Global Forum: The Bonds We Forge Together
June 23rd, 8am EST
Pride is a celebration of the bonds we’ve forged together and an opportunity for all of us to recommit to building inclusive cultures of belonging for the entire LGBTQI+ community. On June 23rd, Out & Equal hosted the Global Forum: The Bonds We Forge Together, where hundreds of LGBTQI+ and ally professionals gathered to celebrate Pride and learn from inspiring leaders in the community.
revisit global forumSpeakers
Leow Yangfa (he/him); Executive Director, Oogachaga; Singapore
Leow Yangfa is a registered social worker and executive director of Oogachaga, Singapore’s most established, community-based, professional non-profit organisation working with LGBTQ+ individuals, couples and families. Yangfa has over 20 years’ experience working in various social service organisations, including his current role in Oogachaga, which includes providing queer-affirming counselling, conducting professional and community outreach, engaging corporate partners and fundraising. He edited the anthology I Will Survive: Personal LGBT stories in Singapore, first published in 2011 and currently in its third edition. He is a proud guncle (gay uncle) of five nieces and two dogs.
Michelle Cotter (she/her), Manager, Revolut [Finland]
Originally from the Wild West of Ireland, I’ve worked in the tech sector for almost a decade, and have been immersed in the world of SAAS and FinTech for the past 3 of those. In my current role I’m responsible for a team growing out our presence in Finland. I first got involved in LGBTQ+ workplace activities while working at Dell Technologies, and ended up leading their Pride Employee Resource Group in Dublin for almost two years. Just recently I was awarded the role of Global Chair of the Pride Guild here at Revolut, and will be taking much of what I learned at Dell, and indeed at the O&E summit in Washington in 2019, into my new position.
Teveshan Kuni-Erasmus (he/him) Director, Head of Partnerships, South Africa LGBT+ Management Forum; South Africa
Teveshan Kuni-Erasmus (he/him) is Director, Head of Partnerships at the South Africa LGBT+ Management Forum. The organization’s main aim is to further LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace in South Africa and they also run the South African Workplace Equality Index, the only LGBT+ workplace inclusion index in Africa. He is also a Chartered Accountant by profession and his day job is Head of Credit for Commercial Asset Finance at Standard Bank South Africa (the largest bank in Africa).
Landon Richie (he/him), GenderCool Board Member; Texas, USA
Landon Richie attends The University of Houston and is a passionate advocate for transgender rights. He is a founding Champion of The GenderCool Project and serves on the organization’s Board of Directors. Additionally, he works with the Transgender Education Network of Texas, which aims to further gender-diverse equality in Texas.
Veronica Zavala (she/her), Consultant and Independent Director, various companies and organizations in Latin America; Peru
In her career, she has been Manager of the country department for Central America and Mexico, Manager for the Andean countries, Manager of strategic planning at the Inter-American Development Bank, and Sector Manager in the public sector area of the World Bank. Before working in Multilateral Banking, she was Minister of Transportation and Communications in Peru. In Peru, she held various positions related to the reform of the State and the promotion of private investment. She has a degree in Law from Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru and an M.P.A. in public administration from Harvard University. She is an advisor to various civil society initiatives, especially in economic development, gender equity, and governance.
Out & Equal is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
Our Global Forum: The Bonds We Forge Together is eligible for one PDC.
Contact learning@outandequal.org for more information.