June is Pride Month, an annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community’s contributions to history and culture worldwide. In honor of Pride, we asked Anna Di Silverio – the global executive sponsor of Prism, Avanade’s LGBTQ+ employee network – to share why she’s #AvanadeProud to champion Pride Month, both within Avanade and the communities where we live and work. Read through to learn more about Anna’s thoughts on Pride as well as the biggest highlights from Avanade’s Pride programming this year.

Pride Month is all about encouraging our people to bring their authentic selves to work and giving them the resources they need to succeed in an environment free from harassment and discrimination. When we work together, we create visibility and belongingness that strengthens Avanade’s inclusive culture.

I am a proud ally to the LGBTQ+ community, and one of my favorite parts of serving as executive sponsor for Prism is seeing how our LGBTQ+ and ally communities come together time and time again to make a positive impact. As an ally, I often think about my role as both a listener and an amplifier. Being a part of Prism and attending events where I can hear from and amplify the voices of our diverse community members opens my eyes to new perspectives and experiences – some of which have even helped drive policy changes, like our Gender Transition Paid Leave policy across Europe.

In the spirit of listening and learning, we are hosting a variety of speaking events across the world during this year’s Pride Month, all featuring trailblazing LGBTQ+ leaders. Rather than selecting a single global speaker, we empowered our regional Prism teams to curate their choice of speaker and topics that resonate with their local audiences. We believe this customized approach better supports the diversity of our LGBTQ+ and ally communities worldwide. 

Education, engagement and training opportunities are also important for building strong ally communities. During this year’s Pride festivities, we are hosting two training sessions with our partners at the advocacy group Out & Equal. These sessions are designed to instruct Avanade employees on workplace inclusion fundamentals, empowering them with information on inclusive language and their potential for positive change.

Here in Italy – and throughout the world as a whole – our LGBTQ+ community still faces a number of challenges. As allies, it’s vital that we acknowledge those ongoing hurdles just as we celebrate how far we’ve come. That’s why Avanade is a proud signatory of the Human Rights Campaign’s Business Statement Opposing Anti-LGBTQ State Legislation, as well the L’Autre Cercle LGBTQ Commitment Charter. And every June, we engage our employees with a matching donation fund to raise money for organizations defending LGBTQ+ rights.

This year, our Prism colleagues in North America launched a new Prism Mentoring Program, a safe space for LGBTQ+ employees and allies to come together and learn through collaboration. We’re also thrilled to partner with myGwork, a global network for LGBTQ+ professionals and inclusive employers. Thanks to this new partnership, Avanade employees have access to professional events, networking and e-learning opportunities – and through the platform’s job board, Avanade can reach new LGBTQ+ talent and deepen our commitment to diversity.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Pride without a celebration. Personally, I plan to attend the Milan Pride Parade alongside my colleagues in Italy.  To all my fellow allies, I would like to pose a question: How are you showing your Pride this year?