This content was created by Edie Fraser. This content was uploaded by Edie Fraser. This is a YouTube video titled "WBC A4I 2023: CEO Excellence in Gender Equality and Diversity Awards Opening Remarks Day 2" containing opening remarks and speeches from September 27, 2023. The content features multiple speakers including Dan Hesse and Edie Frazier discussing the importance of gender equity, diversity, and the role of CEOs in advancing these initiatives through purposeful leadership and measurable impact. The context is an awards event honoring CEOs for their contributions to diversity and inclusion.
What a joy to welcome everyone back. As Gwen Young, our CEO, has just said, it is a true honor to introduce Dan Hesse, my colleague, WBC Board member one, who is a courageous CEO as he leads with us. He leads as a board director, and he also did a phenomenal interview with Just Capital yesterday. This is about the human side of enterprise and bringing profitability to courageous leaders. Dan Hesse.
Well, thanks so much for your kind words, Edie. The WBC CEO Excellence in Gender Equity and Diversity Awards honors CEOs who have championed and made tangible and significant contributions to the advancement of diversity. Yesterday, we discussed statements of purpose, but also the importance of real action, real results. That's why members of the WBC board in their selection process, where we selected the honorees that were honoring yesterday and today, we use data, both quantitative and qualitative. Yesterday you heard from each of these CEOs about some of their initiatives, and today you'll hear even more about what they're doing. Again with specific examples. These CEOs lead companies of purpose. Companies of purpose. They clearly make a positive impact on their employees, but also externally on their customers, their communities and the planet. Edie's going to introduce the videos of these authentic leaders who are going to discuss the economic benefit and the prosperity that they bring to the communities that they serve, but also to the companies that they choose to partner with. And as a former CEO, I can tell you that these results don't happen without the personal commitment, accountability, and the authenticity of the CEO. So with that, I will turn it over to our chair, Edie Frazier.
Thank you, Dan. These 10 CEO award winners for 2023 are true champions of change. They're about value creation, but that means engagement and culture and their approach to all stakeholders. And as Dan said, transparent, open data. Given their commitments, it's significant, as bank of America said yesterday with Brian, the integration of people and purpose. And we heard that throughout. And if you look at Bristol Myers Squibb, which was enunciated as well from Carol lynch of cvs, that is about truly bringing together people and purpose and commitment. And as Karen lynch said, the guiding principle is our North Star and bringing our hearts to work. What courageous CEOs. As the Clorox CEO with Linda Rendell talks about that all this is the foundation for strategy and their commitment to pay parity and cdw. With Christine Leahy igniting the world for excellence, even as a service company. And with that, Dan, your friend Chuck Robbins of Cisco, who talked about extensive commitment for business results. But even bigger is the empowerment of the system. And today we congratulate Cisco for the announcement of moving big into cyber with the acquisition of splunk for 28 billion. And we move to Cummins and extraordinary leadership of Jennifer Rumsey who talks about how the company grew from the time she joined at 6 billion to now 28 billion. Integrating people and purpose. And as Cigna with David Cardani talking the same of bringing together the people, the system, the customers and community. And Coca Cola as we talk through with James Quincy of their commitment totally to the entire ecosystem and for decades and decades. And with Sodexo, the people company that's driving parity at 50% of all they're doing. So today we focus on three key issues. One of them is to reemphasize the purposes core of business. But with it a focus on supplier diversity. And our panel yesterday of women entrepreneurs along with UPS focused that cyber that in the supplier space that supplier diversity is the innovation engine that's helping in a such a positive way for companies community engagements and what these CEOs commitments are and what it looks like for 2023. And Dan, we say most important is the call to action of what companies will continue to do to advance DEI because it is such a return on investment. It is our honor, Dan, as all of us and our board of Directors salutes these 10 CEOs for excellence in gender parity and diversity with these awards and how proud we are to say you are teaching us best practices and leading all the way. Thank you.
