Month: August 2024

Read the 2024 Wesco Sustainability Report here

Inclusion and Diversity

Inclusion and diversity (I&D) are at the foundation of our high-performing culture. We believe that our dedication to diversity—the many different things we individually and collectively bring to work each day— contributes to building a stronger workforce and a better company at all levels. We seek to understand, respect and appreciate the dimensions of diversity that shape our global employees’ experiences. As such, we consciously work to create an environment that respects and values the diversity of the people and world around us.

Wesco’s Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) Program Goals

Leverage the experiences and perspectives of our talented workforce to support Wesco’s mission.Engage employees and build an inclusive culture.Recruit and develop talent that brings new perspectives and thought processes to Wesco.Increase representation of suppliers that are owned and operated by teams with diverse backgrounds.Support the communities in which we operate. I&D is explicitly reflected in our Code of Business Conduct and other workplace policies.

Wesco’s overall strategy includes an I&D focus and has empowered our business leaders to prioritize the topic. Executive leadership oversees I&D activity, measures results, and holds our leaders accountable. Collectively, teams are working toward a multi-year, enterprise-wide vision on inclusion, diversity and engagement, which interconnects our employees, suppliers and customers.

Our Global Inclusion and Diversity Council is chaired by our Vice President of I&D, who leads a team of senior management members.

Diversity Awards

In recognition of our I&D initiatives, Wesco has received the following awards for its efforts and achievements.

Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI): 
The index tracks the performance of public companies committed to transparency in gender- data reporting and measures gender equality across five pillars, including female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies and pro- women brand. Companies on the index scored at or above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect disclosure and the achievement or adoption of best-in-class statistics and policies. Wesco was first recognized in 2019 and has been included each year since. 
 The 30 Best Companies to Work for Latinos: 
Each year, Latino Leaders magazine compiles a list of best companies for Latinos, using such criteria as employee diversity, programs to recruit, promote and retain Latinos, employee resource group programs and Latino representation in the boardroom and C-Suite level. Wesco is proud to be recognized as one of the 30 best companies in 2023, which reflects our commitment to diversity and inclusion strategies and advancement.

Inclusion and Diversity Influencer

“Caring for people brings me joy. This comes in a lot of forms – sending a kind note, reaching out on a bad day, offering encouragement and laughs, sitting with a new person at lunch, the list goes on. I&D is all about ensuring people feel included, have a sense of belonging and can bring their whole selves to work. I can help bring small change simply by being kind and caring for people on a personal level and that is profound.”

– Rachel Westurn

I&D Training, Development, and Communication

Leaders and managers leverage a set of practical trainings and tools to engage employees and share diverse experiences and ideas. We offer 797 different I&D training course modules. In 2023, employees completed an estimated 6,429 hours of I&D training.

Business Resource Groups (BRGs)

Wesco’s BRGs exist to support a culture of inclusion where employees can thrive and strengthen our culture by offering different perspectives, styles, thoughts and ideas. These groups are offered globally and are open to all employees regardless of any aspect of their personal identity. BRG’s support the following:

Building an inclusive culture and positively impacting employee engagementCreating an open forum for the exchange of ideasProviding informal mentoring and professional development opportunities for Wesco employeesIdentifying opportunities for adding value and growing Wesco’s business through community engagementAssisting with the creation and maintenance of a pipeline of diverse talent for the CompanyEngaging with suppliers, customers and industry groups to share best practices, partner on I&D initiatives, advance the industry and to drive business growth has context menu

We continue to expand our BRGs to support inclusion and diversity goals of the company. Feedback from our BRGs provides valuable business insights, aiding our ongoing efforts to enhance diversity.

Wesco Business Resource Groups

ABLE – Employees with disabilities and alliesMOSAIC – Black, Latino, Indigenous, people of color, employees and alliesPRIDE – Equitable empowerment of the LGBTQ+ community WIN – Women in our organization and industry alliesVOLT – The engagement of the military community including our employees who are veterans and those who continue to serveSPARK – Employees in their early careers, allies and wider stakeholders that empower the expansion of professional horizons

UN Sustainable Development Goals

UN SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being 
Wesco provides health benefits to all full-time employees including resources for addressing substance abuse, promoting mental health and preventative health.UN SDG 3: Reduced Inequalities 
Wesco practices integrate respect for human rights, both directly within our global operations and throughout our supply chain.

To learn more, download the 2024 Wesco Sustainability Report here.

About This Report

Unless otherwise stated, this report covers activities, data and initiatives from our fiscal year 2023.

ESG Disclosure and Framework Alignment

The topics covered in this report include those that we have determined to be material for our business and stakeholders as noted on page 12. Wesco aligns with several ESG frameworks and disclosures in support of our commitment to transparency and our fulfillment of stakeholder needs and expectations. We leverage the following frameworks and standards to provide robust ESG information disclosure:

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): GRI offers a list of global standards and guidelines around sustainability reporting.Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB): SASB provides a comprehensive set of industry-specific disclosure topics and guidelines.Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD): TCFD provides disclosure recommendations on thematic ESG topics such as governance, strategy, risk management, metrics and targets to provide stakeholders with fuller information surrounding climate risks.CDP: Formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, CDP is an international organization that helps companies and cities measure and disclose important environmental impact information through an annual questionnaire and rating system.United Nations Global Compact (UNGC): UNGC is an initiative that aims to help businesses align their strategies and work toward the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (U.N. SDGs): U.N. SDGs provide a shared set of 17 toward peace and prosperity for people and planet goals and create a call to action by all countries in a global partnership.

