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Top 10 Diversity Champions - 2016

This category recognises the achievements of individuals who have used their position within their organisation, for example as an executive, employee or diversity network lead to make an impact on diversity.

Alex Bard - CEO, Campaign Monitor
Based in Sydney, Campaign Monitor is a leading email marketing platform, hiring the full spectrum of diverse employees, regardless of race, age, gender, sexuality and disability: a philosophy Alex Bard has fully embraced. For example, the company had a 4-day off-site meeting in Fiji and flew all their kitchen team there. Kate, one of the kitchen's team, has Downs Syndrome, so they flew her mother out to support her.

Ousmane Diagne - HR Head, Citibank (Senegal)
An outstanding leader of Diversity at Citibank, Diagne organised open days to welcome the Association of Women Jurists of Senegal to raise awareness on women's rights, and the Association of Handicaps of Senegal who raise awareness of living with a handicap. At Citi’s yearly Diversity Week, Diagne presents a spectrum of this paramount topic, urging that it should be embedded in all corporations and putting forward the business case.

Heba Filobbos - Sr. Area Manager at Halliburton (Scandinavia)
Filobbos began as a field engineer in the oil and gas industry, working in various operational and leadership positions in 10 different countries. Leading by example, she was instrumental in attracting, recruiting and developing female and ethnically diverse talent to the industry and is a mentor and a role model to many. With her previous employer, Baker Hughes, she was selected as Women’s Resource Group Chair in support of gender diversity.

Aongus Hegarty - President, Dell (EMEA)
Believing change starts at the top, Hegarty actively engaged senior leaders in the initiative MARC, (Men Advocating Real Change), to create gender-inclusive work environments. As executive sponsor of Wise, Dell’s Employee Resource Group for gender diversity, Hegarty has also overseen Wise’s EMEA chapters increase from 18 to 31 in the last four years. His team sponsor a wide range of ERGs, representing diversity of age, culture, gender, remote workers, ability and sexual orientation.

Anita Krohn Traaseth - Leader of Innovation Norway (Norway)
At Innovation Norway, her government's instrument for innovation and development of enterprises and industry, Krohn Traaseth has increased the number of women in the top leader group from 14% to 64%, while emphasising age diversity. A public figure and diversity expert, she expresses the advantages of diversity in public debate, encouraging women and multicultural citizens to become e entrepreneurs and leaders, and has met with world leaders to discuss integration the workplace.

John Kurtz - Partner & Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, A.T. Kearney (Australia)
Partner and Global Head of D & I at A.T. Kearney, US-born Kurtz has lived in Asia for +20 years, serving in a variety of leadership roles within the firm. He’s led the firm’s efforts in hiring, supporting and promoting those with diverse backgrounds, with a particular emphasis on improving the gender balance. Kurtz is also involved with the World Economic Forum’s committee on gender parity, and is widely published.

James W. Lewis - President of the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) (USA)
Lewis was awarded for his contribution to the citizens of Atlanta in promoting Diversity and procuring resources to support higher education. He was also proactive in AIDS awareness, serving on the board of the National AIDS Fund. He founded Golden Key International Honor Society, the largest collegiate multi-ethnic international scholar society, and the National Society of High School Scholars with Claes Nobel, of the family that founded the famous Prize.

Ratna Omidvar - Founding Executive Director, Ryerson University's Global Diversity Exchange (GDX)
Published author Omidvar is founder and Chair Emeritus of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), which brings leaders and employers together to help immigrants. She is an award-winning, internationally recognised expert, speaker and commentator on migration, diversity, integration and inclusion and played a lead role in the creation of many local, national and international efforts to promote the integration of immigrants, including DiverseCity onBoard, and Cities of Migration.

Payal Vasudeva - MD, Accenture Strategy (UK)
Vasudeva’s dynamic policies have pioneered pro bono consulting work with Refuge, a UK charity that helps victims of domestic violence. Her ‘Strategy SuperStars’ programme champions and rewards employees promoting I&D. She is part of the Supplier Diversity mentoring programme and has created a network of leads and champions from all parts of the business, promoting I & D as a core part of the People Strategy for Accenture.

Anthony Watson - President & Chief Executive Officer of Uphold, Inc. (USA)
Described by The Guardian (UK) as “one of the most influential gay men in the world”, award-winning Watson is a business & technology executive and a rights activist, known for his LGBT global advocacy and charity work. Aiming to redress social justice, Uphold is a new style of financing founded on the belief that the current banking system is unfair to those who can least afford its services and charges.

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