BOSTON – March 28, 2019 – Bain & Company and its sister organization, The Bridgespan Group, have been recognized as two of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s (HRC) annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI). This marks the 13th consecutive year that Bain & Company has earned a perfect score on the CEI, in recognition of the firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels.

Bain & Company has long been committed to diversity and inclusion, which has been instrumental to the firm’s success in bringing about industry standard-setting results in partnership with clients. The foundation of diversity and inclusivity efforts at Bain & Company is to create an environment that brings together a diverse set of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives and skills together in a way that adds value to the firm’s work with clients as well as to every employee’s experience. Bain & Company strives to weave these values into policies and everyday actions, creating a rewarding experience for employees and a strategic advantage for the firm as a whole.

“On behalf of the entire firm, we are proud that the Human Rights Campaign Foundation continues to recognize Bain & Company as a great place to work for LGBTQ talent,” said Russ Hagey, the firm’s Chief Talent Officer. “Diversity is key to our mission of building extraordinary teams that deliver unparalleled results for our firm and our clients, and we remain committed to attracting and developing a team that both represents and fully embraces this diversity.”

Bain & Company recently rolled out several largescale firm-wide innovations, one of which is the rapid expansion of formal LGBTQ ally membership globally.

The expansion of allyship in BGLAD – BGLAD, the Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgender and Queer Network at Bain & Bridgespan – was a major goal for the firm in 2018. Allies at Bain & Company actively support LGBTQ employees, and work together with them to further create a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees can thrive. They are encouraged to get involved with local BGLAD groups, display BGLAD symbols of support at their desks, add their pronouns to their respective email signatures and integrate inclusive language in their conversations at work. Over the last year alone, due to a concerted effort from BGLAD, LGBTQ ally membership at Bain & Company and Bridgespan grew over 36 percent globally.

The concept of allyship also extends beyond the Bain & Company offices. In 2018 there was an increase in ally participation in Pride events in cities across the U.S., and an increase in organizing demonstrations for equality overseas. In Australia for example, BGLAD members and allies organized a massive “get out the vote” effort for the marriage equality vote that passed this year. These successes further cemented Bain & Company's commitment to activating allies for BGLAD and all other employee affinity groups to further "live" the firm's commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“There is a constant dialogue around what can be done to better support employees in a way that allows them to thrive in the workplace,” said João Soares, a partner in the firm’s London office and the global head of BGLAD. “As we improve, the goal posts move with us. Refusing to settle is what makes Bain, and BGLAD, special.”

Bain & Company’s supportive environment and commitment to diversity and inclusion have helped earn the firm recognition around the world as a great place to work. It is the only company to rank number one on Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work” list on four separate occasions, and it has consistently placed in the top four since Glassdoor founded the list in 2008. Bain was also top-ranked for the Vault Consulting 50 for 2019 and topped its list of “Best Consulting Firms for Firm Culture.” Last year also marked the eleventh consecutive year that Working Mother magazine named Bain & Company to its “100 Best Companies” list.

Since its founding in 2002, the CEI has been the nationally recognized benchmarking tool for companies to gauge their levels of LGBTQ inclusion and equality in the workplace. The 2019 CEI evaluates LGBTQ-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBTQ community.

The full HRC report can be found here.

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