Lt. Governor Bysiewicz Recognizes New and Former Signatories Joining the Paradigm for Parity® Coalition

3/08/2022

(HARTFORD, CT) – Today, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Paradigm for Parity® leadership and executive leadership from Trinity Health of New England, Hartford HealthCare, The Jackson Laboratory, Yale New Haven Health, and Pfizer were recognized for joining the Paradigm for Parity® Coalition.

In March of 2020, Governor Ned Lamont and Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz announced that ten major private-sector companies doing business in Connecticut signed onto the Paradigm for Parity pledge – a nationwide coalition of businesses committed to achieving gender parity in the leadership of their respective corporations over the next ten years.

Today, Lt. Governor Bysiewicz and Paradigm for Parity leadership highlighted an additional eight companies, Trinity Health of New England, Hartford HealthCare, The Jackson Laboratory, Yale New Haven Health Systems, Pfizer, Avangrid, Otis Elevator Company, and Hubbell who have joined Paradigm for Parity® since March of 2020.

The Paradigm for Parity® movement is a coalition of business leaders dedicated to addressing the corporate leadership gender gap. The coalition is made up of CEOs, senior executives, founders, board members, and business academics who are committed to achieving a new norm in the corporate world: one in which women and men have equal power, status, and opportunity. The ultimate goal is to achieve full gender parity by 2030, with a near-term goal of women holding at least 30% of senior roles.

“As of November 2020, there were only 40 women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies,” Lt. Governor Bysiewicz said. “Companies with female CEOs and CFOs promote more social responsibility, and produce superior stock price performance and profitability. These companies have a large presence in our state, and today is a critical step as we continue to facilitate and encourage gender equity in our workforce, including meeting our goals of elevating women into leadership positions. Congratulations to these companies for leading the way in creating gender equity and inclusion.”

To accelerate the pace of gender equity in senior executive roles and on corporate boards, the founders created the Paradigm for Parity® 5-Point Action Plan. Based on extensive research and best practices, this roadmap is the first set of specific actions that, when concurrently implemented, will catalyze change, and enable companies to more effectively increase the number of women of all races, cultures and backgrounds in leadership positions.

“This International Women’s Day, we are so proud to welcome the newest Paradigm for Parity® member companies whose CEOs have committed to closing the gender gap in corporate leadership and celebrate all of the member companies in Connecticut and around the country,” said Sandra Quince, CEO of the Paradigm for Parity® coalition. “We applaud Lieutenant Governor Bysiewicz for her leadership, commitment and encouragement of Connecticut companies to lift and support women of all races, cultures and backgrounds. Our partnerships with the 18 Connecticut companies are an essential part of the coalition’s growth, and we look forward to continuing to make progress together.”

This coalition of leaders has enrolled the CEOs and executive teams of major companies in a collective commitment to embrace and implement the 5-Point Action Plan in their organizations and create an inclusive culture. Paradigm for Parity® is differentiated by three factors: (1) commitment from the top, (2) a clear plan of action that drives impact, and (3) mutual accountability for measurable results.

Support from business leaders:

“We’re proud of our commitment to the Paradigm for Parity coalition to achieve gender parity among our global executives by 2030. It is an important part of our broader diversity, equity and inclusion goals,” said Abbe Luersman, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, Otis. “Right now, 36% of our executives are women globally, and we’re confident we’ll deliver on our commitment.”

“As part of our Mission and Core Values, we pride ourselves on our ability to ensure an equitable workplace and are proud to partner with the Paradigm for Parity® movement to continue to work towards fully addressing the gender imbalance prevalent in corporate leadership positions,” said Reggy Eadie, M.D., M.B.A., President and CEO of Trinity Health of New England. “We are committed to catalyzing change and look forward to working with the coalition and the other companies that have joined the movement to accelerate the pace of achieving gender parity and ensure women of all races, cultures and backgrounds can succeed and thrive in the workplace.”

“We are excited to join Paradigm for Parity as our goals here at Hartford HealthCare mesh perfectly with the coalition’s plan,” said Sarah Lewis, VP of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Hartford HealthCare. “Making Hartford HealthCare an even more equitable and inclusive place for women of all backgrounds and identities to start and advance their careers requires innovative, thoughtful, system-wide strategies and tactics. Our commitment to Paradigm for Parity provides us with exactly that – data-driven best practices from leading organizations across industries, opportunities to convene with and work alongside leaders in peer institutions, and benchmarks against which we can measure our success. And Paradigm for Parity’s framework to achieve gender parity with racial equity fully aligns with Hartford HealthCare’s core value of Equity.”

“We all play a part in addressing longstanding issues such as the gender pay and leadership gaps,” said Frank Reynolds, President & CEO of UIL Holdings. “I am proud that our company has joined the Paradigm for Parity partnership to address it head on, so we can strive for an equitable future for all.”

“I was excited to see AVANGRID at the forefront of the drive toward gender-balanced leadership by partnering with Paradigm for Parity,” said Patricia Cosgel, Interim CFO/Executive Sponsor for WomENergy (AVANGRID’s Women’s Resource Group). “Our participation in this coalition of forward-looking leaders solidifies our commitment to parity in the workplace and the importance of action plans and milestones to help us get there. Evidence has shown the links between gender parity and financial performance, which supports our customers and the communities in which we operate, making these initiatives even more important.”

“The Jackson Laboratory is proud to sign the Paradigm for Parity Pledge,” said Moses Davis, Director, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI). “At JAX, diversity drives our science. We celebrate diversity of thought and inclusion of all people, for these are key to understanding and mastering the biologic complexity of human health. Equity in the workplace – and in our research – is incredibly important to our organization, are we are grateful to the Lt. Governor’s office for emphasizing and addressing this important issue.”

“Yale New Haven Health has always been a leader in diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Melissa Turner, SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, YNHHS. “Our leadership team is 59.5 percent female, and we are committed not only to women’s advancement but also to recognizing and respecting the culture, religious or sexual orientation and gender identity of our patients and our colleagues.”

“We are honored to join the Paradigm for Parity coalition,” said Ramcess Jean-Louis, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Pfizer. “Pfizer’s Opportunity Parity goals, that are designed to increase gender and ethnic diversity, represent our dedication to Equity which is one of Pfizer’s four core values. Our goals are aligned to the coalition’s call to action. We know our relentless pursuit of breakthroughs that change patients’ lives is directly influenced and impacted by our diverse team.”

These eight companies have a local presence in Connecticut, with some expanded nationally and globally: