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CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion

Understanding that we are all operating in an unprecedented environment with multiple, competing interests for the time and attention of the CEO, we are writing to you – from a CEO to CEO perspective – to ask for your much-needed help in advancing equality and inclusion at a time when the need to make sure that no one is marginalized has never been more important.

July 2020 marked the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  While there is much to celebrate in the progress that has been made since the ADA was created, there is still a great deal of work to be done.  Specifically, we want to:

  1. Request your consideration to participate in the Disability Equality Index (DEI), the leading corporate benchmarking tool for disability equality, which is administered by the non-profit organizations, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN;
  2. Share important information on disability inclusion that details its impact on business performance; and
  3. Ensure that you’re aware of increasing investor interest in understanding how companies are inclusive of people with disabilities.

We have experienced first-hand, within our companies, the potential for innovation, sustainability, and profit as a result of disability inclusion. It is important to us, now more than ever, to drive companies aligned with corporate values and meaningful purpose. Without disability inclusion, we will fail to build sustainable futures that empower all.

We kindly request that your company registers for the DEI, a corporate benchmarking tool created by non-profit organizations AAPD and Disability:IN. 

Our respective companies leverage the DEI to help build better products, stronger workforces, and innovative supply chains. At a larger scale, we stand to boost the American GDP by up to $25 billion if we hire just 1% of the untapped talent with disabilities.

Over one billion people have a disability across the globe – and it is a strength. We are leveraging this – by hiring inclusively, contracting with disability-owned business enterprises, and creating accessible tools and technology for all. We do this because it’s the right thing to do and it makes good business sense. Research reveals that companies that have led on key disability inclusion criteria during that time have realized: 1.6x more revenue, 2.6x more net income, and 2x more economic profit than other participants in Disability:IN’s annual benchmark survey.1 They are also 25% more likely to outperform on productivity compared to their industry peers that have not participated in the survey, measured as revenue per employee.

This is a growing topic for investors in driving sustainable performance. A global investor coalition, representing more than $2.8 trillion in combined assets, called on companies they invest in to become more disability inclusive. The coalition is led by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read, and includes large institutional investors such as California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) and Bank of America.

We understand, firsthand, that many requests come across the CEO’s desk, which is why we’re reaching out directly to you on this topic. The business case for disability inclusion in the workplace is compelling. Investor interest – along with regulator and legislator interest – on the topic of workplace disability inclusion is increasing at an accelerated pace. And the DEI provides an unbiased and confidential way to benchmark disability inclusion in the workplace.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Signed:

