Month: May 2023

When LJ Mizzi joined Gilead in 2013, she already had a personal connection to the company. “A Gilead medicine saved the life of a loved one, so I was excited to begin a career here and to contribute in any way I could,” LJ says.

She joined the Commercial team as an administrative coordinator and had her first child a year later. Today, she’s a project manager and a mother of four. While life as a working parent can often seem overwhelming, she credits her peers, mentors, managers and the parents she’s met at work for helping her thrive in both roles.

“The administrative community at Gilead has been such a source of support and inspiration,” LJ notes. “We’re all here for each other, and there’s so much resource sharing across our network.”

From professional development workshops to volunteer activities to vendor fairs, Gilead offers many opportunities for training, growth and camaraderie. In fact, LJ has planned many of these events herself and has been recognized for her efforts. Last year, she received the Admin Awards’ most prestigious honor – the Colleen Barrett Award for Administrative Excellence, named after a corporate secretary who rose to the ranks of President and COO of Southwest Airlines. 

While LJ was able to make significant contributions in her role, she – like Colleen  – aspired to advance in her career. She took on stretch assignments and sought out mentors at Gilead who helped guide her on the path to project management. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she earned her BA in Business Management from Golden Gate University and graduated with a 4.0 GPA, all while working full time with four children under the age of 5. Last year, LJ was promoted to project manager and quickly hit the ground running, leading a global workstream with cross-functional impact. This expanded role recognized her continued contributions and was an opportunity to grow her career within the Commercial organization.

“It’s been incredible to have champions supporting my professional growth and wellbeing along the way,” says LJ.

Early on at Gilead, she noted the many benefits for working parents and was able to take advantage of several, including onsite daycare. Being able to visit her children not only provided peace of mind, but also mitigated the separation anxiety that many mothers experience when they return to work. “Some of my strongest relationships originated at daycare,” LJ says. “You watch someone interact with their child, and when you see them later on campus or in a meeting, you remember they are more than just a co-worker.”

Her children have aged out of daycare, but she still maintains many of the friendships forged there. “The bonds you create in those early days never go away,” she says. Now that her children are older, LJ is especially grateful for the flexibility that Gilead offers. “Being a working mom is a constant juggling act, and some days can feel impossible,” LJ admits. “I’m fortunate to have found people who see potential in me and trust me to work when and how I work best.”

Gilead’s supportive work culture and LJ’s professionalism are proving to be a recipe for success. She earned more accolades last year when she was honored as one of two Working Parents of the Year as part of Gilead’s inclusion on the list of Seramount’s 100 Best Companies for Working Parents. The award recognizes commitment to careers, families and communities

As LJ reflects on her personal and professional journey over the past decade, she’s grateful that her children have had the opportunity to see firsthand what a supportive workplace looks like and what it can enable. “I can’t think of a better life lesson for them, especially for my daughters, than to grow up knowing they will never have to choose between a career and a family.”

Originally published by Gilead Sciences

DALLAS, May 25, 2023 /3BL Media/ – CBRE’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report highlights how CBRE is working to drive progress for a low carbon future, create opportunities so all people thrive and lead with integrity to build trust.

Notable 2022 achievements include:

More than 8,300 buildings registered for energy performance globally for clientsMore than $2.5 billion in green financing bonds/notes issued (CBRE Investment Management)Nearly $5 billion spent with sustainable suppliers and nearly $3 billion spent with small and diverse suppliersMore than 1 million hours of learning by CBRE employeesScoring in the 90th percentile on the Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability Index

“CBRE is working hard to create positive impacts for people and the planet while delivering outstanding results for our clients,” said Bob Sulentic, CBRE’s president and chief executive officer.  “Our annual report chronicles the many ways we are collaborating with clients, suppliers, strategic partners and community stakeholders to meet our ambitious and necessary goals.”

CBRE’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report is available at: www.cbre.com/cr-report. It was produced in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, and includes disclosures from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB, now consolidated into the International Sustainability Standards Board) and the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. More information about CBRE’s corporate responsibility programs can be found at www.cbre.com/responsibility.

About CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2022 revenue). The company has approximately 115,000 employees (excluding Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE serves a diverse range of clients with an integrated suite of services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com. We routinely post important information on our website, including corporate and investor presentations and financial information.  We intend to use our website as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Such disclosures will be included in the Investor Relations section of our website at https://ir.cbre.com.  Accordingly, investors should monitor such portion of our website, in addition to following our press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission filings and public conference calls and webcasts.

Media Contact
Steve Iaco
Senior Managing Director,
Corporate Communications

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

When you think of ethics, a concept as old as time, you may not think of innovation. But as Katie Lawler, senior vice president and global chief ethics officer at U.S. Bank, will tell you, evolving how we think about ethics is innovative itself.

Lawler, who was recently recognized by Ethics & Compliance Initiative with its Carol R. Marshall Award for Innovation in Corporate Ethics, shared how she and her team are bringing innovative thinking to the bank and its 77,000 employees when it comes to doing the right thing.

What does it mean to be innovative in a topic that is centuries old? Why is it important?

I think it’s going beyond your code of ethics, your employee ethics hotline and annual ethics course. It starts with looking at ethics as more than a set of rules.

It’s about recognizing that much of our behavior is driven by the work environment we are in and being intentional about shaping a culture that supports good decision making.

When we created the Global Ethics Office, we started to look to organizational and behavioral psychology to understand how we might influence the environment for the better. We are learning from and partnering with the bank’s behavioral scientists to understand what drives human behavior so we can be responsive to it.

Can you give some examples of how you’re innovating ethics at U.S. Bank?

By incorporating psychological safety and behavioral science in how we think about ethics, we are focusing on creating the conditions for employees to be able to be at their best.

We’re working closely with our in-house behavioral scientists. We want people in this company to tell us when there’s an issue, an opportunity, a mistake, a new way of doing things. So we started with behavior mapping – asking ourselves, “What does it take for someone to come forward and speak up?” Then, what are the barriers and obstacles, or where it could break down? What are some interventions we could test to address those barriers? How do we make the process of coming forward less intimidating, and how do we build positive reinforcement for doing so?

In every language in the world, the word people use for whistleblower is negative. You think about rat, fink, narc, etc. So how do we flip that and give positive reinforcement for stepping forward? We know it can be as simple as saying “thank you” the minute someone speaks up.

Telling the stories of how people spoke up and the positive impact it makes is important. So that’s one of the projects we’re working on with that team.

We’re also exploring the design of our tools for reporting ethics concerns so that it is less intimidating and helps people feel better and more comfortable with speaking up.

Why is psychological safety in the workplace important? Are we seeing benefits?

We had been talking about it for a while, but psychological safety really caught on for our teams during the pandemic. In a psychologically safe workplace, people feel they can be themselves, offer ideas, raise concerns, admit mistakes and offer new ideas. They aren’t afraid of looking foolish, being viewed as negative, or being seen as difficult.

Psychological safety helps create the culture of inclusion and belonging we’re striving for, where every employee feels that their voice is welcome and wanted.

Psychological safety also enables innovation. We know from research that your most innovative teams are those that are psychologically safe because people don’t hold back their ideas out of fear. This concept is the soil for integrity, inclusion and innovation.

Companies won’t thrive if people are keeping their heads down trying not to make any waves.

As a company, we’re going through big changes with technology, evolving to meet changing customer needs. How do ethics and your role connect to our technology transformation?

I’m part of our internal working group for responsible use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The work has accelerated in the last 18 months working with our Digital, Risk, Technology, Operations and Innovation teams.

We’re working on how we operationalize our principles and values for this transformation, to leverage new technologies in a responsible way.

Our principles focus on fairness, transparency, explainability and avoiding harm.

But we also have one that is about doing good. How can we use technology to better support the needs of our customers and actively do good? I think it is really important to think beyond doing no harm. If you only focus on avoiding harm, there is a risk that you do the minimum.

When you think about doing good, creating benefit for stakeholders, that is where you get to the real power from operating with ethics, whether about AI or any other aspect of your operation.

You were recognized with a personal award this year, and U.S. Bank was also named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the ninth consecutive year. What do you think drives this ongoing recognition?

