LGBTIQ+ Network Be You @Beiersdorf Newcomer of the Year

With commitment and creativity, the LGBTIQ+ network Be You @Beiersdorf has this year taken a stand for the diversity of lifestyles and identities in the working environment – within the company and beyond. In recognition of this work, yesterday the employee community received the “Rising Star Award 2020” from the German PROUT AT WORK foundation. PROUT AT WORK promotes the interests of LGBTIQ+ people in the working environment.*

“We were particularly impressed by the fact that the Be You activities are not only directed inwards within the company, but also involve cooperation with external partners from the LGBTIQ+ community. We are also impressed by the support from the company and top management and the close integration with the NIVEA brand and its campaign for more togetherness and diversity. This shows us that the commitment is serious and sustainable,” explains Albert Kehrer, CEO of PROUT AT WORK.

 Comprehensive Program for Diversity and LGBTIQ+ in the Company

The Be You team is very pleased with this recognition and is proud that it has been able to set up a comprehensive program for diversity and LGBTIQ+ people this year, despite all the adversities of the coronavirus pandemic. “We even managed to hold our own Pride Week – which we named #PRIDEINSIDE – at the end of July. In addition to online training and Pride talks on the intranet, this included on-site activities – naturally in line with a corresponding COVID-19 hygiene concept,” reports founding member Ralph Zimmerer, Vice President Global NIVEA Brand Identity & Brand Capability, representing the Be You team. “We toured for six days in a rainbow-colored Volkswagen bus through our Hamburg plants to the NIVEA Haus and through the Hanseatic city. We distributed a total of 10,000 tins of the NIVEA Creme Rainbow Edition, which Beiersdorf launched on the German market in June. That and the positive reactions of our colleagues and passers-by in Hamburg were fantastic.”

 Employee communities are important drivers of diversity and inclusion in the company

Misel Ahom, the new Global Director of Diversity & Inclusion for Beiersdorf, is also very proud for the team that with this award, the network’s initiative is recognized: “Employee communities like Be You are an important pillar of our work to accelerate diversity & inclusion for all within the company and help drive awareness and cultural change.”

Be You @Beiersdorf was founded last year by Beiersdorf employees and is dedicated to LGBTIQ+ topics in the workforce and beyond in society, providing personal and professional support for the LGBTIQ+ community within the company. “We are in the process of expanding the Be You footprint. 2021 is about rolling out Be You globally and reinforcing the commitment to our LGBTIQ+ community that Beiersdorf is an inclusive place where everyone can thrive,” says Misel Ahom.

^{* LGBTIQ+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intergender, queer, and more.}