Month: March 2023

In her six years as chief financial officer at Medtronic, Karen Parkhill has helped advance women’s representation at all levels of the company.

She’s proud of the progress. As of 2022, women make up 51% of Medtronic employees, 43% of managers and above, and 36% of its board of directors.

But for Parkhill, that’s still not enough.

“The medical device industry has many great women in senior levels, but we need more,” she said in a recent episode of the MedtronicTalks podcast. “Where women lead, the world is better off.”

For Parkhill, those words are at the heart of her personal focus on mentoring and developing a rising number of women executives. Her commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity led her to support the company’s international pay equity efforts and Medtronic has achieved 100% gender and ethnically diverse pay equity in the aggregate in the U.S. and 99% globally. She also serves as the Executive Sponsor of the Medtronic Women’s Network’s hub for women vice presidents as well as Executive Sponsor of the Medtronic PRIDE Network for LGBTQ+ employees and allies.

Parkhill began her career at JP Morgan in investment banking and rose to CFO of its commercial banking business.  She went on to become vice chairman and CFO at Comerica, before stepping into the healthcare technology industry as CFO at Medtronic, where she’s helped to drive transformation across both the finance function and the company.

“It wasn’t daunting to me to learn a new industry, but it was my next, new challenge,” said Parkhill, adding that the company’s higher purpose to help patients provided the real appeal of joining Medtronic. “What we do to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend lives really does change lives.”

Hear more from Karen Parkhill about her observations of the MedTech industry, the progress Medtronic has made, and what she expects from the future in this episode of the MedtronicTalks Podcast. And learn more about the company’s efforts to remove barriers and shape equitable outcomes in the Global Inclusion, Diversity & Equity 2022 Annual Report.

KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 27, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Building on its leadership in lab grown diamonds, Helzberg Diamonds® announced today the launch of rêve™, a lab grown diamond collection that is 100% third-party rated and certified for sustainability. Helzberg Diamonds is now the first national jewelry retailer accredited by SCS Global Services to offer diamonds certified under the strict SCS-007 Jewelry Sustainability Standard.

Grounded in science and advanced technology, rêve (a French term meaning “to dream”) provides environmentally conscious purchasers with a new way to shop for and enjoy real diamonds. One that not only embraces customers’ increasing demand for brands that prioritize environmental responsibility, sustainability, and a social commitment, but also a purposeful passion to make the world a better place.

“As the first national jewelry retailer to offer lab grown diamonds in 2017, Helzberg Diamonds has a longstanding commitment to providing diamond purchasers with a world-class shopping experience and expertise to help them choose the best diamond for them,” said Julie Yoakum, president of Helzberg Diamonds. “The SCS-007 certified rêve lab grown diamond collection offers sustainability-minded customers with a new choice in diamonds that meets their expectations.”

Grown and meticulously handcrafted by Craft Lab Grown Diamonds and designed to achieve SCS-007’s highest rating standard, the new rêve collection promises end-to-end sustainability, transparency, traceability and climate neutrality. Each certified diamond in the rêve collection is accompanied by a unique certificate of sustainability that outlines its provenance, journey and unique features.

“The rêve collection promises to deliver the highest standards for environmental responsibility and social consciousness by giving consumers a high-quality diamond that can be transparently traced back to its sustainable origins,” said Hasu Dholakiya, CEO of Craft Lab Grown Diamonds. “We’re thrilled to partner with Helzberg Diamonds on this new groundbreaking brand that embodies and elevates a diamond’s extraordinary brilliance, beauty and artistry. Truly, rêve is a brand without compromise.”

Each ring in the rêve collection exquisitely combines on-trend design fashioned in recycled gold settings. All are showcased in beautiful ring boxes made of recycled materials.

“SCS Global Services is thrilled to welcome Helzberg Diamonds and Craft Lab Grown Diamonds as accredited partners under the SCS-007 program,” said Stanley Mathuram, executive vice president of SCS Global Services. “We congratulate Helzberg Diamonds and Craft on this achievement and for recognizing the importance of sustainability rated diamonds in today’s fine jewelry marketplace.”

Lab grown diamonds are created from responsibly sourced diamond seeds in a state-of-the-art lab and possess the same physical, chemical, and optical properties as natural diamonds. Both lab grown and natural diamonds are one-of-a-kind diamonds that are individually graded by the four Cs: cut, color, clarity and carat weight. The price-to-carat ratio of a lab grown diamond costs a fraction of the price of a similarly sized natural diamond, making it an excellent option for the informed, environmentally conscious shopper.

The exclusive collection is now available in select Helzberg Diamonds store locations nationwide and online. For more information, please visit Helzberg.com/reve.

About Helzberg Diamonds

Helzberg Diamonds®, a retail and online jewelry store focused on customer service, has 170 stores nationwide featuring a wide selection of fine jewelry, including diamond engagement rings and wedding rings, precious gems and watches. Helzberg Diamonds takes pride in a legacy built on trust, knowledge, and high-quality diamonds at an incredible price. Helzberg Diamonds is based in North Kansas City, Missouri, and is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK/A and BRK/B). For the locations nearest you, visit Helzberg.com or call 1-800-HELZBERG (800-435-9237).

About Craft Lab Grown Diamonds

Craft Lab Grown Diamonds, a division of H.K. Designs, is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of lab-grown diamonds and lab-grown diamond jewelry. Headquartered in New York with design and manufacturing centers in Mumbai and Surat, India, Craft’s vertically integrated business model spans its own diamond growing laboratory, proprietary technologies, and cutting and polishing facilities, through jewelry collection design and manufacturing.

All Craft diamonds are sustainably created and independently certified by SCS Global Services to be SCS- 007 complaint encompassing stringent environmental and sustainable production practices, comprehensive origin traceability, climate neutrality, and socially conscious investments.

Craft and its parent company’s philanthropic foundation are committed to promoting sustainable practices and encouraging a sustainable future for the well-being of the planet and future generations. The company is proud of its social welfare and environmental water conservation activities that have had a significant positive impact on vulnerable global communities. These achievements have been recognized by the United Nations with a special accreditation to participate in this year’s UN World Water Conference.

For more information about Craft Lab Grown Diamonds, its products, and ESG-related activities, please contact jeff@craftdiamonds.co.

About SCS Global Services 

SCS Global Services is an internationally recognized leader in third-party certification of environmental and sustainability claims.

Headquartered in Emeryville, California, SCS has representatives and affiliate offices throughout the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe and Africa. It is the certification arm of Scientific Certification Systems, Inc., a chartered benefit corporation. For more information, visit: http://www.scsglobalservices.com/services/certified-sustainability-rated-diamond.

For more information on the SCS-007 standard for sustainability rated diamonds, visit: https://www.scsglobalservices.com/standards/scs-007-sustainability-rated-diamonds. 

READ MORE