CEOs, Regulatory Authorities, and Business Leaders Convene at Third Annual Out on the Street: Europe LGBT Leadership Summit

LONDON, November 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

• Leadership Summit at Deutsche Bank in the City kicks off Out Leadership's Ally Project, featuring LGBT and Ally CEOs in dialogue 
• "LGBT Inclusion as Driver of Bank Culture" panel to feature groundbreaking discussion of financial regulators' expectations on LGBT equality issues 
• Inaugural OutSMART Talks will spotlight cutting-edge insights on LGBT market drivers and global equality metrics 

Hundreds of senior LGBT and ally business leaders and regulators from across Europe will convene today for the third-annual Out on the Street: Europe Summit hosted by Colin Grassie, CEO of Deutsche Bank UK, at the bank's offices in the City of London. An initiative of the global LGBT business advisory firm Out Leadership, the Summit brings together executives from leading financial institutions to share strategy around issues vital to LGBT equality and critical to creating marketplace opportunity. 

"We want to foster a workplace and a society where talents and contributions are respected and opportunities to succeed are provided regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity," said Colin Grassie, CEO of Deutsche Bank UK. "Today's event marks another milestone on this journey and it is a privilege for Deutsche Bank to host."

The Summit will launch Out Leadership's Ally Project, which in 2015 will include Ally Marketplace™ research exploring best practice for allies of LGBT equality within corporations and quantifying the size and power of the ally consumer market. Fireside chats between LGBT-identified CEOs and ally CEOs will bookend the Summit. Host Colin Grassie and Antonio Simoes (CEO UK, HSBC) will kick off the day with a discussion around how businesses can better support LGBT equality around the world, exploring implications of new data introduced by Dr. Kees Waaldijk. The day's final session will feature Irene Dorner (Former CEO USA, HSBC) and Ashley Steele (Former Vice Chair, KPMG) discussing how their business leadership and LGBT advocacy work is impacting their career transitions.

"We believe that the Ally Marketplace™ represents a significant opportunity for businesses to increase their Return On Equality™, and that fostering dialogue between senior LGBT and Ally business leaders is one way we can prepare our 55 member firms to seize it," said Todd Sears, Founder and Principal of Out Leadership.  

The Summit will also host a groundbreaking discussion with top regulators on corporate LGBT policy and the role of government, featuring: 

• John Griffith-Jones (Chairman, Financial Conduct Authority)
• Paul Philip (Chief Executive, Solicitors Regulation Authority)
• Robert Taylor (Head of Wealth Management and Private Banking Supervision, Financial Conduct Authority)

"Our members understand that developing LGBT talent and advancing equality creates business opportunity," Sears continued. "We're pleased that our distinguished guests from the regulatory agencies further demonstrate that promoting LGBT inclusion can help satisfy governmental expectations."  

Additionally, this year's Europe Summit will introduce OutSMART Talks, a series of TED-style talks presented by researchers and business innovators across Out on the Street's membership. Featured topics will include Denver Investments' Workplace Equality ETF, top LGBT programs at companies like EY, McKinsey and more, and Out Leadership's new LGBT business briefs for CEOs. 

Alex Wilmot-Sitwell, president, EMEA at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, comments:  "Across our company we recognise that it is through a supportive and diverse environment that we meet the needs of our employees, communities and clients. We are proud to continue our support of Out on the Street and I am particularly pleased to see the launch of Out Leadership's Ally Marketplace™, which will bring together the insights of leading networks and help encourage further collaboration. We've recognised the positive impact of our own LGBT Ally programme, and are proud to recognise our 11,600 members, who provide support and education across the globe."

In addition to the speakers specified above, contributors will include: 

• The Baroness Noakes DBE, Conservative Peer, Parliament
• Eileen Taylor, CEO DB UK Bank Limited
• John Roberts, Esq., Partner, Portfolio Manager, Denver Investments
• Dennis Layton, Principal, McKinsey  
• John Griffith-Jones, Chairman, Financial Conduct Authority
• Kees van Baar, Human Rights Ambassador, Kingdom of the Netherlands
• Kevin Jennings, Executive Director, Arcus Foundation


A full list of speakers can be found on the Out Leadership website. 

For live updates from this year's Out on the Street: Europe LGBT Leadership Summit, follow @OutLeadership and #OOTSUK.

ABOUT OUT ON THE STREET 

Out on the Street is the first global LGBT organization convening senior leaders from all major financial services firms across three continents to collectively set a forward-looking agenda for the industry and the LGBT community. 



Founded in 2011, Out on the Street is comprised of 27 member organizations: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Bloomberg, C1 Bank, Citi, Credit Suisse, Denver Investments, Deutsche Bank, EY, FTI Consulting, GE Capital,  Global Equality Fund, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, KKR, KPMG, McKinsey & Co., Merryck & Co., Moody's, Morgan Stanley, Nomura, Prudential, RBC, RBS, VCP, Thomson Reuters, and Wells Fargo.

Out on the Street is an initiative of Out Leadership, a recognized global strategic advising firm that connects leaders across the world's most influential industries to create business opportunities, cultivate talent and drive LGBT equality forward. Comprised of 55 member firms from across the financial, legal, and insurance sector, Out Leadership operates three industry-specific verticals: Out on the Street, Out in Law, and Out in Insurance.  Each vertical hosts cutting-edge programming and international summits for its industry, as well as offering unique opportunities for cross-industry collaboration. In addition to these verticals, Out Leadership created and operates OutNEXT, the first global leadership initiative for the next generation of LGBT talent. 

For more information, please visit www.outleadership.org

Contacts:
Dave Hughes
Director of Communications 
Dave.Hughes@outleadership.org 
+1-917-336-0604 ext 709

Jacob Tobia
Fellow 
Jacob.Tobia@outleadership.org 
+1-917-336-0604 ext. 708

Paul Marriott 
Senior Managing Director 
paul.marriott@fticonsulting.com 
+44-(0)20-7269-7252