American Family Insurance CEO Jack Salzwedel joins other CEOs from world’s leading companies to sign diversity and inclusion pledge

Jack Salzwedel, Chair and CEO of American Family Insurance, signed a pledge on Tuesday, Aug. 21 as part of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, committing to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. (Pictured with Jack at left as he signs the pledge is Tyler Whipple, American Family Insurance diversity and inclusion director). More than 450 other CEOs and company presidents of the world’s leading companies and business organizations have also signed the pledge.

“Signing the CEO Action Pledge for Diversity and Inclusion means we’re committing to drive meaningful conversation and action inside our organization and with other companies that signed the pledge,” said Salzwedel. “I’m proud to join the hundreds of other CEOs and company presidents who support inclusive workplaces and are committed to creating a safe space for complex, and at times difficult, conversations about these issues.”

The objective of CEO Action is collaboration among leaders, recognizing diversity and inclusion is not a competitive issue, but a societal one; and that leadership plays a critical role in ensuring that inclusion is a foundation of workplace culture, and businesses are representative of the communities they serve. Further, the pledge signer acknowledges diversity is beneficial for the economy as it improves corporate performance, drives growth and enhances employee engagement.

By signing the pledge, the CEO commits the company and its leadership to three initial goals designed to promote a trusting environment where all ideas are welcomed and employees feel comfortable and empowered to discuss diversity and inclusion.

• We will continue to make our workplaces trusting places to have complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity and inclusion.
• We will implement and expand unconscious bias education.
• We will share best—and unsuccessful—practices.

As a complement to this pledge, a Diversity and Inclusion team at American Family Insurance has begun working on several initiatives to proactively address these issues. Here are just a few examples:

• ~Creating an Executive Diversity Council committed to drive a culture of inclusion through corporate values.

• ~Providing diversity and inclusion learning opportunities for leaders and employees, including unconscious bias training and inclusive leadership workshops with industry experts.

• ~Strengthening connections to business resource groups within the company to enhance their impact on cultural competency.

• ~Using events for company leaders to build awareness around the business case to further diversity and inclusion.

Read Jack Salzwedel’s blog for more about his reasons for signing the pledge.

Learn more about CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, the pledge and more details on the initial goals.

# # #

About American Family Insurance
Madison, Wisconsin-based American Family Insurance group is the nation's 13th-largest property/casualty insurance group and ranks No. 311 on the Fortune 500 list. The company sells American Family-brand products, including auto, homeowners, life, business and farm/ranch insurance, primarily through its exclusive agents in 19 states. American Family affiliates (The General and Homesite) also provide options for consumers who want to manage their insurance matters directly over the internet or by phone. Web www.amfam.com; Facebook www.facebook.com/amfam; Twitter www.twitter.com/amfam.