Tag: 3BL

MISSOULA, Mont., March 3, 2025 /3BL/ – The Biomimicry Institute, a not-for-profit organization co-founded by Janine Benyus in 2005 to empower nature-inspired solutions for a healthy planet, is now accepting applications for the 2025 Ray of Hope Accelerator. This founder-focused program supports startups drawing inspiration from nature’s 3.8 billion years of R&D to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. 10 selected startups will receive robust training, networking opportunities, and $15,000 in non-dilutive funding to scale their ventures and further environmental impact. Applications are due by April 25, 2025.

Since its launch in 2020, the Ray of Hope Accelerator has supported 49 early-stage (pre-seed through to Series A) startups from 15 countries – 35% of which are women-led – deploying $750K in catalytic, non-dilutive funding. Building on this momentum, the program is seeking the next 10 high-impact nature-inspired startups for its 2025 cohort. Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of The Biomimicry Institute, is looking forward to welcoming 10 pioneering startups to the 2025 Ray of Hope Accelerator, each leveraging nature’s brilliance to drive regenerative innovation; “We look forward to identifying the next cohort of the Ray of Hope Accelerator, and discover the innovative technologies they will bring to the table. These visionaries have the potential to transform industries, restore ecosystems, and create a more regenerative future for all.”

The nature-inspired solutions the Biomimicry Institute is seeking may be grounded in deep scientific research, evolved from an understanding of biological systems, or enabling bio-inspired solutions. The Ray of Hope Accelerator, in partnership with founding sponsor The Ray C. Anderson Foundation, is particularly interested in solutions that regenerate nature, mitigate climate change, and eliminate the ‘take, make, waste’ paradigm.

The 10 selected companies will participate in a six-month accelerator providing over $50,000 worth of in-kind services, including industry mentorship, science-based storytelling expertise, and connections with corporate leaders and mission-aligned investors. The program also includes a 4 day in-person and immersive Nature Retreat, where founders will deepen their leadership skills, foster community, and cultivate a biomimicry-driven philosophy.

“Our inaugural Ray of Hope Accelerator Impact Report shows just how powerful nature-inspired innovation can be,” said Maëlys Renaud, Program Manager of the Ray of Hope Accelerator. “Five years in, 97% of our portfolio companies are still in operation, and collectively, they have raised over $125 million in funding post-program. This is a testament to the strength of intentional selection and hands-on support. Each year, we uncover visionary founders with game-changing ideas, and we’re eager to see what bold, nature-inspired solutions emerge this time.”

Visit the Portfolio page on Biomimicry.org to explore the full list of Ray of Hope Accelerator alumni.

For more information on eligibility and how to apply, please visit biomimicry.org/innovation/accelerator/.

####

About the Biomimicry Institute 

The Biomimicry Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by Janine Benyus in 2005, on a mission to create a nature positive, inclusive, and regenerative world inspired and guided by nature’s genius. The Biomimicry Institute is embarking towards a ten-year vision to dramatically scale the impact that biomimicry is having on some of the biggest challenges facing the world today. Since its founding 20 years ago, the Institute has worked to spread the practice of looking to the solutions developed by living organisms over billions of years to provide insight and inspiration for effective, efficient, and sustainable innovations and approaches to addressing our own challenges. As the Institute embarks on their third decade, they are fully committed to work across sectors and disciplines to spread the wisdom of nature-inspired, actionable solutions across our world. For more information, visit biomimicry.org.

Media Contact: 
Anna Konstantinova 
Biomimicry Institute, Director of Strategic Communications 
anna.konstantinova@biomimicry.org

We’re PSEG Proud to be named one of America’s most JUST companies and to be included in the 2025 JUST 100 list by JUST Capital. We’re honored to be recognized for our work serving our customers, employees, communities, the environment and shareholders.

View original content here.

Mastercard

Starting on January 7, a series of ferocious wildfires erupted in the Los Angeles area, burning more than 40,000 acres and causing roughly $14.8 billion in damages. Within a month, two teams of specially trained Mastercard employees hit the ground to support the American Red Cross’s relief efforts, serving thousands of people from all walks of life whose homes and businesses had been reduced to smoking rubble.

