Karyn Twaronite

Karyn Twaronite
EY Global and Americas Diversity & Inclusiveness Officer

EY
Headquarters: London
Business: Professional Services
CEO: Mark Weinberger
Employees: 212,000
Website: www.ey.com

EY CREATING AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE ACROSS 150 COUNTRIES

With a diversity and inclusiveness strategy embedded in its business processes and practices, EY’s newly created global framework for D&I progress is gaining momentum with embracing the significant value of building an inclusive workplace.

EY’s Global and Americas Diversity & Inclusiveness Officer Karyn Twaronite is responsible for maximizing the diversity of EY professionals by enhancing its inclusive culture across 150 countries in areas including the Americas, EMEIA, Japan and Asia Pacific.

Most recently, she led the EY D&I work stream and partner advisory group that created the company’s global framework for D&I progress, Winning through Diversity and Inclusiveness: A Roadmap for Success. “The business value of D&I has been proven – an organization that is both diverse and inclusive generates more revenue, increases innovation and is more likely to retain high-performing talent,” Twaronite said.

EQUITABLE SPONSORSHIP CREATING SYNERGY

EY has taken bold steps in this area as part of its strategic roadmap, including creating a D&I Culture Change Continuum. It identifies four distinct stages that EY and each of its employees “need to progress through to build a culture that values and leverages all differences to create the highest-performing teams,” she said.

Stage three of the continuum is “practice and model inclusive teaming and leadership,” which can generate cultural shifts, including more equitable sponsorship across an organization.

“We recognize that equitable sponsorship is one of the greatest opportunities we have to make further progress in D&I. It enables our people to attain access to appropriate work experiences, coaching, and influential relationships and networks early in their careers to position them for advancement,” she said.

An example she shares is EY’s Inclusiveness Leadership Program that couples high-potential women and ethnic minority partners or principals with EY board members and an external career coach. More than 180 partners and principals have gone through the program.

Research shows that white men are 50 percent more likely to be sponsored than women, and that ethnic minorities are 66 percent less likely to be sponsored than white men, according to Twaronite. “Yet, when organizations build up a culture infused with inclusiveness – one that provides equitable opportunities for all people to grow, learn and advance – it creates a synergy that is contagious,” she said.

MENTORING AND SPONSORING

Education and awareness are also among key components of the company’s leadership program. “It is important that our people know how to sponsor, are aware of whom they are sponsoring, and aren’t inadvertently sponsoring only people who look like or act like them,” Twaronite said. “That’s why we work with our leaders to thoughtfully and proactively review who is sponsoring whom to ensure all of our top-performers are sufficiently supported and championed,” she added.

HIGHLIGHTS OF EY RECENT D&I RECOGNITION INCLUDE:

  • FORTUNE – 100 Best Companies to Work For
  • Glassdoor – Best Places to Work
  • US Universum Undergrad Overall IDEAL™ – Employer Survey
  • Global Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE) Award
  • Multiple recognitions for employee outreach groups
  • Human Rights Campaign Foundation Corporate Equality Index – 100% Disability Equality
  • Working Mother – 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers
  • National Association for Female Executives – Top Companies for Executive Women