Kelly Abcarian, General Manager of our Video Advanced Advertising group, was recently named to the OUTstanding 50 Ally Executives List by INvolve, a U.K.-based organization that advocates for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She ranks No. 33 on the list. In her role as an executive sponsor of Nielsen PRIDE, our LBGT+ and allies employee resource group (ERG), Kelly has been integral in evolving our company LGBT+ policies and practices, as well as the inclusivity of our measurement products.
“Diversity & Inclusion is essential to everything that we do at Nielsen. When we operate in a culture that is diverse and inclusive, innovation flourishes, our clients win and employees are engaged and collaborate to bring the best that Nielsen can offer to the communities we measure,” said David Kenny, Nielsen’s CEO and Chief Diversity Officer. “Kelly’s dedication to LGBT+ policies, practices and allyship has been essential to driving our internal culture forward, developing products that are representative of the marketplace and demonstrating the value of Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace. No one is more deserving of this award than Kelly.”
Through her allyship, Kelly has fostered the creation of a more inclusive environment for our LGBT+-identifying associates and allies. Under her leadership, PRIDE’s membership has grown more than 100% and has increased its presence from eight U.S.-based chapters to 24 chapters in 17 countries. Additionally, she spearheaded a birth/adoption policy for same-sex couples and a 12-week paid parental leave for all Nielsen associates.
Kelly’s efforts, along with those of our dedicated PRIDE associates, have been recognized externally. For the sixth straight year, we earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index. We’ve also been named to DiversityInc’s list of Top Companies for LGBT Employees for the second consecutive year. With Kelly’s support, all of our associates are empowered to bring their whole selves to work, which enables us to continue to create positive business impact for ourselves and our clients.
"닐슨과 같이 전 세계에 진출한 기업은 성소수자 포용을 선도해야 할 책임이 있습니다."라고 Kelly는 말합니다. "이 상을 받게 되어 영광이지만, 다양하고 포용적인 인력, 직장 정책 및 제품을 갖추는 것이 직원, 회사 및 고객에게 필수적이라는 것은 분명합니다. 앞으로도 회사에서, 그리고 업계 리더로서 제 역할을 활용하여 LGBT+ 커뮤니티의 지지자이자 다양한 배경을 가진 사람들의 옹호자, 미디어에서의 대표성 옹호자가 되도록 노력할 것입니다."
Thanks to the support of leaders like Kelly and the sense of community our ERGs provide, our employees are inspired to expand our work around diversity and inclusion to drive greater value for our business. In fact, we recently enhanced our national TV panel to better account for same gender spouse and partner households, thanks to a highly collaborative effort among our data science, product leadership and ERG teams. This is an important advancement in our quest to provide the most inclusive measurement possible. We are the source of truth in the media industry, and this panel enhancement is an important step toward helping our clients to unlock the highly engaged LGBT+ audience.
Founder & CEO of INvolve, Suki Sandhu OBE, added, “We’re delighted to be celebrating another fantastic group of people from across the globe who are collectively driving cultural change and creating workplaces where everyone can succeed. LGBT+ discrimination is still prevalent in a lot of the world’s biggest economies, but highlighting the work of successful role models changes people’s perceptions. They demonstrate that you can be successful and out at work, but most importantly inspire the next generation of LGBT+ leaders.”