“We all have stories to share, and they are what drive us every day,” says Deann Donohue, an O’Fallon, Missouri-based vice president in the company’s Public Sector Center of Excellence who deployed with the first team of volunteers. “It’s providing supplies to the husband whose wife passed the year before who is hoping to find her urn. It’s listening to the fire brigade medic whose parents called him to say news reporters were standing in front of his place as it was burning down.”

Mastercard launched its disaster relief corps with the American Red Cross in 2019, with 53 employees trained in all aspects of aid distribution, disaster assessment and shelter operations. Today, Mastercard has 687 employees ready to help, some of whom have deployed multiple times, including to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina last year, Hurricane Ian in Florida in 2022 and the western Kentucky tornadoes in 2021.

In the deployment’s spare moments, Donohue and Joe Kaczorowski, a senior vice president for Risk Analytics based in Purchase, New York, shared dispatches from their time in Los Angeles.

Day 1: Getting the assignment

It’s a stark 2 a.m. wake-up for the Purchase-based volunteers, including Kaczorowski, to make the flight out to Los Angeles. A group of 20 volunteers from different offices across the U.S. are doing the same for this first deployment; another dozen employees will fly out next week to relieve them.

Upon arrival, the volunteers join the Red Cross disaster response operation’s stand-up meeting to hear the game plan for the week ahead. “I’ve already received comments about how they like the energy and collaboration we bring to the mission,” Kaczorowski writes. “So it’s exciting to feel welcomed here.”  

At the hotel, it’s bittersweet to meet new volunteers and see familiar faces from both Red Cross and Mastercard offices. Some of these same volunteers were from the Hurricane Helene response in western North Carolina last fall.

“I remember from my very first deployment resettling Afghan refugees in Texas that a woman told me that people talk about time differently in the Red Cross,” Kaczorowski writes. “It’s not, ‘How many years have you been involved?’ It’s ‘How many deployments have you done?’ It’s really inspiring to see the shift in the concept of time within our own Mastercard team with so many having done multiple deployments now.”

Day 2: On the ground

With more than four active fires, the recovery work scatters volunteers across the county.

Donohue is stationed at UCLA Research Center close to the Palisades Fire, where FEMA and other organizations are offering services ranging from temporary housing to mental health care to help reprinting Social Security cards and birth certificates.

Across the city, Kaczorowski is stationed at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium shelter, which is serving as a Red Cross sanctuary for those in need. The Mastercard team is focused on consolidating residents from multiple ballrooms into a single ballroom to make operations more efficient and ensure an accurate count of shelter residents. That means trying to find those assigned to the cots and, if they’ve already found a new place to move, formally checking them out of the shelter, bagging what is left behind and storing the items in case they return for them.

The enormous ballroom serving as the infirmary also is emptying out, requiring another consolidation. “This involved everything from moving crates of belongings, to wheeling people in hospital beds to the new location and helping them set things up in the new room,” Kaczorowski writes. “Overall, once we got going, there was very little down time.”

Day 3: A heavy heart

Today, Donohue is at an Altadena grocery store, one of the only buildings left standing in the community. She is handing out PPE kits for those re-entering their neighborhood. “It was emotionally harder today; most residents were going back to just ashes but were looking for anything left,” she writes.

Kaczorowski is taking on a new role at a new station in the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and spends the day using his Mastercard expertise to help with data and reporting, tracking volunteer assignments and rental cars for the Red Cross. “We talked about challenges, and I even got to see how they thoughtfully handled interactions with distraught clients who came to talk to them.”    

Days 4 and 5: Lifted spirits

Donohue is back in Pacific Palisades, and it’s the city’s first rainy day since the fires started. She spends the day at the Palisades Recreation Center, a brick building left standing in the middle of ashes, where she meets a couple who grew up in her neighborhood back in St. Louis. “We laughed and cried together — she said it was one of the first times being back that she was able to smile, and it truly touched me.”

