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Putting Our DEI Commitment into Action

At Saxum, our commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) is embedded in the DNA of our organization, but we also know that we aren’t DEI experts and it’s not just an item to mark off the company checklist. Real progress requires a commitment to learning and a shift in organizational thinking and company culture, and it takes time to make a meaningful impact.

We strive to create a truly inclusive environment for all and encourage honest dialogue – thousands of small conversations every day – in hopes of leading our organization on a path toward meaningful and measurable change and creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive world.

As an additional step toward putting our belief at Saxum into practice, I am proud to announce that I am personally committing myself and Saxum to advance diversity and inclusion in our workplace as a signatory of CEO Action for Diversity & InclusionTM. As a part of CEO Action, we are pledging to take action to cultivate an environment where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected and where employees feel encouraged to discuss these important issues.

CEO Action for Diversity & InclusionTM was founded on a shared belief that diversity, equity and inclusion is a societal issue, not a competitive one, and that collaboration and bold action from the business community — especially CEOs — is vital to driving change at scale. This belief is truly aligned with Saxum’s value and as the leader of Saxum, I am committed to taking a BOLD step to drive change and continue learning.

The coalition is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, and brings together more than 2,000 CEOs who have pledged to:

  • Cultivate environments that support open dialogue on complex — and often difficult — conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Implement and expand unconscious bias education and training
  • Share best-known diversity, equity and inclusion programs/initiatives — as well as those that have been unsuccessful
  • Engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating diversity, equity and inclusion strategies

While these four key actions are not the complete answer, they are important, concrete steps toward building more diverse and inclusive workplaces, and by becoming a new signatory, we intend to continue learning so we can evolve our company culture, help inform our client strategies and expand our impact to our communities and across the industry.

Our ultimate goal is to come together to make good on the inherent promise that everyone at Saxum should be able to bring their best and whole selves to work and unleash their full potential. By working together toward diversity and inclusion within our workplaces, industries, and broader business community, we can cultivate meaningful change for our society.

I encourage you to join me and Saxum in our efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion. You can learn more about CEO Action for Diversity & InclusionTM and how to join the pledge, and access their resources at CEOAction.com.


About the author

Debbie Schramm is the CEO at Saxum, a digital agency obsessed for good. You can follow her on LinkedIn for insights on crisis management, public affairs, and people development.