Month: April 2023

Originally published by TriplePundit

Global gender equality is three centuries away, according to the United Nations, though equity in the workplace could be achieved in half that time. Moving the needle any faster will require major investments in addition to proactive, broad-scope and value-based DEI initiatives. As such, the private sector has the opportunity — and the responsibility — to lead the charge toward a truly equitable future.

The authenticity of an organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) will ultimately show through in a number of metrics — from employee and customer loyalty to diversity among board members and C-suite leaders. But too often, DEI initiatives are relegated to a small corner within an enterprise when what is needed is a broader, more comprehensive approach. Businesses can ensure they are on the right track by making inclusivity and equity a part of the deeper value system. That value system integration can elevate its true importance and bring benefits to the whole enterprise.

TriplePundit sat down with Mastercard’s chief inclusion officer, Randall Tucker, to learn more about how the financial industry can approach DEI on a broader basis and achieve gender equity not just at the office, but in the larger marketplace as well.

TriplePundit: What makes Mastercard’s approach to DEI different from other initiatives? What’s behind its success?

Randall Tucker: It goes back to the Mastercard Way: It’s not only what you do, but how you do it. A big part of that is inclusiveness. DEI stems from inclusiveness that is already active within the Mastercard Way, so it hangs on a bigger initiative — or bigger thinking within the organization — which is really powerful for our company. 

It’s about having leaders sign up and author the strategy, because it can’t be something done in the middle of the organization. At the end of the day, you need the top leaders within the organization to say, ‘This is important: Here are the things we live by, and here are the things we’re going to do, so what we’re striving for is based on our value system.’ Until that conversation happens, until they sign off on something or get behind something, it’s very hard to make any real movement.

3p: How can a business ensure that its work around DEI aligns with its core values? 

Tucker: The only way that those core values actually show up is through proof points. By having representation at certain levels that match up with our census data, for example, we can know we’re being equitable. A DEI Strategy isn’t inclusive unless it focuses on creating an environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed and their voices are valued. It’s a proof point that our value systems are not just things you see on posters, they can be defined and we can demonstrate what we’ve done to move the needle.

We’ve also made a commitment to equal pay. It’s important that for every dollar a man makes, a woman makes that same dollar. It’s about making sure people feel valued. People work because they need to support their lives and the lives of their families, so making sure they’re starting off from a place of equal pay is really important. We do external auditing on that — not only on gender, but on communities of color as well. 

And from an HR perspective, it’s important to ensure that women are experiencing the organization in the same way as men or other groups are. We conduct an All Employee Experience Survey annually, which is exactly what the name indicates: it allows us to gauge how our employees are experiencing life at Mastercard. The insights we receive help us understand if all groups are experiencing the organization in the same way. It allows us to use data to inform our action planning to ensure we’re making a positive impact – reinforcing with our employees that we’re listening, learning, and acting based on their direct feedback. 

3p: What about applying DEI beyond recruitment and promotion, such as with customers and the community at large?

Tucker: The efforts we make externally are centered around our commitment to financial inclusion. We’ve made a big commitment to bring 1 billion people, including 50 million micro businesses and small businesses into the digital economy. We’re also looking to help 25 million women entrepreneurs grow their businesses. It’s not just about individuals, but about developing communities, wealth, and access. That has been hugely important for us to be able to do for everyone, and especially for underrepresented communities, including women.

Further, as we look at developing the prosperity pipeline for women, we have a program called Girls4Tech which is introducing girls to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs, and it is hugely successful. We probably won’t see the full benefit for another 10 or 15 years, but you have to plant the seed. That’s what Girls4Tech does: It plants the seed and, hopefully, it will germinate and grow and lead to a lot more women in STEM roles. 

3p: A lot of DEI programs miss the mark when it comes to including people with disabilities and neurodiversity. What can you tell us about Mastercard’s neurodiversity hiring pilot?

Tucker: We launched our neurodiversity program back in 2021 with our tech team, starting with a change to how we interviewed people. Not everyone is able to articulate in a way that is typically expected in an interview. We wanted to be able to accommodate them, so we set up alternatives where applicants can show that they can do the work instead.
I think that’s innovative for us to say: We want this talent. This talent may not be fitting the box that we use all the time, but we’re giving them our real-world test to see if they can do it. And they are exceeding our expectations. 
It’s an ongoing journey for us, we have a lot more to do in this space. The whole point is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model. We want to be able to customize and meet the need of our employees, our customers, our community partners, and even our shareholders and investors.

3p: Does working from this broader DEI perspective give you a sense of empowerment in your work?

Tucker: Yes, it’s almost like each of us within Mastercard has been deputized to be change agents. I’ve never been in an organization with so many volunteer opportunities or opportunities to do such amazing stuff. It’s really important to our culture and how we operate. And I think it’s the secret sauce — our diverse experiences as an employee community make us successful as a company.

This article series is sponsored by Mastercard and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.

Image courtesy of Mastercard

Every year, Covia is committed to being a leading provider of high-performance mineral and material solutions and a driver for positive change. Being an international company means that we’re a part of many diverse communities, and it’s important to invest in each of them in ways that matter most to them.

That commitment to community is why The Covia Foundation has been investing in social impact for decades. Over time, we’ve seen incredible potential and positive change in our communities, and 2022 was no exception.

Last year, the Covia Foundation distributed $1.18 million to communities, supporting education, the environment, social equality, and health and wellness initiatives. We also saw a notable increase in internal efforts from Team Members who are doing good in their own communities by supporting causes that matter to them.

In short, 2022 was a good year for making a difference. Let’s review what happened and how those philanthropic initiatives supported our communities.

Covia Team Members Step Up to Volunteer in Their Communities

One of the best ways for Covia to help drive change in our communities is to empower the Team Members who live in them. We wanted to give Team Members who work for Covia the power to support the organizations and initiatives they care about the most.

Through the Covia Community Investment Policy, Team Members have the power to make 1:1 matching gifts up to $1,000 each year, earn grant money for the charity of their choice for every 20 hours of volunteer time, and create other opportunities to invest in their passions.

Our Team Members spent a significant amount of time helping others in 2022, with efforts ranging from volunteer firefighting to cleaning up highways and other public spaces. Having volunteered for over 5,000 hours in 2021, Covia Team Members collectively volunteered for over 10,800 hours in 2022, more than doubling the previous year’s volunteer hours!

Covia is also proud to announce that there were 16 Team Members who qualified for the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2022. The Volunteer Award recognizes individuals who had 200 or more volunteer hours during the year. Congratulations to this year’s winners and thanks to them for making a difference in the communities in which we live and operate.

Volunteer of the Year: Natalie King, Specialist MarketingCaryann Bruce, Business Development ManagerSheryl Etienne, Administrative AssistantPat Gende, Cone OperatorRichard Gross, Maintenance SupervisorChad Holloway, Pit MillwrightJeremy Kammerer, MillwrightJesse Kerr, MechanicChris LeBlanc, Director Sales, EnergySteve Maltas, Master MillwrightJacob McCullough, Monitor OperatorJim Miskell, Plant MillwrightTom Staveness, Maintenance SupervisorJay Timm, Lab TechnicianScott Tincher, Director, TaxationScott Govednik, Pit Millwright, Wedron, IL

In recognition of Covia’s dedication to communities, The United Way of Greater Cleveland recognized Covia with a Torchbearer Award for the combined efforts of The Covia Foundation and our Team Members in Geauga County, Ohio. The Overall Support Award recognizes the company that has donated the most to United Way Services of Geauga County through workplace campaigns and corporate support, and we are proud that our volunteer efforts and charitable donations have made such an impact on the region.

Covia Facilities Increased Community Outreach Efforts in 2022

In addition to individual volunteering efforts, 2022 was also a great year for our community outreach efforts through our Covia Cares Action Days. These Action Days were created to encourage Covia facilities to plan unique volunteer activities as a way to give back to our local communities. Those facilities and their Team Members made major efforts to give back in 2022.

