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Nielsen Earns Fourth-Consecutive Perfect Score on 2017 Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index

2 minute read | December 2016

For the fourth consecutive year, Nielsen received a perfect 100% score on the Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Nielsen joins the ranks of 517 major U.S. businesses also earning top honors this year.

The Human Rights Campaign rated 1,043 businesses in the 2017 CEI report, which evaluates LGBT-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBT community. Our efforts in satisfying all of the CEI’s criteria designates Nielsen as a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.

“Our perfect score on the CEI is a recognition not only of Nielsen’s work on behalf of LGBT inclusion, but also of the role that corporate America plays in advocating for LGBT issues in the workplace,” said Kelly Abcarian, senior vice president, product leadership and PRIDE ERG executive sponsor. “Nielsen has taken on the role of advocate for the LGBT community and ensured our culture is reflective of that commitment.”

LGBT inclusion is a key element of our company’s overall diversity & inclusion strategy, and our perfect score on the CEI reflects our culture of inclusivity, which is instilled into our corporate DNA.

One way we’ve worked to ensure this inclusive environment takes hold is through our Promoting Respect in Diverse Environments (PRIDE) employee resource group (ERG). For the past nine years, our dedicated associates in PRIDE have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and understanding of LGBT issues in the workplace by promoting diverse associate networking, recruitment, retention and professional development, and performing outreach in the communities where we live and work. PRIDE’s success has lead to a partnership with Nielsen human resources and university recruiting to bring marketing education and mentorship to students at the Out 4 Undergrad Marketing Conference and the production of a collection of insights that reflect LGBT consumption behaviors titled  Proudly Setting Trends: The 2015 LGBT Consumer Report.

“Nielsen’s definition of diversity is far more than what you see,” said Angela Talton, chief diversity officer. “It is the breadth of talents, skills, experiences and cultural backgrounds that makes each of us unique. At Nielsen, we strive to give our diverse associates visibility, access and opportunity to ensure every associate feels their work and unique perspectives are valued. We know that we get better ideas and client impact when there are more voices at the table and those voices are heard and acknowledged.”

For more information on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, please visit www.hrc.org/cei.