Kaczorowski goes back to consolidating shelter spaces that had started to clear out when the day is happily interrupted by the arrival of rock icon Neil Young, who has arrived to play “Heart of Gold,” uplifting the shelter one string at a time, and his wife, actress Daryl Hannah, who brings along two miniature horses. “Everywhere I look,” Kaczorowski writes, “I see our team doing little things all over to create comfort and build bonds — both within the team, but especially with the residents.”

Day 6 – The first deployment ends, but the impact is lasting

As a new team of Mastercard employees makes its way to California, the first team’s members are wrapping up their last deployment day, reflecting on their time.

Donohue is reminded why she volunteers: “As I spend the week listening and being present for those impacted, I’ve realized just how important the Red Cross and their volunteers are. It’s helping the brother-in-law of a man with dementia who drove in from out of state to start paperwork for resources, and giving water and hugging the couple looking to see if their daughter’s grave was still standing around the corner. It’s about supporting each other in times of need.”

Similarly, Kaczorowski is overwhelmed with appreciation for having the opportunity to give back. “Volunteering with disaster relief is not for the faint of heart — but the reward for me was more than worth every minute. I met so many amazing people, from all walks of life, all over the U.S. and all with one purpose and passion — to give back. We will be bonded for life, and I can’t wait to serve with them all again.”

Originally published by Mastercard

Follow along Mastercard’s journey to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm, and for good reason. AI can help automate mundane tasks, improve operational efficiency and enhance human decision-making. 

Some of its benefits extend to investing as well. We believe that powerful AI tools such as natural language processing (NLP) may help active managers deliver better investment outcomes by alerting them to negative environmental, social and governance (ESG) news before it becomes widely disseminated.

The Fallout When Bad News Breaks 

From environmental disasters like oil spills and chemical leaks to social issues such as child labor to governance failures like executive misconduct, negative ESG news can severely damage a company’s reputation, erode investor confidence and undermine financial performance. 

Our research indicates that, while positive ESG news has quickly boosted company returns, negative ESG has done just the opposite. Companies with negative ESG events have underperformed their peers—not just on the first day the news broke, but for weeks after (Display). For stocks associated with negative ESG news, returns over the 10-day holding period shown annualize to –7.3% in excess return (–1.2% for fixed income); for stocks associated with positive ESG news, returns over the 10-day holding period shown annualize to 6.2% in excess return (0.2% for fixed income).

Natural Language Processing Changes the Game

Clearly, if asset managers could uncover ESG-related controversies faster than their peers, they’d have an investment edge. But that’s easier said than done. Manually sifting through mountains of corporate filings and news articles is not just cumbersome and time-consuming; it’s also a Sisyphean task that must be repeated daily. 

That’s where NLP technology comes in. 

NLP is a field of AI that enables algorithms to understand, interpret and generate human communication. NLP applications have evolved dramatically since their advent in the 1950s, progressing from simple pattern matching—such as recognizing the phrase “thank you” and responding with “you’re welcome,” or counting the number of occurrences of a given word in a text—to more sophisticated techniques that involve deep learning and contextual understanding. 

The result is a technology that is highly accurate and nuanced in its understanding and generation of human language, with the power to process and analyze vast amounts of raw data quickly and efficiently.

Putting NLP to Work: Controversy Alerts

We’ve built a powerful NLP tool that serves as a complement to our fundamental analysis. Incorporating the latest large-language models, this tool transforms the daunting task of sifting through thousands of company and news reports into an efficient and insightful process that flags potentially material ESG issues in real time. 

Our tool monitors companies around the world, screening global news in multiple languages for controversies across a wide range of topics, including modern slavery, child labor, discrimination, tax scandals, executive pay and corruption. Furthermore, the tool is scalable, screening for developing ESG controversies across hundreds of companies simultaneously and providing timely alerts before negative news impacts the market. 

