Bloomberg receives Japan’s two prestigious awards for inclusive culture

Bloomberg Japan announced today that it has won a Gold Award for the second consecutive year in the PRIDE Index 2021, and an ACE Award in the Environment Creation Category from the Accessibility Consortium of Enterprises (ACE).

The PRIDE Index is the first index of its kind in Japan, and was created by work with Pride, a voluntary group that works to support the promotion of LGBT+-related initiatives at businesses in Japan. The index evaluates organizations’ LGBT+-related initiatives based on five criteria: policy (declarations of action), representation (for the community), inspiration (activities to raise awareness), development (of HR systems and programs), and engagement/empowerment (social contribution and cooperation with external parties). Bloomberg satisfied all requirements and received a perfect score in all of these categories.

The ACE Awards are given to businesses and organizations that are “establishing new models for employing people with disabilities to contribute to corporate growth,” as per ACE’s goal. Award recipients are recommended by ACE member companies and undergo a rigorous review process. Bloomberg worked with students who study disabilities at Japan’s Keio University to formulate guidelines that ensure Bloomberg employees with disabilities are fully integrated into the company immediately after their joining. Bloomberg was highly commended by the ACE Awards for introducing systems that enable employees with disabilities to become a seamless part of its organization. The creation of these systems was based on the perspectives of employees involved in the relevant work and of employees with disabilities themselves, rather than led by Bloomberg’s HR department.

Alisha Fernando, Bloomberg’s Head of Diversity and Inclusion in APAC, said, “We’ve been working to ensure we create spaces where everyone feels welcomed, safe, and valued for their contribution, and respected for who they are and what they bring. We are proud to be recognized by both work with Pride and ACE, and commit to continuing our efforts towards a more equitable community and workplace.”

Bloomberg is committed to furthering diversity across its business. We promote an inclusive corporate culture at a company-wide level, where all employees respect one another’s differences and work together. Bloomberg’s employee-led LGBT & Ally Community (BPROUD) is engaged in activities to raise awareness and deepen understanding of the LGBT+ community among employees, and is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment. In addition, Bloomberg conducts training sessions about LGBT+ issues for all of its employees, and briefing sessions on diversity and inclusion for new hires.

Bloomberg was among the first companies to join the Valuable 500, a global movement putting disability on the business leadership agenda, and is a signatory to the Time to Change Employer Pledge in the UK, which is changing the way we think about mental health in the workplace. Through events such as the Bloomberg Equality Summits, and the Valuable Leader Conversations with business thought leaders, we proactively share our participation to encourage other companies around the globe to commit and take part in the disability inclusion conversation, recognizing that not doing so excludes 1.3 billion people around the world – 17% of the population.

Bloomberg Chairman Peter T. Grauer has long advocated for the promotion of diversity-related initiatives in the workplace and has been the recipient of numerous awards. After being included in the top 10 of the OUTstanding LGBT+ Ally Executives Role Model List for three consecutive years, he was named to the INvolve Role Model Hall of Fame in 2021. In addition, Amin Kassam, Bloomberg’s Head of Legal in APAC and an executive sponsor of LGBT & Ally Community (BPROUD), recently placed second in the 2021 Top 100 LGBT+ Executives List, having first been named to the list in 2018. Kassam has led numerous efforts to join marriage equality initiatives around the world, in addition to his work advocating for civil rights for the LGBT+ community.

For more on Bloomberg’s Diversity & Inclusion efforts, read here.