WASHINGTON, D.C., (11/08/12) –The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) announced today that Accenture is the 2012 NGLCC Corporation of the Year. Honoring Accenture’s outstanding support and dedication to ensuring equal opportunities for LGBT suppliers, customers, and employees, NGLCC’s award also highlights the ongoing efforts Accenture takes to help ensure continuing growth and future success for LGBT business owners through mentoring, education and access to new resources.
“Accenture has been a strong corporate partner of NGLCC since 2008, and they have developed important programming like the Accenture Diverse Supplier Development Program that demonstrates their commitment to inclusion throughout their business,” said Chance Mitchell, NGLCC CEO and Co-Founder. “We honor Accenture as Corporation of the Year because their organizational practices are models for inclusion and diversity.”
Accenture’s Diverse Supplier Development Program is a formal mentoring program in which Accenture executives team with selected minority-owned, women-owned, LGBT-owned, small and other diverse suppliers to help them develop and grow their businesses.
The program offers training symposia, knowledge exchange and networking opportunities. Accenture is now graduating the third class of this 18-month program. When this class graduates, the program will have mentored more than 50 diverse businesses, and Accenture plans to continue to enhance and evolve the program.
“At Accenture, we take the widest possible view of diversity and are committed to creating and providing an inclusive, open and equitable environment for individuals with different backgrounds, lifestyles, needs and expectations,” said Jorge Benitez, Accenture’s Chief Executive United States and Managing Director North America. “We go beyond gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity to create a work environment that welcomes all forms of differences.”
“Accenture is dedicated to supplier diversity, including mentoring diverse businesses,” said Justin Nelson, NGLCC President and Co-Founder. “In addition to Accenture’s Diverse Supplier Development Program, Accenture helped build the NGLCC Mentorship Program to assist Certified LGBT Business Enterprise® suppliers to identify and overcome barriers that typically restrict success and created a program that strives to foster growth and enhance competitiveness.”
Earlier this year, Carol Attak who helps manage Accenture’s Diverse Supplier Development Program was named a Champion of Change at the White House as part of the President’s “Winning the Future Across America” initiative. Attak, who chairs the NGLCC Procurement Council, was nominated by NGLCC for her dedication to the NGLCC Mentorship Program.
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CONTACT: Laura Berry, Communications Director, at 1-202-234-9181 or lberry@nglcc.org
About the NGLCC
The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) is the only national not-for-profit advocacy organization dedicated to expanding the economic opportunities and advancements of LGBT business community. With more than 29,000 members, 140 corporate partners, and 51 local, state, and international affiliate chambers, NGLCC is