  1. Darius Adamczyk, Chairman & CEO, Honeywell
  2. Kevin Ali, CEO, Organon
  3. José (Joe) E. Almeida, Chairman, President & CEO, Baxter International Inc.
  4. Cristiano R. Amon, President & CEO, Qualcomm Incorporated
  5. Bill Anderson, Chairman of the Board of Management, Bayer AG, Bayer
  6. Peter Arduini, President & CEO, GE HealthCare
  7. Carl S. Armato, President & CEO, Novant Health
  8. Nikesh Arora, CEO and Chairman, Palo Alto Networks
  9. Tom Arseneault, President & CEO, BAE Systems, Inc.
  10. Stéphane Bancel, CEO, Moderna
  11. Steve Bandrowczak, Chief Executive Officer, Xerox Corporation
  12. Mary Barra, Chair and CEO, General Motors
  13. Corie Barry, CEO, Best Buy
  14. Brian Becker, CEO, RSM
  15. Marc Benioff, Chair & CEO, Salesforce
  16. Andy Bird, CEO, Pearson
  17. Frank Bisignano, President & CEO, Fiserv, Inc.
  18. Robert M. Blue, Chair, President & CEO, Dominion Energy, Inc.
  19. Jean-Michel Boers, President & CEO, and US Country Managing Director, Boehringer Ingelheim USA Corporation
  20. Gail Boudreaux, President & CEO, Elevance Health
  21. Dr. Albert Bourla, Chairman & CEO, Pfizer, Inc.
  22. Roz Brewer, CEO, Walgreens Boots Alliance
  23. Bruce Broussard, President & CEO, Humana Inc.
  24. Greg Brown, Chairman & CEO, Motorola Solutions Inc
  25. Jeffrey J. Brown, CEO, Ally Financial Inc.
  26. Michele Buck, Chairman of the Board President and Chief Executive Officer, The Hershey Company
  27. Bill Burns, CEO, Zebra Technologies
  28. David Burritt, President and CEO, U. S. Steel
  29. James Butcher, President & CEO, Chemonics International
  30. Giovanni Caforio, Chairman & CEO, Bristol Myers Squibb
  31. David Calhoun, President & CEO, The Boeing Company
  32. Anthony Capuano, CEO, Marriott International, Inc.
  33. Marc Casper, Chairman, President & CEO, Thermo Fisher Scientific
  34. Andy Cecere, Chairman & CEO, U.S. Bancorp
  35. Annette Clayton, North American President & CEO, Schneider Electric
  36. Frank Clyburn, CEO, IFF
  37. Steve Collis, Chairman, President and CEO, AmerisourceBergen
  38. Elizabeth B. Concordia, President and CEO, UCHealth
  39. David Cordani, President & CEO, Cigna Corporation
  40. Brian Cornell, Board Chairman & CEO, Target Corp.
  41. Roger Crandall, Chairman, President & CEO, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
  42. Joanne Crevoiserat, CEO, Tapestry, Inc.
  43. Terrence Curtin, CEO, TE Connectivity, Ltd.
  44. Paul Decker, President & CEO, Mathematica
  45. Keith Demmings, President & CEO, Assurant
  46. Francis deSouza, President & CEO, Illumina
  47. Sven Dethlefs, MD, Executive Vice President of North America Commercial, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
  48. Harry Dochelli, President & CEO, Essendant
  49. Joe Dominguez, President & CEO, Constellation Energy Corporation
  50. John Donahoe, President & CEO, NIKE, Inc.
  51. Brian Doubles, President & CEO, Synchrony
  52. Sandy Douglas, CEO, UNFI
  53. Thasunda Brown Duckett, President & CEO, TIAA
  54. Marvin R. Ellison, President & CEO, Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
  55. John J. Engel, Chairman, President & CEO, Wesco International Inc.
  56. Mick Farrell, CEO, ResMed
  57. Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., President & CEO, Mayo Clinic
  58. Bradley H. Feldmann, Chairman, President & CEO, Cubic Corporation
  59. Beth Ford, President & CEO, Land O’Lakes, Inc.
  60. Fabrizio Freda, President & CEO, The Estée Lauder Companies
  61. John C. Freker, Jr., CEO, Buck Global, LLC
  62. Lance Fritz, Chairman, President & CEO, Union Pacific
  63. Belén Garijo, Chair of the Executive Board and CEO, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
  64. Pat Gelsinger, CEO, Intel
