CEO Christian Sinding reflecting on respect
Below you will find an internal message from EQT’s CEO Christian Sinding posted to all employees earlier this week, following the political unrest during the last few weeks in the US. It reflects on EQT’s values, on having zero tolerance to discrimination and the vital importance of respecting eachother.
“Dear colleagues,
Hope you are ok across the EQT universe - we are still largely working remotely but are seeing some light in the tunnel and there is a tiny sense that we are now getting closer to some kind of normality.
Even though there are some small positive signs around the pandemic, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect a bit on the world around us, and more specifically the situation in the US where it is evident that discrimination ignores lockdowns. Being part of a multi-national and diverse family - my wife is American, one of our children is adopted, I am a Norwegian who lived in the US for many years - I am deeply saddened and concerned about the racism, discrimination and violence. To the team in the US, I want to emphasize EQT’s full support in this difficult situation both with the pandemic challenges and the societal unrest. We are currently in discussions with the local management team in the US about which organizations to support in the work to achieve racial equality.
But it also brings to mind one of our most important values, namely respect. By respecting each and every individual, regardless of racial, ethnic, sexual, religious or socio-economic background, we contribute to a better and more inclusive tomorrow - being respectful at all times is what I expect from you as employees of EQT and what you can count on from me. It also puts light on what it really means being purpose and values driven - this is not just words, it is about how we treat each other, at work and in our private lives. And as you already know, our tolerance is zero - we condemn any harassment, any discrimination or any violence. Please react if you experience that we don’t live up to this pledge, either by addressing it to me or your manager, or through the public whistle blowing procedure.
We have been focusing a lot on gender diversity recently but I want to stress that the broader diversity perspective is equally important for us. With employees representing more than 40 nationalities and many different backgrounds, we are well equipped to address the issues and nourish an environment where everyone has equal opportunities to perform to their full potential. I am also happy to inform you that you will all be part of an conscious inclusiveness training scheduled for the autumn - this comes extremely timely given the unrest we see in many parts of the world today.
Discrimination is a global problem. It happens everywhere and creates political unrest and injustice. I trust you all to take on your responsibility, both as individuals and as leaders, to personify our zero tolerance on racism, discrimination and violence. This is an essential part of our current and future success - we all have a crucial role in contributing to a better more equitable society.
Stay respectful. Stay safe.
Sincerely,
Chris”