It understands financial jargon, is trained in ESG-specific knowledge, and can assess tone and context, with the goal of evaluating the sentiment around a particular ESG news item with respect to a specific company. The tool extracts relevant information from the news sources, creates a summary and highlights what it deems most important for our analysts to evaluate. And it includes links to the original articles, allowing analysts to verify the information quickly. 

For example, our NLP tool flagged a large mining concern with operations in Central America, alerting us to alleged poor treatment of employees and community members that compelled local governments to file lawsuits. Eventually, the company’s local mining permits were pulled, and it had to abandon operations in the area after investing nearly US$10 billion in the project. Fortunately, our tool had alerted us to these risks ahead of the government’s punitive actions.

The Bigger Picture: Integrating Our NLP Tool

Of course, AI and other tools are no substitute for sound fundamental analysis, which is why negative ESG news alerts don’t necessarily keep us from taking a position. The news may represent headline risk with which we’re comfortable or that we find is already priced into valuations. 

As always, it’s up to our investment teams to assemble relevant data, including NLP alerts, into a bigger picture. Ultimately, our NLP tool is just one resource—albeit a valuable one—within a broader fundamental analysis that helps us make an informed decision about a company. 

What’s more, NLP allows our analysts and portfolio managers to devote less time to tracking down data and more time to thinking critically about it—and to putting it to use on behalf of our clients.

References to specific securities discussed are not to be considered recommendations by AllianceBernstein L.P.

The views expressed herein do not constitute research, investment advice or trade recommendations, and do not necessarily represent the views of all AB portfolio-management teams and are subject to change over time.

Learn more about AB’s approach to responsibility here.

The need for sustainability is everywhere, including where we work.

Sustainability is an important consideration for businesses—and with good reason. From rising global temperatures to unprecedented levels of plastic pollution, we are constantly reminded of the importance of this topic

“I’m fortunate to meet with a lot of big companies every week—and this topic comes up in all my interactions,” says Snorre Kjesbu, SVP and GM of employee experiences at Cisco.

He is also fortunate in being able to help these companies out. As the person in charge of a portfolio of collaboration technologies enabling remote working and virtual meetings, he is already instrumental in helping to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to business travel.

As of 2023, 12 percent of travel volume worldwide was for business, but the level is falling thanks to videoconferencing. The technology is also helping cut emissions linked to commuting, by allowing more people to work from home.

Cutting corporate carbon footprints is “the right thing to do,” says Kjesbu. “It’s right that we use the scarce resources of the planet correctly.”

But sustainability is also often good for the bottom line. Research from an industry body called the Energy Efficiency Movement shows the industrial sector could save $437 billion by 2030 by applying efficiency measures such as digitizing machinery and processing data in the cloud.

“There is often a view that being sustainable costs more money, but that’s not the case when it comes to efficiency,” says Energy Efficiency Movement communication and marketing lead Lisa Bounoure. “Efficiency offers clear return on investment.”

For Kjesbu, this quest for efficiency does not stop at helping cut the GHG emissions involved in corporate meetings. Cisco, which has a goal to reach net zero GHG emissions across its value chain by 2040, is also striving to improve the lifecycle efficiency of its products.

As an example, 52% of the plastic in the Cisco Collaboration devices product line is post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic. Kjesbu says that replaces the use of 154 tonnes of virgin plastic with plastic removed from the waste stream, an amount of plastic equal to 7 million rubber ducks per year.

The ENERGY STAR®-certified phones are also designed to require minimal amounts of metals, so even the top-end models in the series only weigh around a kilogram. Less weight means less energy is required to ship the phones in bulk, reducing supply chain costs and emissions.

In addition to using fewer materials in manufacturing, office devices are being designed to consume less energy throughout their lifecycle.. The new Cisco Board Pro, for instance, has been engineered to consume85-89 percent less power in standby mode versus Display Off.

Cutting standby power might not seem like a big deal, but all the devices currently in sleep mode around the world account for 1 percent of global carbon emissions, or about a third of the amount caused by aviation in 2023. And cutting these emissions can have a multiplier effect, says Kjesbu.

“If you use less power in sleep mode, it also means you generate less heat and so you don’t need to cool buildings as much,” he notes.

But the real prize for office sustainability is to amplify such multiplier effects with digital technology. Smart building systems can determine whether a work area is being used and—if not—shut down lighting and heating systems automatically, potentially saving massive amounts of energy.

According to the Energy Efficiency Movement, more than 40 percent of the energy used in a typical commercial building is for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)—and around 35 percent of it is wasted.

However, a digital building management system with artificial intelligence can help cut HVAC emissions by up to 40 percent, while slashing 25 percent off operating costs.

This is a remarkable sustainability gain, but Kjesbu has another sustainable office equipment design trick up his sleeve: making things last longer. “If you design products that last longer, you will buy fewer and have a smaller footprint,” he says.

“It’s a big difference if a product lasts four years or seven years,” he adds.

In taking sustainability to heart, Cisco is staying ahead of a growing workplace trend.

Sustainability is an increasingly important factor in office design,” says John Stephan, a building products and services deal advisory partner at the accountancy firm BDO.

“From building materials to office-based technologies, we are seeing a growing appetite for options that reduce waste and emissions,” he says.

As far as the planet is concerned, that is a healthy appetite indeed—and one that conscious corporations such as Cisco are happy to satisfy.

View original content here.

Cummins

The Planet and Me webinar series helps professionals thrive in today’s fast-changing business landscape through focused, expert conversations. In this 30-minute episode packed with actionable insights, I spoke with Delphi Group founder Tom Kouropoulos about enhancing leadership while building innovative organizations. He shared why embracing a “license to fail” mindset drives transformative change, turning today’s uncertainties into tomorrow’s essentials. His insights on forward-thinking solutions, particularly in energy transition, offer surprising yet crucial perspectives for our future.

With 30 years of advising global organizations under his belt, Kouropoulos gets to the heart of why organizations struggle with innovation. “Everyone has to believe that they have the right to submit their ideas and that their ideas, when submitted, will find someplace to get a foothold,” Kouropoulos says. “If you don’t create that sort of a track record, people are going to get the message that it’s not their job.”

Practical approaches to build and strengthen the innovation muscle:

To build and strengthen this innovation muscle in your company, Kouropoulos advocates for two practical approaches I found particularly valuable.

Scenario-based planning builds organizational resilience and adaptability as businesses take risks to get to that next step.Building centers of competency, which are dedicated spaces for innovation within organizations. At Cummins Inc., I have seen multiple business units incorporate centers of competency to foster ideas about how best to engineer our products and services.

Tom says adopting these approaches can help businesses reimagine their innovation strategies. Here are some of his key takeaways.

Innovation is not instant – it requires cultivating a company-wide culture.Every employee needs to feel they have a license to innovate and fail.View AI as a collaborator that enhances human creativity.Measure innovation success through clear metrics and sustainable practices.

Watch the full interview to hear Kouropoulos’ insights on building innovation competency within your team, from setting parameters for acceptable failure to creating a culture where new ideas can flourish.

Men may have traditionally dominated the spirits industry, but innovators are striving to change the image of distillers. When it comes to dark, aged spirits, the challenge is two-fold, with women historically excluded as the makers – or even drinkers – of whisky, Scotch and Cognac.

The Modern Face of Whisky is striving for better. With a campaign to challenge the stereotypical image of whisky drinkers, the stock image library (created by OurWhisky Foundation) promotes the many faces of whisky enthusiasts. Challenging outdated stereotypes, a wealth of women and people of all genders, races and ages enjoying the spirit are featured in the collection. 

Now, the industry is waking up to the talent of skilled artisans – recognizing the influence and continued dominance of female distillers and blenders. Bacardi is proud to have four female Maestros shaping the future of the industry and its drinks – Stephanie Macleod, Master Blender, DEWAR’S® Scotch whisky; Anne Brock, Master Distiller, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin; Nancy Duarte, Master Blender, SANTA TERESA® rum; and Agathe Boinot, Cellar Master, D’USSÉ® Cognac, whose appointment made her the youngest female cellar master of the world’s major Cognac houses.