  65. Paul Gentzkow, President & CEO, Talent Solutions, Robert Half
  66. Matt Goldberg, President & CEO, Tripadvisor, Inc.
  67. Jim Goodnight, Co-Founder & CEO, SAS Institute Inc.
  68. Mark Greatrex, President, Cox Communications, Inc.
  69. Kelly Grier, US Chair & Americas Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
  70. Sebastian Guth, President, Bayer U.S. & President Pharma, North America, Bayer
  71. Matt Hammerstein, CEO Barclays UK and Global Agenda Sponsor for Disability Inclusion, Barclays UK
  72. M. Susan Hardwick, President & CEO, American Water Works, Inc.
  73. Cain A. Hayes, President & CEO, Point32Health, Inc.
  74. Gregory J. Hayes, Chairman & CEO, Raytheon Technologies
  75. Joe Hinrichs, President & CEO, CSX Corporation
  76. Lauren Hobart, President & CEO, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc.
  77. Roger Hochschild, President & CEO, Discover Financial Services
  78. Kevin Hourican, President & CEO, Sysco Corporation
  79. Rich Hume, Chief Executive Officer, TD SYNNEX
  80. Barbara Humpton, CEO, Siemens USA
  81. Jean Hynes, CEO, Wellington Management
  82. Robert Isom, Chief Executive Officer, American Airlines Group
  83. Anthony Jabbour, CEO, Black Knight, Inc. and Dun & Bradstreet
  84. Brad Jacobs, Chairman & CEO, XPO Logistics, Inc.
  85. Haakan Jonsson, Chairman and President, Covestro
  86. Robert E. Jordan, CEO, Southwest Airlines
  87. Rick Keyes, President & CEO, Meijer
  88. Julie Kim, President, U.S. Business Unit and U.S. Country Head, Takeda
  89. Scott Kirby, CEO, United Airlines
  90. Tim Knavish, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), PPG Industries, Inc.
  91. Paul Knopp, U.S. Chair & CEO, KPMG
  92. Ramon Laguarta, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
  93. Ralph A. LaRossa, Chair, President and CEO, Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG)
  94. Heather Lavallee, CEO, Voya Financial, Inc.
  95. Alex Liu, Managing Partner, Chairman and Chief Diversity Officer, Kearney
  96. Sarah London, CEO, Centene Corporation
  97. Enrique Lores, President and CEO, HP Inc.
  98. Charles F. Lowrey, Chairman & CEO, Prudential Financial, Inc.
  99. Mike Mahoney, Chairman & CEO, Boston Scientific
  100. Paul Markovich, President & CEO, Blue Shield of California
  101. Judy Marks, Chair, CEO & President, Otis Worldwide
  102. Geoff Martha, CEO, Medtronic
  103. Rodney Martin, Chairman & CEO, Voya Financial
  104. Alessandro Maselli, President & CEO, Catalent Pharma Solutions
  105. Pamela Maynard, CEO, Avanade
  106. Bill McDermott, Chairman & CEO, ServiceNow
  107. James R. McDonald, President, Americas Land, SLB
  108. Richard P. McKenney, President & CEO, Unum Group
  109. Doug McMillon, President & CEO, Walmart Inc.
  110. Rodney McMullen, Chairman & CEO, The Kroger Companies
  111. Sanjay Mehrotra, President & CEO, Micron Technology, Inc.
  112. Larry Merlo, President & CEO, CVS Health
  113. Charles Meyers, President and CEO, Equinix
  114. Ben Minicucci, CEO & President, Alaska Airlines
  115. Sarosh Mistry, Chair, Sodexo North America, Sodexo
  116. Mark Mondello, CEO, Jabil Inc.
  117. Curt Morgan, CEO, Vistra Corp.
  118. Sarah Morrison, CEO, Shepherd Center
  119. Iva Morse, Country Speaker USA. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
  120. William S. Mosakowski, CEO, Public Consulting Group
  121. Brian Moynihan, Chairman of the Board & CEO, Bank of America
  122. Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
  123. Chris Nassetta, President & CEO, Hilton
  124. Antonio Neri, President & CEO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
  125. Ronald P. O’Hanley, Chairman & CEO, State Street Corporation
  126. Ken Paulus, President & CEO, Prime Therapeutics LLC
