The Importance of Allyship: A Conversation With the Invesco Proud Network

Pride started out life as a protest. In June 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, members of the gay community rose up against displays of police brutality. A year later, liberation organisations decided to commemorate the occasion with an anniversary march. And so, Pride was born.

Today, over fifty years on, Pride has evolved into a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community. But there is still a lot to be fought for. The nature of that fight depends on where you are in the world. But a key theme for many in the community is the ability to be authentically themselves, without fear of prejudice or reproach. This can be challenging in many environments, not least the workplace.

Top-down support in the form of corporate policies and initiatives is essential, but a company’s culture is largely shaped by its employees. As such, grassroots organisations and business resource groups play an enormous role, as do allies.

At Invesco, our Proud Network (the IPN) is an active group whose activities create an open and supportive workplace environment. This Pride Month, we sat down with three members of the network to discuss the topic of allyship:

Victor Meyer, Head of Investments Legal, EMEA, and Co-Chair of the IPN, Donna Xanthidis, Senior Manager (Tech Infrastructure), and IPN committee member and ally, and Neil Jeffery, Senior Analyst (Tech Engineering), and IPN committee member.

Why are allies important?

Victor: Allies give members of the LGBTQIA+ community confidence that it is safe to be themselves without fear of judgement or discrimination. Sadly, we still see prejudice against the community on a regular basis and allies play a key role in rejecting that prejudice and creating an inclusive environment.

Donna: Absolutely, allyship promotes education, awareness and inclusivity and can be a conduit for minority groups to elevate their reach and help voices be heard. A common question that people ask is, “What makes a good ally?”, or “What practical steps can I take to show my support?” In answer to this, I would say that allies can lead by example with language and behaviour that supports an inclusive culture and authenticity.

Neil: I echo the comments from Victor and Donna. But I would also add that, without allies, we would still feel like a minority. The LGBTQIA+ community seems quite small compared to the total number of people working at the company, so having allies alongside us makes us feel like a larger group. There is strength in numbers.