In 2024, Macleod was named Master Blender of the Year by the International Whisky Competition® for a sensational sixth consecutive time, and is celebrated in the DEWAR’S® “Here’s to the Story” marketing campaign, appearing in the advert as one of the inspiring storytellers and creative minds that has shaped the brand over the centuries.

“Perceptions are shifting, and now women can see the potential for a bright, exciting future career working with spirits. I’m very proud to play my part in that by nurturing future female talent in my team.” Stephanie Macleod, Master Blender Dewar’s® Scotch Whisky

Beyond championing established artisans, Bacardi is also building bridges for access. In 2025, the brand will host two all-female cohorts of its pioneering “Shake Your Future” program in India. The training is designed to help unemployed and underrepresented young adults build careers in the world of mixology. Classes help master bartending basics, covering subjects like mixology, flairing as well as complementary business areas such as personal branding, social media and communication.

The visibility of women at the top of drinks world is empowering the cohort industrywide. Today, over three quarters (76%) of women working in the beverage alcohol industry feel they can be their authentic selves at work and would encourage other women to pursue a career in the sector, according to research from Deloitte.1

Read more in Bacardi’ Limited’s 2025 Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report

1. “Women Raising The Bar”, Deloitte, 2023

By Candace Higginbotham | February 6, 2025

On a crisp January morning, an intrepid team of Birmingham associates walked two blocks east from Regions Center to take part in a city-wide event to honor a valuable community partnership and celebrate new opportunities for local children.

Junior Achievement (JA) of Alabama recently hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for construction of the new McWane Economic Education Center, a 30,000-square-foot experiential learning facility that will serve more than 20,000 Alabama middle school students annually.

JA is a community organization whose mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. The nonprofit delivers programs that deal with real issues such as career exploration and workforce readiness, financial literacy and business and entrepreneurship.

Regions Bank pledged $1 million in financial support for the new center, which will be built on the site of a former downtown parking lot owned by the bank for many years before being sold to JA.

Regions has a longstanding relationship with JA, both in Birmingham and across the bank’s footprint, with associates participating in classroom instruction, fundraising events and serving on boards. JA’s objectives align closely with the bank’s Community Engagement strategy focusing on financial wellness, education, economic development and workforce readiness.

Regions attendees at the groundbreaking event included Chairman, President and CEO John Turner, who serves as honorary co-chair for the education center’s capital campaign and provided remarks at the groundbreaking. Chief Financial Officer David Turner, a longtime member of JA of Alabama’s board of directors, also took part in the event, along with Leroy Abrahams, head of Community Engagement.

“We’re excited to be an investor in this really important project that Junior Achievement is building.”

John Turner, Regions Chairman, President and CEO

The Regions leaders were joined by Chip Reed, president of JA of Alabama, along with Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and other corporate and community leaders and members of local media outlets.

“We’re excited to be an investor in this really important project that Junior Achievement is building,” Turner said. “This experiential learning facility will help children throughout the Birmingham community learn more about how to better manage their finances. At Regions, our mission is to make life better, and we believe that financial education is an important part of making life better. This project will help us achieve that.”

The McWane Economic Education Center will house two key JA programs – JA BizTown; and JA Finance Park, which will be sponsored by Regions. The facility will also serve as headquarters for JA of Alabama.

“This time next year, this facility will be giving 200 children a day – 20,000 a year – the opportunity to imagine and experience a future that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to envision.”

Chip Reed, president of JA of Alabama

JA Finance Park Presented by Regions will provide older middle-school students first-hand experience with financial planning and career exploration in a realistic onsite facility. Students will put classroom learning about budgeting, managing expenses, the importance of saving and the role of credit to practical use. They will work with volunteers to develop a personal budget, explore career interests, learn about investing and the basics of insurance, taxes, credit cards and other financial topics.

JA BizTown is a simulated town that allows sixth-grade students to perform real-life activities, such as operating banks, managing restaurants, writing checks and voting for mayor.