We also regularly engage with our investors, employees, customers, regulators, ratings agencies and others on ESG and business issues. Additional information about Wesco can be found in our public financial filings—including our annual report and proxy filings—as well as on the Security and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov or on the Investors page of our website at Wesco.com.

Wesco plans to continue to report annually as we monitor, measure, and deepen our ESG initiatives and disclosures.

Wesco endorses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

More information about our SDG aligned initiatives is included throughout this report.

Assurance 
We did not seek third-party assurance for this report; however, we will consider doing so for future reporting. The information and data contained in this report was vetted by internal subject matter experts on the various ESG topics included in this report.

Contact Us 
We appreciate and welcome feedback on our ESG initiatives and reporting and invite you to contact us directly via email at Sustainability@Wesco.com.

Originally published on Women We Admire

Nira Johri
Chief Sustainability Officer, KFC

Nira Johri is the Chief Sustainability Officer of KFC. She first joined the company in 2023. KFC is an iconic brand that has been making world-famous fried chicken since 1952, now serving chicken and delighting customers at more than 28,000 restaurants in 150 countries and territories around the world.

Johri is a sustainability executive with over 20 years of experience leading transformational, global strategies, and has dedicated more than 10 years to enhancing the value that big food companies can generate through sustainability. She is passionate about delivering impact in organizations, where inclusion and sustainability are fundamental parts of doing business. Johri is adept at developing and implementing enterprise-wide strategy, engaging stakeholders at all levels, and influencing without authority. She is a self-starter who is inspired by challenging learning environments and innovative workplaces.

Previously, Johri was a vice president of global inclusion and sustainability at Rich Products Corporation. Before that, she was a senior director of sustainability strategy and learning at the World Cocoa Foundation. Earlier in her career, she worked with Jack Morton Worldwide as a strategic planner and account manager. Johri earned an MBA in Beyond Profit from the University of Cambridge and an undergraduate degree in marketing government and politics from the University of Maryland.

Click here to read more on Women We Admire

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

For the third year in a row this August, Micae Brown can be found leading a team of U.S. Bank employees and others across Chicago to meet with the business owners she serves.

“This is about building connections and strengthening community,” said Brown, who is a U.S. Bank Business Access Advisor serving Chicago and Milwaukee. “It’s about our leaders hearing firsthand the challenges business owners face with securing capital, getting information, and having a strong relationship with a financial institution.”

Brown, who is focused on bridging gaps and being a conduit for business owners looking for solutions, will be holding her third annual Access Business bus tour in August, which also happens to be National Black Business Month. Similar tours are happening across the bank’s footprint with the Business Access Advisors hosting an inaugural business tour in Minnesota in August, one in Los Angeles in September, and an Arkansas-based Business Access Advisor joining ReMix Ideas – an organization dedicated to supporting Black-owned businesses – as a community leader on a bus tour for the third year.

“We find over and over again that the common pitfalls for small business owners often come from lack of access – whether it’s capital or resources and information,” said Brown. “It’s part of the reason why U.S. Bank created the Business Access Advisor role. We are striving to help business owners overcome those common challenges by connecting them with people who can help with access, whether it’s nonprofits or financial education resources.”

Over the years through the bus tour, Brown and U.S. Bank leaders have visited dozens of business owners who shared their own unique experiences and goals. This includes Alicia Deurson, the owner of a Harold’s Chicken franchise.

“When you are starting a small business, you don’t have ‘x’ amount of dollars,” said Deurson, who worked with Brown to find solutions at U.S. Bank and alongside community partners to help her open her restaurant in 2023. “You don’t have this or that, but U.S. Bank was willing to work with what I had. They take interest in you and don’t judge you on what you don’t have.”

In the end, these events are aimed at creating opportunities for deeper understandings around what it means to own a business, what challenges business owners face today, and understanding what their end goals are. For Tyrone Hemingway, the owner of Kicking the Barriers, those goals stretch far beyond the walls of his youth martial arts studio.

“Being a Black business owner is something I try to influence all of my people to be,” Hemingway said. “I’m honored to be a Black business owner because many doors are open to me, and I’m able to educate others on how these same doors can be open for them.”

To Brown and her BAA colleagues, sharing knowledge and creating connections to help small businesses grow is central to who they are.

“People start their small business because they are passionate about their product or service,” said Brown. “They don’t do it because they want to be a part-time banker. Moments like those on our tours – that bring together a small business owner and banking leadership – open so many doors on how we can work better together to help our small businesses succeed.”

About U.S. Bank Business Access Advisors

U.S. Bank Business Access Advisors provide information, connections and resources to help small business owners sustain or grow their business.

Focused on serving underserved communities including Hispanic- and women-owned businesses, Business Access Advisors are here to help small business owners connect and network with local resources, advise on how to meet goals and guide entrepreneurs through the process.