2022 Workplace Summit Global LGBTQ+ Advocate of the Year Outie Award
Outie Awards (the “Outies”) recognize individuals and organizations who are leaders in advancing equality for LGBTQ+ people in workplaces globally. Outies are awarded at the annual Out & Equal Workplace Summit.
This award recognizes an LGBTQ+ individual based in one of Out & Equal’s countries and/or regions of focus outside of the United States – including but not limited to Argentina, Brazil, China and India – who is actively advocating to improve their organization’s inclusion efforts, pushing significant adoption of best/innovative practice, benefiting LGBTQ+ employees and advancing their organizations standing as a true leader in this work. Advocates are bold and are making a difference outside their workplace to drive change and equality in their community, their country, and the world
The 2022 Global LGBTQ+ Advocate of the Year Outie Award finalists are below The winner will be announced at the 2022 Workplace Summit happening October 17-20th in Las Vegas!
Finalists
Johnny Mendez (he/him), External Communications Specialist, Medtronic, Chile
Johnny Mendez is an External Communications Specialist at Medtronic Chile and a leader of the PRIDE Network in Latin America. Johnny started Medtronic’s first ERG in Latin America in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and since then has expanded the Latin America PRIDE Network by eight ERGs. Today, the Network has over 4,000 active members, even in countries with prevalent discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. Johnny led Medtronic’s efforts to advocate for marriage equality in Chile and helped gather business support from over 60 companies across the country and largely due to his efforts, marriage equality became law in Chile this year.
Javier Constante (he/him), President of Dow Latin America, Brazil
Javier Constante is the President of Dow Latin America and an active board member of Forum de Empresas e Direitos LGBTQ, one of the leading LGBTQ+ public policy and advocacy organizations in Brazil. Javier is one of the most senior, openly LGBTQ+ executives in Latin America and takes his responsibility as a role model and advocate very seriously. He uses his position to advocate at higher levels of the company, which helps open doors, challenges the status quo, and fights prejudice to create a more inclusive environment for all people. Javier serves on Dow’s President Inclusion Council, which brings together the company’s global leaders to implement changes for a more inclusive workplace. He is a mentor to LGBTQ+ people both in his company and in his local community.
Pri Bertucci (they/them), Founder of [DIVERSITY BBOX], Brazil
Pri Bertucci is the founder of [[DIVERSITY BBOX], an organization leading the way in LGBTQI+ research, education, and advocacy in Brazil. Pri started the movement to create and utilize gender neutral pronouns in Portuguese, which is now being adopted across the country. They launched the Transgender Career Fair to connect trans and nonbinary talent with companies in Brazil and provide the talent pool with interview prep materials and resume building workshops. Recently, they founded the annual São Paulo Transgender Pride March, gathering thousands of trans and nonbinary people and allies marching for greater equality in Brazil.