Covia facilities mobilized for 30 Action Days in 2022, nearly triple the 11 that were held in 2021. We had more plants involved in 2022 and some plants participated in more than one Action Day. The combined efforts led to more than 1,000 total volunteer hours, with efforts ranging from preparing food for homeless shelters to supporting local schools.

The Covia Foundation Rolls Out to International Facilities

At Covia, we believe that our company can make a positive difference in the world. Our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy helps us drive meaningful progress in our communities; both in the U.S. and in other countries. In 2022, The Covia Foundation made great strides to grow our philanthropic efforts with international communities.

While facilities in the U.S. were able to participate in The Covia Foundation’s efforts before 2022, plants in Canada and Mexico weren’t officially part of the Foundation. Thanks to a partnership with CAF America that changed in 2022. Facilities in Canada officially joined the Covia Foundation umbrella last year, while Mexico facilities will be rolled out in 2023. These changes give Covia more ways to support all the communities in which we work and live, both domestically and internationally.

Covia Cares Continues

2022 was a big year for Covia’s philanthropic initiatives, and we’re thankful for every facility and Team Member who made it such a memorable year. Want to learn more about our efforts in 2023 and beyond?

Follow us on LinkedIn to keep up on how Covia Cares.

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Highlights:

The University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RTPU) study shows high potential for technology to reduce emissions from road travel, driving progress towards EU Green Deal targetsIntroducing just 20% of connected vehicles on EU city roads can save up to 18% of CO2 emissionsConnected vehicles to improve traffic efficiency, allowing drivers to save up to 15 hours of travel time annually during peak hours

Germany, April 20, 2023 /3BL Media/ – New research from The University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RTPU), commissioned by Qualcomm Europe Inc., showcases the significant potential of connected vehicle applications to reduce CO2 emissions in the transportation sector. The considered applications in the study include city optimization applications such as dynamic traffic signals traffic junctions, and routing. These applications have the purpose to reduce start-stops as well as congestion, improving travel efficiency and travel time. The study demonstrates that introducing just 20% of connected vehicles on EU city roads can save up to 18% of CO2 emissions. Some EU27 countries, for example Germany, may even show emissions savings of up to 24%. The potential of connected vehicles to reduce transport related emissions represents significant progress towards the EU Green Deal targets by which the EU Commission aims to achieve a 90% reduction in transport-related emissions by 2050.

The study uses a new simulation approach, extrapolating results from detailed map-based traffic simulations in selected cities to all cities across the EU27 Member States. The study predicts that EU cities, with populations ranging from fewer than 100,000 to greater than 500,000, could reap the benefits of connected vehicles and from this mix of cities draws EU-wide conclusions. Benefits include reduced emissions and increased traffic efficiency.

In addition, it is estimated that drivers can save up to 15 hours of travel time[1] annually during peak hours, leading to higher levels of productivity and comfort.

“The results of this study show how technology can help reduce emissions, making road transport more efficient and sustainable without compromising the safety of road users,” said Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice President and President, Qualcomm Europe/MEA, Qualcomm Europe Inc. “Utilizing our highly advanced Snapdragon® Digital Chassis™ automotive solutions spanning telematics and connectivity, the digital cockpit and driver assistance and vehicle automation, we are supporting automakers to design and deliver next-generation connected and autonomous vehicles. The RTPU study marks an important milestone towards the widespread adoption of connected mobility and greener, more efficient road transport for all.”

Professor Dr. Hans D. Schotten, RTPU, said: “This study impressively demonstrates the potential of connected mobility applications to reduce emissions in the transport sector. We have learned that already simple combinations of connected mobility applications and realistic penetration rates of connected vehicles allow significant reductions in emissions to be achieved, without having to compromise on driver comfort.”

Read the research paper in full, including a detailed methodology and results, here.

[1] 15 hours in Bremen, 5 hours in Cologne, 3 hours in Frankfurt and 2 hours in Munich

About Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau 
The RPTU is the technical university of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate with over 20,000 students, more than 300 professorships and around 160-degree programs.

