awards ceremony in Miami, Florida—which brought together hundreds of global executives from top organizations to celebrate the pursuit of more inclusive and diverse work environments. I&D Impact Awards partners Amazon, Anaplan, Circle K, Cognizant, and Victoria's Secret & Co.—all dedicated to championing and driving DEI—joined the festivities.

"It was challenging to select only nine winners out of dozens who are paving the way for meaningful progress in the DEI space," said Jennifer Bird Newton, World 50's chief impact officer. "These trailblazers are setting the gold standard for cultivating a culture of change, and we could not be more thrilled to congratulate and celebrate their efforts in creating lasting impact for employees, businesses, and society at large."

Awards judge Josetta ‍Jones, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Chevron, added: "Creating diverse and inclusive workplaces is important for so many organizations. [We] walked away knowing that these organizations were intentional about creating a workplace that works for all."

Selected from a competitive shortlist of 85 individual leaders, teams, and companies, the 2023 I&D Impact Awards winners represent members of the World 50 ecosystem and span nine categories:

• Community Impact Award: Edwards Lifesciences
• Inclusion Award, in partnership with Cognizant: Pfizer
• Courage Award: Aimee Cardwell, SVP and Chief Information Security Officer, UnitedHealth Group
  Highly Commended: Ada Lopez, Senior Manager, Product Diversity, Lenovo
• I&D Ally Award, in partnership with Circle K: Georgia Leadership Team, Advance Auto Parts
• I&D Team of the Year, in partnership with Anaplan: Cognizant
  Highly Commended: Best Buy
• Innovation Award, in partnership with Amazon: Fannie Mae
• Transparency Award, in partnership with Victoria's Secret & Co.: Merck
  Highly Commended: Edison International
• I&D Leader Award: Shameka Young, VP and Global Head, Diversity and Inclusion, Cognizant
  Highly Commended: Ralph Mupita, Group President and CEO, MTN Group
• I&D Impact Award: Cigna

Launched in mid-2022, the World 50 I&D Impact Awards spotlight the incredible strides organizations have made to turn DEI strategy into measurable and lasting impact. The winners were carefully selected by a panel of esteemed, independent judges comprising 20 top DEI executives from the likes of Chevron, Intel, KPMG, Lenovo, Mars, MetLife, and others.

"After advocating for ID&E to be a priority on the corporate agenda for two decades, I am delighted by the number of award entrants committed to fostering diversity and inclusion within their teams," said Awards judge Marilu Marshall, senior vice president of executive management and chief inclusion, diversity and equity officer at Estée Lauder. "At the same time, I found it sobering to see organizations that have just started out—but at least they are now on the journey and will remain on it for years to come. Carving out the spaces to celebrate the progress we've made, as well as exchanging best practices to further accelerate that progress, is critical to shifting ID&E from a 'nice to have' to a business imperative. I'm honored to be a part of this collective effort to embed ID&E into every company's DNA."

Awards judge Carolanne Minashi, global head of inclusion at HSBC, added: "Companies' tracking and measurement of their DEI impact is a crucial step forward for all of us as we collaborate to drive meaningful change at work and in our communities. I'm excited and encouraged to see the positive changes that will result from this concerted effort."

Learn more about the World 50 I&D Impact Awards, and how to get involved in 2024, here.

About World 50

Founded in 2004, World 50 consists of private peer communities that enable CEOs and C-level executives at globally respected organizations to discover better ideas, share valuable experiences, and build relationships that make a lasting impact. World 50 communities serve every significant enterprise leadership role. Members reside in more than 27 countries on six continents and are leaders at companies that average more than US$31 billion in revenue.

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SOURCE World 50