“This time next year, this facility will be giving 200 children a day – 20,000 a year – the opportunity to imagine and experience a future that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to envision,” Reed said. “These students will be able to explore and put into practice real-life activities involving jobs, careers, money, finance, budgets – all those ‘rules of life’ that can be intimidating for those without experience but are so important for building financial success.

“We’re very excited to provide this experience for our local students.”

The center will also provide opportunities for adults in the community, as 4,000 volunteers will be needed to deliver and facilitate the programs each year. Regions will play a big role in those efforts, as well.

In his remarks, Turner said the January event was more than just breaking ground on a building, it’s the first step in building a stronger financial foundation for young people – which will have far-reaching impacts.

“Financial education leads to financial empowerment,” Turner said. “And when more people have greater access to essential skills, training, and employment opportunities they can pursue over time, we make our community stronger.”

Ansel, Home Hemodialysis Registered Nurse at DaVita, is a DaVita Global Nurse from the Philippines and was recruited while working as an international dialysis nurse in Abu Dhabi. He wanted to be a part of DaVita’s culture, benefits, professional and personal growth. When Ansel became a DaVita teammate, he experienced this and so much more.

About DaVita Inc.
DaVita (NYSE: DVA) is a health care provider focused on transforming care delivery to improve quality of life for patients globally. As a comprehensive kidney care provider, DaVita has been a leader in clinical quality and innovation for 25 years. DaVita cares for patients at every stage and setting along their kidney health journey—from slowing the progression of kidney disease to helping to support transplantation, from acute hospital care to dialysis at home. As of December 31, 2024, DaVita served approximately 281,100 patients at 3,166 outpatient dialysis centers, of which 2,657 centers were located in the United States and 509 centers were located in 13 other countries worldwide. DaVita has reduced hospitalizations, improved mortality, helped improve health access and worked collaboratively to propel the kidney care community to adopt a higher quality standard of care for all patients, everywhere. To learn more, visit DaVita.com/Newsroom.

Employers invest in human capital for both their internal and external communities. At Milken Institute Health, we view the workplace as its own community, in which organizational leadership is uniquely positioned to introduce, model, communicate, and normalize a “whole-person” approach to health that prioritizes physical, mental, and financial well-being equally. Investments in whole-person health can come in the form of expanded health benefits, changes to internal policies and programs, shifts in workplace culture to allow people to bring their “whole selves” to work, and increased levels of opportunity that recognize the many roles and responsibilities employees take on, such as caregiving.

Sabrina Spitaletta, senior director, Public Health at the Milken Institute, and Alexandra Guenther, chief information officer, Leidos, sat down to discuss ways leadership within organizations can lead with a whole-person health approach in mind.

Sabrina Spitaletta: Employers are defining “whole-person health” in various ways. From your perspective as an employer, how do you envision a whole-person health approach in the workplace and in community investments from the employer?

Alexandra Guenther: Throughout my career as both an individual contributor and now a manager, I am excited to see companies transition to support “whole-person health” initiatives. Whole-person health means that, as an employer, Leidos takes into account all aspects of an employee’s needs, regardless of their physical location around the globe. The support that Leidos provides to each employee through Leidos Life options, as highlighted previously in this series by Health & Civil President Liz Porter, includes physical, mental, financial, and social support. In addition, as chief information officer, I seek opportunities to leverage digital capabilities that elevate employees’ experiences by accommodating their whole-person health needs. The value of this approach is a win-win for employees and employers, as it removes physical barriers to work, enhances collaboration, facilitates inclusivity, and enables employee effectiveness. The value is compounded when leaders are managing teams distributed around the globe. In other cases, the physical location of employees can be an integral part of management—not just due to logistics but also due to well-being. Providing whole-person health support ensures employees are able to contribute their best work and enables employers to have access to excellent talent—wherever that talent may be.

What are the risks if employers do not adopt or move toward a whole-person health approach?

