Mercer’s UK & Ireland HR Director and Board Member, Dr Siobhan Martin, has made the Top 100 OUTstanding Leading LGBT+ Executives List for the fourth year running. This year, Dr Martin is listed in the Top 10 of the ranking compiled by OUTstanding, a not-for-profit professional network for LGBT executives and their allies, in collaboration with the Financial Times. The ranking aims to recognise the actions of executives that have sought to make the workplace more welcoming to LGBT individuals. Dr Martin was nominated by her colleagues in the UK chapter of Mercer’s own lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allies (LGBTA) Employee Network because of her continuous efforts around ensuring Mercer is an inclusive company and her activism for equal rights in the wider community.
“Businesses have a unique opportunity to make equality a reality and we need to keep working hard to make this a reality for everyone,” said Dr Martin. “I am thrilled to be recognised in the OUTstanding List, an honour I share with my colleagues who work tirelessly to make Mercer and the world a more inclusive place for all.”
Dr Martin has been key to driving an inclusive culture at Mercer, and also makes herself available to other organisations who are working to ensure equality. She is Global Chair of the Business Innovation work stream of Mercer’s global LGBT+ network, and founder of Mercer’s UK Diversity and Inclusion Council, UK D&I Advisory group and the UK Champion network. She introduced monitoring for LGBT+ hires and is about to launch a self-identification campaign, to understand Mercer’s workforce demographics. As Executive Sponsor of the firm’s LGBT+ network, she has hosted events around the country, including ‘Coming Out as an Ally’, ‘Unbundling Lesbians’, and ‘Engaging Men’, to create open and honest conversation around diversity. Dr Martin is a Fellow & Chair of the Monash University Global Leaders’ Group.
OUTstanding Founder and CEO Suki Sandhu said,
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“I’m absolutely delighted to see Siobhan in the top 10 LGBT+ Executives list this year. Siobhan has featured in our list since 2014, and we’ve seen her climb an incredible 82 places since then! This is testament to her hard work and ongoing commitment to LGBT+ inclusion activities both within Mercer and externally – especially at the executive level. The judges this year were particularly impressed with her work as a member of the Global Professional Women’s Network. Her international speaking engagements, advocacy work for lesbians and bi women and documentary appearances championing inclusivity and mental health awareness really set her out as a leader in her field.
“Our lists exist to challenge the assumption you cannot be out and successful in business, and to highlight the importance of role models in inspiring the next generation of business leaders. By recognising and celebrating people like Siobhan who are leading the charge, the lists demonstrate how far the quest for workplace equality has come. But there is always more to be done. Big business and the public sector have the power and influence to promote LGBT+ inclusion more widely, paving the way for real societal change around the world.”
Pete Foley, a Senior Associate with Mercer Australia, has also been named by OUTstanding in the Top 100 LGBT+ Future Leaders List. Pete leads Mercer’s Australian LGBT+ inclusion group, and has improved workplace inclusivity for LGBT+ colleagues by facilitating awareness sessions and training for allies, managers, HR and diversity teams.
Paul Gray is an entrepreneur and digital publisher who creates online publications focused on solving problems, delivering news, and providing platforms for informed comment and debate. He is associated with HRZone and has built businesses in the HR and professional publishing sector. His work emphasizes creating industry-specific content platforms.
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