The RPTU emerged on January 1, 2023, from the merger of the University of Kaiserslautern and the University in Landau. It combines expertise in engineering and natural science with emphases in social sciences and has many years of expertise in teacher education for all types of schools. The RPTU sees itself as responsible for making scientific contributions to the transformation processes of society and the economy, especially on topics of sustainability, digitalization and education. It is also characterized by a high level of third-party funding and a variety of coordinated research projects.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. Our one technology roadmap allows us to efficiently scale the technologies that launched the mobile revolution – including advanced connectivity, high-performance, low-power compute, on-device intelligence and more – to the next generation of connected smart devices across industries. Innovations from Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms will help enable cloud-edge convergence, transform industries, accelerate the digital economy, and revolutionize how we experience the world, for the greater good.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

Snapdragon and Digital Chassis are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

Originally published on DICK’S Sideline Report

Figure Skating in Harlem is much more than skating; it’s a safe space in an under-resourced community for young girls to achieve academic excellence and physical well-being. Founded in 1997, Figure Skating in Harlem helps its students build life skills like leadership, self-confidence and teamwork. The program also focuses on academics, spoken word and tutoring. Each day before lacing up their skates and hitting the ice, students have homework time and at least one academic session. They must maintain a B average or above in school to participate. “We really try to encourage academic excellence or at least academic proficiency so that we’re cultivating really holistic children who will go off into the world and hopefully be leaders in their own capacity,” said Ila Epperson, Assistant Director of Skating.

Ila knows the profound impact the organization can have on young girls firsthand. She started with Figure Skating in Harlem back in 2008 when she was just five years old. She stayed in the program through 2020, when she graduated high school. She returned as a coach for the 2021-2022 season and was promoted to the program’s Assistant Director of Skating last July. “The biggest things I was able to take away from Figure Skating in Harlem were my voice and my ability to operate throughout this world and feel grounded in myself,” Ila said. “So, when I teach the kids, my number one thing is for them to feel grounded within themselves and feel like a leader.”

Becky Petro, Manager of Charitable Giving at The DICK’S Foundation, first learned about Figure Skating in Harlem at a Beyond Sport conference last November. She met Alex Wasch, the organization’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. The team sent a proposal for a $25,000 grant, but as Becky and local Community Marketing Managers Brian Hagerman and Matt Catacchio learned more about the program and the different resources and opportunities it was providing for students, they knew The DICK’S Foundation could do even more. “We knew that they’d be a great candidate for 75for75,” Becky said.

The 75for75 Sports Matter Grant Program was launched in March in support of DICK’S Sports Change Lives campaign and in honor of the company’s 75th anniversary. The program was developed to provide 75 grants worth $75,000 each to under-resourced youth sports programs across the country.

Becky and others from The DICK’S Foundation traveled to Harlem to deliver the Sports Matter Grant in March. It was a practice night. The girls had just put on their skates and went into the locker room. One of the girls had the grant letter in her coat pocket and asked their coach to read it aloud. “She read the letter in front of the girls, and they all screamed and chanted ‘75!’” Becky said.

“This funding will be tangible for both the students and staff,” said Ila. “It will help open so many doors and give the kids so many opportunities.”

To learn more and support the 75for75 Sports Matter Grant Program and The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation, visit www.sportsmatter.org.

Today, Coach launches Coachtopia, a new sub-brand focused on circular craft and collaborative creativity, catalyzing the brand’s progress towards a fully circular business model. Launching in the United States, Canada and the UK, Coachtopia will expand to Asia later this year. With a mission to help advance a circular fashion system, Coachtopia is built from the outset for circularity, grounded in its Made Circular™ design philosophy—a set of three principles that inform how the sub-brand designs, crafts, and reuses products. Harnessing more than 80 years of Coach leather expertise, Coachtopia reimagines the product lifecycle from end to beginning— reducing the creation of new materials by crafting with waste and designing products that can be reimagined, remade and recycled to live multiple lives. In so doing, it is working to create beautiful things that have a significantly reduced impact on the planet compared to conventional luxury products.

