Business

Nominations for PinkNews Award for Business Network of the Year

Oct 23 2013
Written by PinkNews Awards

The inaugural PinkNews Awards are being hosted by the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, this evening, and will be presented to recognise the contributions of politicians, businesses and community campaigning groups to advancing LGBT life across the UK.

Below is the list of nominations for the Business Network of the Year Award. The award will be decided by a panel of judges

InterTech

The InterTech Diversity Forum is a professional network that encourages LGBT diversity and inclusion in the UK technology sector. Aiming to support and accelerate the careers and networks of LGBT individuals, while providing mutual benefit for the organisations they represent, InterTech is highly influential within the overall industry.

The Forum is supported by Accenture, Amazon, Avanade, BAE Systems Detica, Clarity, Dell, ERTL Design, Google, Made By Many, Microsoft, Nokia, PinkNews, Skype, Stonewall, and Yammer.

During the course of the year, InterTech has hosted such events as Get Your Geek On, Launch Party, Talk Nerdy To Me, and most recently, Women@InterTech. Every single event has been sold out within 40 minutes of the tickets being released. InterTech’s accomplishments have recently been featured in a twopage spread in the Evening Standard. https://www.intertechlgbt.com/

InterMedia

Established by Creative Skillset’s LGBT employee group Powwa (Part of who we are) and Stonewall in September 2012, the goal of InterMedia Diversity Forum is to provide a networking space for LGBT professionals in the Creative Industries.

Committed to promoting diversity across the Creative Industries, InterMedia’s diversity and equality strategy aims to break down barriers to inclusivity, while also addressing imbalances in the representation of people through disability, ethnicity, age, class, gender and LGBT influences.

Over the course of this year, InterMedia has held gatherings at ITV, Warner Bros., Channel 4, and MTV. Most events have discussion panels or speakers which are focused on LGBT life in the media, while some are just networking sessions. https://blog.skillset.org/index.php/2013/02/intermedialgbtnetworkgroup/

InterLaw

Created in response to a need for an organisation to address LGBT issues in the London legal sector, InterLaw Diversity Forum is an interorganisational forum for the LGBT networks in law firms and all personnel in the sector.

The InterLaw Diversity Forum was founded in March 2008 by Daniel Winterfeldt, Simmons & Simmons US securities partner, with support from top London law firms including Allen & Overy, Baker & McKenzie, Clifford Chance, Eversheds, Herbert Smith and Lovells.

Recent and upcoming events hosted by InterLaw include Judicial Appointments Commission

(JAC) LGBT Judicial Outreach Event, Feminist Judgments: How Women Can and Do Shape the Law, Different Shades of the Same Rainbow: A BAME and LGBT Event, and Sponsorship Event (discussing the theme of ‘sponsorship’.) https://www.interlawdiversityforum.org/

LGBT Insurance Network (LINK)

LINK is a diversity forum network for LGBT professionals working in the UK insurance sector. Members include over 100 professionals working in claims, underwriting, actuarial, broking, public relations, IT, sustainability, law, and accountancy.

The network has evolved over the past year and a half and was formalised in August 2012. https://www.lgbtinsurancenetwork.co.uk/

Cooperative Respect

The Cooperative’s LGBT Network The Cooperative Group’s LGBT Network, Respect, is comprised of a dedicated LGBT steering committee and group of members from across the business.

Respect has been recognized by Stonewall as a Star Performer Network Group for each of the past three years. The Star Performer logo acknowledges the role of individuals who participate in network groups, often in their own time, to support employers and employees to achieve an equal workplace. https://www.cooperative.coop/corporate/RespectLGBT/

This award was decided by a panel of judges in order to ensure impartiality

Judges are listed below

Iain Dale, Presenter LBC

Mike Freer, MP for Finchley and Golders Green

Tom Coplyy, London Assembly Member (Labour London wide)

Baroness Olly Grender

Anna Doble, Head of Online, Channel 4

Paris Lees, Columnist GT (Gay Times), Diva and the Independent

Simon Topham, Managing Director GT and Diva

Donna Halkyard, Head of Diversity, BAE Systems (Business network award)

Tom French, the Scottish Equality Network

Corinne Pinfold, former reporter, PinkNews, policy officer, School Leader Support Service