March 15^th, 2010

Montreal, Canada, March 15, 2010 – The International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (IGLCC) is proud to invite all major international corporations to participate in the 2010 edition of the International Business Equality Index survey that will measure how they are performing internationally in issues related to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. The International Business Equality Index (Index) is designed to help corporations understand how they are performing in this area relative to other companies, in specific countries around the world. It is the only diversity index that measures performance in multiple countries; and in most countries it is the only diversity index available.

In addition to worldwide visibility, international leadership recognition and increased presence in the LGBT market segment, participation in the Index gives corporations a comprehensive assessment that serves as a concrete tool to enhance global practices and policies. They get to know, as well, the measure of how well they are performing in each country, relative to other companies in the same industry, which in itself is a great indicator of competitiveness.

BT Group, IBM and The Dow Chemical Company were respectively the top 3 corporations in the 2009 Index. Their actions to create positive change have earned them the respect and admiration of the global LGBT community. “The level of implication and the extremely high caliber of the 2009 Index participant corporations gave us all the motivation we needed to make this an even more comprehensive initiative. Thanks to great reflection and to the constructive feedback given by the first participants we are able to confirm this as one of the most important initiatives ever launched to advance LGBT diversity in the business world”, declared the Founding President and Secretary General of the IGLCC, Pascal Lépine.

“The leadership seen last year with the 2009 Index participants has already shown that LGBT diversity is here to stay. More than ever it has secured its place in the business world and positive changes are on their way. On the other hand, the Index showed us that corporations could do much more with the vast potential that the LGBT international community represents.  We are looking forward to seeing exactly how much progress we were able to make since the first Index”,added Mr. Lépine.

The deadline for completion of the survey is May 15, 2010. The report containing the results and findings will be unveiled in an international press conference in Amsterdam, Holland on June 10, 2010 as part of the IGLCC 3rd Annual Congress. A Global Seminar will take place at the BT Tower in London, on September 23^rd, when the IGLCC will gather with all participant corporations to further discuss LGBT equality.

The brochure for the 2010 International Business Equality Index can be downloaded in English, French, Spanish and German.

About the IGLCC
The International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (IGLCC) was founded in 2006 in Hamburg, Germany and is based in Montréal, Canada. IGLCC is the world’s leading international LGBT business network, operating in 15 countries through 17 chambers of commerce and business organizations. IGLCC represents the interests of over 55 million Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) employees, business owners and customers worldwide.

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For further information or to request an interview:

César Maschmann
Director of Communications and Member Services
International Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
Phone: (514) 287-2888 ext.: 221
cesar.maschmann@iglcc.org

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