Building a culture of inclusiveness

As part of our continued efforts to ensure a safe and empowering environment for all professionals, our Philippines Global Delivery Center (PGDC) organized a series of Pride activities in June to highlight and celebrate our culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Jill De Jesus, Vice President and Business Unit Leader for our Philippines operations, initiated this activity through a video message highlighting how building an inclusive culture is core to the CGI Dream. For two years in a row, our operations in the Philippines received the Circle of Excellence award for “Diversity Company of the Year” by the Asia CEO Awards.

“We are a company that values and welcomes all professionals, regardless of race, gender and sexual orientation. We ensure that CGI is a safe home that allows all to share their unique talents, perspectives and experiences, which strengthens our business in the process,” says Jill.

Following Jill’s lead, through video testimonials, our professionals who are members of the LGBTQ+* community shared positive stories to help raise awareness regarding equity and equality in the workplace. Topics included coming out, gender equality, community support, and the importance of a diverse talent pool for innovation and creativity.

Our professionals also participated as panelists in Pride Talk, a talk show that highlighted LGBTQ+ stories, challenges and goals for inclusion. Hosted by CGI, it was facilitated by a guest speaker from the Philippine Financial and Inter-Industry Pride. This was followed by a webinar that shone a spotlight on how diversity, equity, and inclusivity are imperatives to success.

As part of our Pride month celebrations, we launched Pride@PGDC, a new local member resource group where our LGBTQ+ professionals and allies network and collaborate to further promote DE&I awareness and equal opportunities in the workplace.

In addition to various local activities, our PGDC LGBTQ+ members and allies join other year-round global initiatives, including panel discussions and workshops. They also actively participate in Pride@CGI, a group that works to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for our professionals regardless of sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions. Our LGBTQ+ professionals and allies serve as role models and help define tools for leaders at all levels in the company to support their LGBTQ+ colleagues.

*Refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning and other identities that form the LGBTQ+ community. "+" refers to all the gender identities and sexual orientations that are not specifically covered by the acronym. An example is Two-Spirited, which is a pan-Indigenous identity.