A message from our CEO: Standing up for what is right

I am sure, like me, you have watched the unfolding events in the US in recent days with shock and sadness. The protests across US cities, including in our Americas base in Atlanta, show the extent of the pain, frustration and anger with the status quo of inequality, racism and injustice. These events were triggered by the alarming death of George Floyd but remembering Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, we know that this issue is much deeper than one incident and another tragic death.

At IHG we do a huge amount to celebrate and encourage our own culture of respect, understanding and tolerance towards one another – but there will always be more to do within our own business and in wider society. We all have a role to play, whether through our words, our openness to avoid pre-conceptions or our willingness to do the right thing.

In the US, we have been in touch with the City’s leadership in Atlanta to offer our support and have joined in a statement from the Atlanta Committee for Progress, where we sit together with other prominent businesses in the area, to condemn injustice and abuse of power. But it’s important to recognise this is not a problem reserved for the US alone, or for those who suffer injustice. The world’s spotlight is very much on the US right now, but this is an issue for all of society globally.

IHG’s values and promotion of inclusivity and diversity are part of what makes us a warm, welcoming and unique place to work; they sit at the heart of our purpose to provide True Hospitality for everyone. Our commitment to you is that now, more than ever, we will be holding true to these values together, challenging injustice and intolerance wherever we see it.

At IHG, we will always keep pushing for what we know is right.

Take care of each other and stay safe.

Keith

Updated 8 June 2020: 

Our Global D&I Board, which was formed in 2018 to set an agenda for a more inclusive IHG, is continuously discussing how to put in to place plans that will affect real, meaningful change both within and outside the organisation.

This week, together with other businesses in Georgia, IHG signed a commitment in support of Georgia’s Hate Crime bill (HB 426). We stand with our black colleagues, guests and communities to ensure the value we place on respect, diversity and inclusion is felt beyond our company. Our support of this bill in the US State of our Americas HQ reflects that.

We are also encouraging our colleagues to take the time to take action in the following ways:

• Listening to learn: We are taking the time to talk to each other, but more importantly, to listen to our black colleagues who are suffering injustices. Since publishing our initial response to the protests in the US, our Americas colleagues held a town hall in which we heard from members of our Black Employee Resource Group (BERG), who shared honest and powerful accounts about how they are feeling, their personal experiences and their hopes for the next generation.
• Educating ourselves and each other: We have been helping each other educate ourselves by sharing resources with our teams and making sure informed conversations are happening across teams.
• Becoming advocates: We are also empowering colleagues to spend time advocating for this cause – whether that be supporting organisations such as Black Lives Matter or the National Urban League, or volunteering for groups such as Atlanta CareerRise and Westside Future Fund.