I think it comes back to the core culture at U.S. Bank. We’re disciplined. We’re thoughtful. As an organization, we have prided ourselves on being very customer focused.

Look at our core values. Some companies’ values are just words on paper, but our core values truly reflect who we are and who we strive to be.

We’re always trying to anticipate both on risk and the opportunity side what we need to be focused on to best serve customers and employees.

I really think there’s something special in this company from the top down. We’re here to serve the customer and help them make their dreams come true, and we do that by doing the right thing every day.

DES MOINES, Iowa, May 25, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Principal® Foundation, the corporate foundation endowed by Principal Financial Group® (NASDAQ: PFG), exceeded its goal to invest $30 million over two years to advance financial security. The contributions impact over eight million people around the world by removing barriers and empowering people and communities so they may build financially secure futures. 

Principal Foundation funds a growing network of more than 140 charitable organizations in 25 countries and territories. Through global grantmaking, it supports diverse, small, and mid-sized businesses; community development programs; microfinance initiatives; food and nutrition security; and expanded access to social and cultural institutions, disaster relief, and educational STEM opportunities.

“Every day, people around the world face impossible financial decisions. Some struggle with compounding social and economic challenges, while others lack access to resources and education,” said Jo Christine Miles, director, Principal Foundation and Community Relations, Principal. “At Principal Foundation, we believe achieving financial security is a journey and the initiatives we champion support and shape the road ahead. This work is about creating opportunities and delivering resources, so people and communities feel like a better future is achievable.”

The contribution goal was part of a two-year effort to support the corporate responsibility commitments released by Principal to make financial security accessible to more people and businesses. Financial insecurity remains a global challenge. According to the United Nations, 2.5 billion—more than half of the world’s working adults—are excluded from financial services and those effects are felt more acutely among certain groups. Recent data from Principal Global Financial Inclusion Index indicates there is uneven access to financial security across gender and racial demographics, specifically women who feel more excluded from the financial system than men.

Through its grantmaking, Principal Foundation ensures access to essential needs, fosters social and cultural connections, and promotes financial inclusion – areas that are foundational to moving people and communities along the path and closer to a better financial future. Grantees supported by Principal Foundation include:

World Central Kitchen (WCK) – Principal Foundation issued a $1 million grant that helped fund a program developed by WCK to leverage technology, local restaurants, and local community organizations to provide restaurant-prepared meals for families experiencing food and nutrition security. In 2021, WCK provided over 200,000 meals to families across the U.S.Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) – Principal Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to the CFE Fund Small Business Boost initiative to provide free professional financial counseling services to entrepreneurs and small business owners, helping them improve their personal finances and better positioning them to access capital and achieve their business goals.Aidha– Principal Foundation supported Aidha with a $75,000 grant through a donor-advised fund to support their mission to providing financial literacy programs such as money management, computer literacy, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills for migrant domestic workers and lower-income women. As of October 2019, over 5,000 migrant domestic workers and lower-income women have completed Aidha courses.

Principal Foundation also provides grants in collaboration with other organizations to develop new resources and initiatives that promote financial security. Principal Foundation is a founder of New York Small Business Collective supporting Black, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander and Indigenous entrepreneurs in closing the racial wealth gap. In 2022, Principal Foundation supported the launch of UpLift – The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot, led by the Mid-Iowa Health Foundation. In the coming months, Principal Foundation will launch additional initiatives to promote financial security. 

For more information about Principal Foundation and its work with Principal®, visit principal.com/sustainability.

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About Principal® Foundation 

Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc. (“Principal Foundation”) is a duly recognized 501(c)(3) entity focused on providing philanthropic support to programs that build financial security in the communities where Principal Financial Group, Inc. (“Principal”) operates. While Principal Foundation receives funding from Principal, Principal Foundation is a distinct, independent, charitable entity. Principal Foundation does not practice any form of investment advisory services and is not authorized to do so. Established in 1987, Principal Foundation works with organizations that are helping to shape and support the journey to financial security by ensuring access to essential needs, fostering social and cultural connections, and promoting financial inclusion. Principal Foundation funds a growing network of more than 140 charitable organizations in 25 countries and territories. 2912750-052023

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