  127. Mark Pearson, CEO, Equitable Holdings
  128. Douglas L. Peterson, President & CEO, S&P Global
  129. Pedro Pizarro, President & CEO, Edison International
  130. Richard Poirier, President & CEO, Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I.
  131. Tom Polen, Chairman, CEO & President, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD)
  132. Patti Poppe, CEO PG&E Corporation, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
  133. Bob Pragada, Chief Executive Officer, Jacobs
  134. Heike Prinz, Chief Talent Officer & Labor Director, Bayer AG, Bayer
  135. Peter Quigley, CEO, Kelly
  136. Tom Reeg, CEO, Caesars Entertainment
  137. Dave Regnery, Chair & CEO, Trane Technologies
  138. Dave Ricks, Chairman & CEO, Eli Lilly and Company
  139. Michelle Riley-Brown, President and CEO, Children’s National Hospital
  140. Dino E. Robusto, Chairman & CEO, CNA Financial Corporation
  141. Jorge M. Rodriguez, President & CEO, Sorenson
  142. Horacio Rozanski, President and Chief Executive Officer, Booz Allen Hamilton
  143. Jim Ryan, Chairman & CEO, Old National Bank
  144. Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment
  145. Tim Ryan, US Chair & Senior Partner, PwC
  146. Vincent L. Sadusky, Chief Executive Officer; Executive Director, IGT
  147. Leo Salom, President & CEO, TD Bank
  148. Tom Salvaggio, President & CEO, CAI
  149. Rafael Santana, President and CEO, Wabtec Corporation
  150. Rodrigo Santos, President Bayer Crop Science Division, Bayer
  151. Julien Sauvagnargues, President, Olympus Corporation of the Americas (OCA)
  152. Charlie Scharf, CEO, Wells Fargo & Company
  153. Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks Corporation
  154. Kåre Schultz, President and CEO, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
  155. Jay Shah, Chief Executive Officer, Edelman Financial Engines
  156. Alan Shaw, President & CEO, Norfolk Southern Corporation
  157. Brian Shepherd, President and CEO, CSG
  158. Brian Sikes, President & CEO, Cargill
  159. Seth Siegel, CEO, Grant Thornton LLP
  160. Mike Sievert, President & CEO, T-Mobile
  161. Josh Silverman, CEO, Etsy, Inc.
  162. Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman & CEO, Baker Hughes
  163. Vince Sorgi, President & CEO, PPL Corporation
  164. Evan Spiegel, CEO, Snap Inc.
  165. John Stankey, CEO, AT&T
  166. Stephen D. Steinour, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Huntington National Bank
  167. Scott Strazik, Chief Executive Officer, GE Vernova
  168. Robert E. Sulentic, President & CEO, CBRE
  169. Julie Sweet, CEO, Accenture
  170. Mike Swinford, CEO, NuMotion
  171. J.K. Symancyk, President & CEO, PetSmart
  172. James D. Taiclet, Chairman, President & CEO, Lockheed Martin
  173. Joe Tarantino, President & CEO, Protiviti
  174. Rob Taylor, President Sonepar North America, Sonepar
  175. Laurent Therivel, CEO, US Cellular
  176. Chris Todd, CEO, UKG
  177. Carol B. Tomé, CEO, United Parcel Service
  178. Robert N. Trunzo, President & CEO, TruStage
  179. Brian Turner, CEO & President, Point B LLC
  180. Sherri Turpin, CEO, ZVRS and Purple Communications
  181. Brian Tyler, CEO, McKesson Corporation
  182. Joe Ucuzoglu, CEO, Deloitte Global
  183. Hans Vestberg, Chairman & CEO, Verizon
  184. Robin Vince, President & CEO, BNY Mellon
  185. Michel Vounatsos, CEO, Biogen
  186. Keith Waddell, CEO, Robert Half International
  187. Pat Walsh, CPA, MBA, CEO, Withum
  188. Kathy Warden, Chairman, CEO & President, Northrop Grumman Corporation
  189. Mike Wirth, Chairman & CEO, Chevron Corporation
  190. Dr. Jerry Wohletz, President & CEO, Draper
  191. Anne Wojcicki, CEO & Co-Founder, 23andMe
  192. Ashley Wright, Enterprise CEO, GHD Group Limited
  193. John Zillmer, CEO, Aramark