Month: June 2024

June is the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, a tipping point of the gay rights movement in the United States. At Fifth Third, LGBTQ+ business resource groups across the Bank’s footprint are participating in activities through June to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other individuals have had on history locally, nationally and internationally.

Fifth Third’s employees are what make the Bank great. This important piece of our employee value proposition is shown through those who lead and participate in our business resource groups across the footprint, including the LGBTQ+ BRGs. We’re also proud to have recently been named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Greatest Workplaces for LGBTQ+.

The Bank’s Carolinas’ Region LGBTQ+ BRG planned this year’s Enterprise LGBTQ+ BRG virtual Pride Month celebration, which will feature Nancy Pinckney, chief human resources officer and executive advocate of the LGBTQ+ Enterprise BRG. The celebration features several guest speakers who will engage in a panel discussion.

“The Carolinas have developed strong relationships with two LGBTQ chambers of commerce that cover our market,” said Matthew Humphrey, financial center manager in Charleston, South Carolina, and co-chair of the Carolinas LGBTQ+ BRG. “In April and May, we held business expos to highlight our partnerships and one of the chambers’ leaders will join us on the call.”

Kade Kimber, president of Harmony: NC LGBT+ Allied Chamber of Commerce, will join Maigen Sullivan and Joshua Burford, co-executive directors of Invisible Histories (which focuses on advancing LGBTQ+ southern history), for a robust panel conversation.

“I think it’s valuable anytime we can share the impact that Fifth Third has in our communities,” said Wes Curry, float pool program manager in Charlotte and co-chair of the Carolinas LGBTQ+ BRG. “I’m excited to be part of the work to drive connectivity across our rapidly growing market.”

As part of Fifth Third’s relationship with the chambers, the Bank sponsored 10 students from Johnson S. Smith University and the University of North Carolina to attend the Queer Histories South Seminar in Charlotte.

“The primary purpose of the seminar is to provide networking, professional development and best practices for those working in Southern LGBTQ+ history, archives, exhibits, research and education,” Matthew said. “I’m proud to help continue the growth and education for these students.”

Wes and Matthew share their traditions and advice on celebrating Pride Month:

“Educate yourself. Watch a documentary or read a book to learn more. There is so much history out there. Take the time to learn so that you can realize and appreciate who came before us so that ‘living out loud’ is an option for us all today.”

– Wes Curry, Carolinas LGBTQ+ co-chair and float pool program manager in Charlotte.

“I plan to attend Pride activities in my area, and I encourage employees to venture out and experience what Pride looks like in your community. Work to find a common connection with members of the LGBTQ+ community to create connections and belonging. I also take the opportunity each Pride Month to volunteer for a local nonprofit that supports the LGBTQ+ community.”

– Matthew Humphry, Carolinas LGBTQ+ co-chair and financial center manager in Charleston, South Carolina.

June 10, 2024 /3BL/ – SGA (Gestión Ambiental S.A.), a leading environmental consultancy established more than 30 years ago in Chile, has been acquired by SLR, one of the world’s biggest multidisciplinary sustainability consultancy and engineering firms.

Headquartered in Santiago, SGA’s team of 170 expert consultants specialises in the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors across all regions of Chile, partnering with clients to strategically advise on complex projects that ensure environmental, social and economic viability in their transition to a low carbon economy. Some of their client partners include Aguas Andinas, Aguas Pacifico, Anglo American, BHP, Collahuasi, Codelco, Conexión, Enel, Engie, Eramet, GNL Quintero, Glencore, Interchile and SIMCO.

SLR’s growing presence and continued investment in Latin America aligns with the organisation’s global strategic priorities to expand our services to existing clients in the region, while introducing them to new services in the Advisory and Engineering space. The acquisition of SGA further strengthens the global capability of SLR, creating one of the largest, linguistic ESG strategic advisory teams in the world.

Bradley Andrews, SLR’s CEO, said, “I am delighted to welcome SGA to SLR. The team brings strong and well-established capabilities in a region where we see high potential and are actively investing in to complement and grow our existing advisory team in Santiago. SGA’s experience in mining, energy and infrastructure further complements SLR’s existing portfolio of projects across our sustainability solutions and I look forward to leveraging that combined expertise to access new markets and exploring the opportunities within the energy and financial sectors.

Jaime Solari, CEO at SGA adds, “We are thrilled to become part of SLR. Our extensive experience in leading sustainability efforts, combined with SLR’s global network and wide range of services, give us greater capabilities to partner with clients and offer exceptional strategic advice and technical expertise on projects and more.”

AEC Advisors initiated the transaction and served as exclusive financial advisor to SGA. Please visit SGA for more details on their services, client experience, team and capabilities.