By Lisa Mink, executive director of global diversity and inclusion, Dell I’m thrilled to announce that Dell has made its debut among the Top 50 Companies for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives, which recognizes U.S. companies for commitment to female leadership. I can absolutely attest to this commitment, and I’m proud to see it identified by such an important group as NAFE. Founded in 1972, NAFE serves tens of thousands of members in the United States with networking, tools and solutions to strengthen and grow their careers and business. Its Top-50 list was published today in Working Mother magazine. Dell’s support of our female team members includes: •Our employee resource group Wise creates connections and provides leadership expertise to deliver on the promise of Dell’s strategy. With 8,500 members and 45 chapters globally, it is our largest employee resource group. We’re incredibly proud of the influence it has both in the company and in the industry. •Mentor Connect, our formalized mentorship tool, allows any Dell team member to register and identify a mentor. The program also allows any team member to sign up and offer mentorship services to others. •Our Connected Workplace program, a mobile work solution for team members, provides more flexibility for where and how people work, helping them better manage demands at work and home. In 2012, Dell expanded Connected Workplace to 22 sites in 18 countries and has a roadmap for offering the opportunity to new sites in all regions in which we operate. These are just a few of the programs in which Dell invests to promote diversity and inclusion in our business, and in our leadership ranks. The 2013 NAFE Top 50 Companies application includes more than 200 questions on female representation at all levels, but especially the corporate officer and profit-and-loss leadership ranks. The application also tracks access and usage of programs and policies that promote the advancement of women, as well as the training and accountability of managers in relation to the number of women who advance. To be considered, companies must have a minimum of two women on their boards of directors as well as at least 1,000 employees in the United States. “This year we see measurable progress for women at companies that have made their advancement a priority, a smart strategy given the growing research that correlates greater numbers of women in top positions with higher revenues,” says NAFE President Betty Spence. “For women, these are the top companies to work for.” Outside our own walls, Dell also maintains a deep commitment to advancing women leaders, business owners and entrepreneurs. Last year, we announced a $1 million donation to Catalyst, a leading nonprofit membership group expanding opportunities for women in business; the gift will create the Center for Career Pathway Research to study and address root causes of gender gaps. This June, we’ll host the fourth annual Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) conference in Istanbul, Turkey; the event connects female founders, CEOs and leaders of high-growth around the world to share best practices and spotlight the positive impact women-owned businesses have on the global economy. I invite you learn more about these and other initiatives at Dell.com/diversity.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Feb 7, 2013 6pm EST / 3pm PST / 11pm GMT / 12am CET