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The Out at Work and Telegraph Top 50 LGBT Executives in Business list celebrates the positive social impact that business leaders can make.

Anthony Watson, President and Chief Executive Officer at Uphold Inc. tops the Out at Work Top 50, which showcases the country’s growing number of successful LGBT people in business.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Watson had been appointed as chair of Labour’s new Business and Enterprise Advisory Council – an organisation that will advise Shadow First Secretary of State and Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Angela Eagle MP.

Claire Harvey of KPMG, Burberry Chief Executive Christopher Bailey and Claudia Brind-Woody of IBM are also featured on the list which will be unveiled with an exclusive dinner at The Rosewood Hotel, Holborn tonight.

Vinay Kapoor MBA who is the UK Head of Diversity and Inclusion at BNP Paribas; Vincent Francois, the Chief Audit Executive at Societe Generale; Antone Simoes, the CEO of HSBC UK and Andy Woodfield, Partner & Head of International Aid Development at PwCare are also listed.

A nationwide call for nominations saw thousands of entries submitted. Each nominee was then considered against select criteria and narrowed down to a shortlist of 50 executives.

An advisory panel spent time considering the impact each nominee made at work and in the wider LGBT community. Key factors included each individual’s effect on business, their social influence in educating the wider workforce on LGBT issues, helping LGBT policies, legislation or inclusion, and their role in inspiring change through mentoring.

Linda Riley, chair of the judges, said: “Businesses have made some great strides in supporting and encouraging the LGBT community to be out at work.

“But it’s a list that reminds us of how much more there is to be done. Management needs to send a clear message about how important it is for employees to feel able to be themselves at work, they need to understand the fear of apparently harmless ‘banter’.”

One of the world’s leading authorities on global diversity and inclusion issues, Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe, Labour peer Michael Cashman, Colin Campbell-Austin, Head of Talent at the Telegraph Media Group, Jacqui Gavin, Vice Chair of A:Gender Civil Service and diversity expert Linda Riley were amongst the Out at Work & Telegraph Top 50 judging panel.

Lord Cashman said: “Anthony Watson has a brilliant track record in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in some of the worlds biggest corporations such as Barclays, Nike, Citi, Wells Fargo and now at Uphold. The judging panel took into account his campaigning to improve LGBT rights and promote acceptance as well as the work he is undertaking as the UK’s first ever GLAAD board member and through his charity work with organisations such as Diversity Role Models.

“He is an inspirational figure and is deserving of his place at the top of the Out at Work list.”

The top 50 listing in full:
1. Anthony Watson, President and Chief Executive Officer, UPHOLD Inc.
2. Claire Harvey, Senior Consultant, Inclusive Leadership, KPMG
3. Christopher Bailey, Chief Creative & Chief Executive Officer, Burberry
4. Claudia Brind-Woody, VP & Managing Director, Intellectual Property Licensing, IBM
5. Vincent Francois, Chief Audit Executive, Societe Generale
6. Antonio Simoes, CEO HSBC UK, HSBC
7. Audrey Connolly, Head of Senior Managers Regime, Lloyds Banking Group
8. Hannah Winterbourne, Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, British Army
9. Denny Tu, Head of Strategy & Planning, Sky
10. Sam Truelove, International Defence Engagement, Royal Navy
11. Wg Cdr Mark Abrahams, Wing Commander, Royal Air Force
12. Lee Marshall, Chief of Staff, Church of England Pensions Board
13. Andy Woodfield, Partner – International Aid Development, PwC
14. Daniel Winterfeldt, Head of International Capital Markets and Diversity & Inclusion Partner, CMS Cameron McKenna
15. Margot Slattery, Country President, Sodexo Ireland, Sodexo
16. Chris Wood, Lieutenant Commander and Vice-Chair of Compass Network, Royal Navy
17. Gary Millar, Cabinet Member for Business & CEO Liverpool City Council & Parr Street Studios
18. Stephen Frost, Global Head of Diversity, KPMG
19. Mike Anderson, Managing Director, Executives & Financial Institutions Group Coutts
20. Jan Gooding, Group Brand Director, AVIVA
21. Alison McFadyen, Programme Director, Standard, Chartered Bank
22. Steven Cox, Executive Director, Public Sector, Fujitsu UK & Ireland
23. Scott Knox, Managing Director, Marketing Agencies Association
24. Ali Berryman, Chief Operations & Technology Officer, Barclaycard UK Barclaycard, Barclays Bank
25. Emma Cusdin, Senior HR Business Partner, Thomson Reuters
26. Roland White, Managing Director, Create Reality
27. Michael Brunt, Chief marketing officer and Managing Director, The Economist
28. Squardron Leader Sherry Conway, Critical Care Nursing Officer, Royal Air Force
29. Kevin Jenkins, Managing Director, Visa Europe
30. Mark MacKenzie MBE, Principal Advisor – Equality and Inclusion, Transport for London
31. Rob Davey, Senior Director, Global Services, Thomson Reuters
32. Javier Ruiz Del Rio, Senior Customer Success Manager, Campaign Monitor
33. Vinay Kapoor MBA, UK Head of Diversity & Inclusion, BNP Paribas
34. Mark Gossington, Partner, PWC
35. Professor Jack Lohman CBE, Chief Executive Officer , Royal BC Museum
36. Mark McNulty, Head of UK Business, State Street Global Advisors
37. Isobel Sheldon, Engineering & Technology Director, Johnson Matthey Battery Systems
38. Kimberley Bird, Head of Group Risk Systems, Lloyds Banking Group
39. Simon Fillery, Interim Head of Inclusion, Bank of England
40. Tony Tenicela, Global Leader, Workforce Diversity and LGBT Markets / IBM IBM
41. Alison Camps, Deputy Chairman and Partner, Quadrangle
42. Daisy Reeves, Partner, BLP Law
43. Tim Jarman, Assistant Director for Diversity and Inclusiveness, EY
44. Emma Woollcott, Associate, Reputation Protection team, Mishcon de Reya
45. Lee Cartwright, Managing Partner, Birmingham Office, Mazars LLP
46. Emily Sendall, Senior Consultant, Human Capital, Deloitte
47. Matt Batham, Partner, Tax, Deloitte
48. Matt Hubbard, Commercial Banking HR Director, Lloyds Banking Group
49. Krishna Omkar, Associate, Slaughter and May
50. Richard Chapman-Harris, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Mott MacDonald

 

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