At best, employers are facing a sub-optimized workforce when they do not embrace a whole-person health approach. At worst, employers are setting themselves up to disappoint or isolate a sizable portion of the workforce, preventing the desire to work at said company. In the information technology sector, during a global talent shortage, employers are motivated to give themselves—and their workforce—every opportunity to succeed; the whole-person health approach does just that.

The IT sector is expected to face a shortfall of 85 million jobs by 2030 according to a study by Korn Ferry. These are not AI-driven jobs; these are human-skilled positions. It requires creativity and compassion to solve this kind of shortage, including seeking opportunistic ways to connect human capacity with open positions. Looking beyond upskilling and reskilling, a whole-person health approach allows employers to see employees as more than just the skills they bring. Instead, a whole-person health approach extends an employer’s view of the person and their skills to include a broader set of capabilities. This presents opportunities to connect unique missions and problems with individuals who feel connected and motivated to solve them. In many remote or isolated workplaces, for example, we are selecting motivated, talented individuals who have a personal passion for the mission. Without being open-minded and looking at a whole-person health approach, employers risk missing significant opportunities to connect individuals with career-advancing positions.

What steps are employers uniquely positioned to take to normalize and achieve a whole-person health approach?

Employers have opportunities to normalize whole-person health approaches with the sheer volume of employee interactions they have on a recurring basis. From the recruiting process to onboarding, to daily responsibilities, to offboarding, employers can demonstrate their commitment to whole-person health. As chief information officer, I look at each interaction with an employee from a qualitative and quantitative perspective to constantly improve our ability to not only react to employees’ whole-person health needs but also to anticipate them. If a technology-enabled digital assistant bot can see there is a planned out-of-office scheduled on an employee’s calendar, it can prompt the employee to ask the bot to generate a request for leave or put up an out-of-office message. Reducing the friction and administrative toil between the employee and its technology and corporate processes relieves the mental load and time for the employee. Seeing each employee’s interaction with technology through the lens of a whole-person health approach is not just about “increasing productivity” but about making the employee’s experience more enjoyable, seamless, and effective—therefore leading to increased productivity.

A few years ago, there was a phenomenon occurring around the globe called “quiet quitting.” Disenfranchised workers weren’t actively leaving their jobs, but their productivity and engagement were plummeting. There is a new trend occurring called “quiet hiring,” which refers to an employer’s ability to subtly re-engage with employees to increase their connectedness to their work and their output. At Leidos, we prefer to think of this as “ethical quiet hiring,” as we are intentional about training and compensating employees for increased responsibilities. These types of gains are a direct correlation with the whole-person health approach. Empathy and support from an employer create connectedness and contentment in the employee, translating into benefits for both parties.

In your opinion, which organizational leadership roles or positions need to be involved for this integrated approach to be adopted across the organization and in the surrounding community?

The most senior leaders are responsible for setting cultural norms, although it’s a shared responsibility for embodying the culture each and every day. All levels of management, as well as the employees, can continuously normalize a more integrated whole-person health approach in their regular interactions and discussions. Starting with a top-down focus and supportive policies and practices, employees, including management, have the opportunity to show empathy for other humans and create a clear path to foster the growth of whole-person health initiatives. A “humans helping humans” mindset is free of charge, and it can reap great benefits, as engaged employees are better performers and more likely to produce better results. A recent 2024 Gallup poll study found that “Highly engaged teams outperform the rest in business outcomes critical to the success of your organization. Engaged employees have higher well-being, better retention, lower absenteeism, and higher productivity.”

How do employers build a sustainable whole-person health approach that anticipates the ebb and flow of the external environment, whether those are shifts in the economic, social, or political landscape?

As an employer, one word I use with my team is “empowerment.” The word means that individuals are more than just set up for success; they have everything they need within their spheres of influence and control to implement success. This is key to building a sustainable whole-person health approach that can outlast the ebbs and flows of the external landscape. Empowering employees—and communicating that to them—allows them to see and navigate their pathway to success, regardless of some minor shifts in the external environments around them. Employers should stay connected with employees to monitor these shifts in case they require a reset by management or an intervention.

Click here to learn more about whole-person health and the Milken Institute Employer Action Exchange.