Pride in Oracle: LGBTQ+ Belonging Matters to Us All

“My view is that we should put our energy in improving the experience of our community day by day, at work,”

VP of Finance, Xavier Pinneau has more than a decade of experience at Oracle. In that time, he’s overseen finance operations across divisions in Hong Kong and Singapore. He currently supports the Japan and Asia Pacific region for divisional lines of business, consolidations, and compensations.

It’s a role he relishes. His team is embracing a new era of automation and he gets to be front and center during the transformation. He’s also executive sponsor of the Oracle Pride Employee Network (OPEN) where he advocates for the employee resources group across the entire company.

Oracle caught up with Xavier during this busy time to get his thoughts on Pride Month, what it means to him—and for the future of inclusion in the workplace.

Dignity

When asked to reflect, he goes all the way back to the beginning: the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. Xavier stresses the importance of the ‘I shall not be ashamed’ reaction that followed, giving birth to the first Pride marches.

So, what is Pride to him? “Simply put, Pride is about the fact that no human being should have to be ashamed of who they are. You can call it pride, dignity, self-worth, or self-esteem,” he says.

It’s a timeless message of diversity and inclusion that bears repeating. It’s also a message that’s evolved in step with the times to become even more expansive.

Progressing Inclusion

He’s quick to emphasize that despite enormous progress, the battle is far from over for many. “Today, there is also an agenda focused on progressing inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community and recognizing that some groups have limited access to the tools they need to be successful. May it be access to education, jobs, financial support, legal recognition, family relationship recognition, and healthcare,” he says.

Xavier’s outlook is pragmatic, and he recognizes that there can’t be complacency in LGBTQ+ inclusion. It’s what drew him to the role of executive sponsor alongside his other duties.

“OPEN unites and empowers our LGBTQ+ communities around the world. I see being execut