MEDIA RELEASE - Vodafone was proud to take home the Walk the Talk award at the Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) Trust Diversity Awards held in Auckland this week, acknowledging the inspirational leadership and commitment to workplace diversity of its CEO, Russell Stanners.

The EEO Trust Diversity Awards NZ is an opportunity for employers to showcase how they value and nurture their employees and the Walk the Talk award celebrates a leader who exemplifies excellence in managing a diverse workforce.

Russell was recognised for championing pioneering and industry-leading initiatives and programmes at Vodafone New Zealand.

“Our diversity priorities are driven by a vision to create a workforce that represents the demographic of New Zealand.

“Our population is diverse so it’s important that our people represent the voice of our customers, and the communities we operate in.”

Judges were looking for evidence of innovative, inclusive, management-supported initiatives which show a benefit to the organisation and its employees.

“Winning this award is a testament to the hard work our leadership team and the business have put in over the last twelve months. We’re passionate about diversity and inclusion at Vodafone - it’s a huge part of our business DNA.”

Russell has taken some very deliberate actions to drive Vodafone to its leadership position when it comes to Diversity & Inclusion.

The full-time appointment of a dedicated Diversity Lead was a first for Vodafone New Zealand, and a decision that saw the company benefit from with the successful execution of various diversity initiatives, such as Matariki (Māori New Year) events, a new maternity policy, a youth strategy and enhanced graduate programme.

The annual awards were judged by a panel of six business women and men including senior leaders from Air New Zealand, Enterprise Dunedin, St John and The Warehouse Group. The awards are in their 18th year.