“Circularity is about reimagining not just the product lifecycle, but the relationship between brand, planet and consumer. That’s why we’ve created Coachtopia as both a discovery lab to pioneer circularity in fashion and a collaborative platform for change,” says Joon Silverstein, SVP, Global Marketing, Creative and Sustainability at Coach and Head of Coachtopia. “We know that to transform our impacts, we need to fundamentally shift mindsets—from seeing opportunity in waste to designing backwards to taking a more open-source approach to creativity. We’ve built Coachtopia as an entirely new world within Coach—an agile start-up with a mission to reimagine the end-to-end system. We’re building it not just for our consumers, but with them, inviting a growing community of hundreds of Gen Z individuals to join us on our Slack channel, collaborate with us on products, take center stage in our content and campaigns—and reimagine our future together.”

Designed for and with a new generation of consumers who are increasingly passionate about addressing the climate crisis and determined to drive change, Coachtopia is resetting the paradigm between brand and consumer, co-creating a new brand in collaboration with a growing community of Gen Z individuals—from climate activists, designers and upcyclers to journalists, film makers, entrepreneurs and fashion enthusiasts. The Coachtopian community has been actively involved in Coachtopia since its earliest founding days, with members continually sharing their perspectives on circular fashion, shaping concepts, and setting expectations of the change they want to see. As part of its mission, Coachtopia is investing in this next generation of talent through collaborative programs, harnessing and showcasing new talent to find solutions to the problems facing fashion.

“We were inspired by our shared desire to do better for the planet by inventing new circular ways of dreaming, designing and creating,” said Coach Creative Director Stuart Vevers. “It’s a bigger, bolder step forward in realizing our vision for sustainability at Coach, where we prioritize experimenting and learning, and ethical design intentions over cookie cutter perfection. Coachtopia takes this to a new level by challenging us to ‘design in reverse,’ with the end goal of circularity top of mind, in collaboration with the next generation and their optimistic vision for tomorrow.” 

Coachtopia is a world in progress—advancing iteratively towards a continually evolving vision of circularity. It builds upon the investments that Coach is making to improve the end-to-end sustainability of its business, as well as the learnings and capabilities developed through the brand’s Coach (Re)Loved program. By giving a second life to more than 20,000 Coach products since its April 2021 launch, Coach (Re)Loved has provided critical insights into the aspects of traditional luxury craftsmanship that make circularity challenging, and thus the need to design for circularity from the start in order to achieve it at scale. Coachtopia takes up this challenge, innovating through rapid prototyping and forming a continuous feedback loop with Coach to drive mutual progress.

Coachtopia launches today with an all-gender collection of bags, accessories, ready-to-wear and footwear made with recycled, repurposed and renewable materials and designed with our Made Circular™ principles in mind. As Coachtopia grows, it will continue to innovate through limited drops of experimental products that push circular craft ever further—with a commitment to take back every product at end-of-life for reuse, remaking or recycling. Each bag, wallet, footwear and ready-to-wear product also comes with a unique digital passport—accessed via an embedded NFC chip —that gives customers transparency into its materials, Made Circular™ design and impacts. This digital passport also provides the means to follow the product’s journey as it is repaired, restored, reused and reimagined over multiple lives. 

Coachtopia is available today on Coach.com in the US, Canada and UK and in Selfridges, London. Coachtopia will then launch in Spitalfields, London on April 28; Coach stores across the US including Coach House Fifth Avenue, New York; N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago; The Grove, Los Angeles; and Dadeland, Miami; and additional Selfridges stores across the UK in May; Coach House Regent Street, London in early June; and Coach Soho, New York in July. Coachtopia will also expand to Asia later this year.

That’s just the short version. Take a full tour of Coachtopia, including details on its Made Circular™ principles, material innovations, strategic partnerships and launch campaign below. Learn more about Coachtopia at coachtopia.com. Connect on social @coachtopia.