GMDC|Retail Tomorrow Teams With Gender Fair
Retail industry trade association Global Market Development Center (GMDC)|Retail Tomorrow has joined forces with Gender Fair, billed as “the first and only market-based solution for achieving equality.” The partnership provides an opportunity for GMDC|Retail Tomorrow to advocate for gender equality across the retail and CPG industries.
The trade organization will officially kick off the partnership in an infocast with Gender Fair via the GMDC*Connect platform at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Aug. 20. The virtual learning session, to be introduced by Johanna Zeilstra, CEO of New York-based Gender Fair, will highlight the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion in retail, in addition to how GMDC|Retail Tomorrow members can benefit from the Gender Fair partnership.
The infocast, “Survive and thrive: CVS Health shows diversity drives resilience and innovation,” will feature Tom Ashworth, senior manager, strategic diversity management at Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based CVS Health, and Keith Eakins, CVS’ senior manager supplier diversity, who will discuss leadership, diversity and inclusion as a strategic initiative within their company.
“Gender Fair is the gold standard when working to achieve gender equality in the workplace, and its methodology is used across many world-class organizations to effectively measure fairness and sustainability,” noted Patrick Spear, president and CEO of Colorado Springs, Colorado-based GMDC|Retail Tomorrow, a nonprofit representing more than 125,000 retail outlets. “As a forward-looking organization, GMDC|Retail Tomorrow recognizes the need for change, and we’ve embraced this need and the value it will provide our growing community for years to come. This relationship offers an important step as part of the industry’s future. We anticipate the new programs will provide our members with a better understanding of how to execute a practical plan and give clearer visibility into the future needs for a successful business.”
The organizations are collaborating to help companies and business leaders identify areas in their companies where they can advance gender equality through the Gender Fair Assessment and Roadmap. Through the partnership, GMDC|Retail Tomorrow and Gender Fair will help companies demonstrate their use of the gender equality rating platform, leveraging product packaging and innovation to call attention to their social advocacy.
“With fewer than 20% of companies being considered ‘gender fair,’ we seek partnerships with organizations that are committed to raising this percentage, differentiating themselves as drivers of equality and promoting brands that meet the Gender Fair standards,” said Zeilstra. “Gender Fair is proud to be a GMDC|Retail Tomorrow strategic partner, and we look forward to offering our consumer rating platform for gender equality to all its members. Not only will our technology help scale equality and enable corporate gender data to reach GMDC|Retail Tomorrow’s consumer markets, but it will empower members to accelerate fairness through purchasing and business decisions.”
Gender Fair independently collects and rigorously analyzes data to measure company fairness and diversity policies against best-in-class benchmarks. Its Acceleration Practice provides an action plan to close the gap, with expertise in change management, leadership development, corporate communications and cultural evolution. Gender Fair certification assures employees, investors and consumers that a company is truly committed to diversity, fairness and gender equality.
With its CVS Pharmacy subsidiary operating almost 10,000 locations nationwide, CVS Health is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in in North America.
