Beiersdorf celebrates diversity and tolerance with a “Pride Festival”

• Beiersdorf is hosting the “Pride Festival” on August 4^th and 5^th, with the aim of inspiring and challenging traditional opinions.
• The program promises a relaxed festival atmosphere, diverse LGBT*IQ topics, celebrity guests such as drag icon Olivia Jones, and authentic stories.
• In addition to the initiatives PROUT AT WORK and Queere Vernetzung Hamburg, Google, OTTO, Accenture and Deutsche Post DHL will be showing their support as cooperation partners.

Hamburg, August 2, 2021 – Beiersdorf is inviting to celebrate diversity and tolerance with a two-day public “Pride Festival” on August 4^th and 5^th. In line with the motto “Sharing the Pride together,” the company has enlisted various major cooperation partners for the COVID-compliant event in virtual space. Prominent guests include Germany’s most famous drag queen Olivia Jones, Veuve Noire, Corny Littmann and Imam Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed. Overall, the festival promises a mix of top-class entertainment and authentic stories. Beiersdorf colleagues are also showing their support for this event.

The “Pride Festival” is organized by the “Be You @Beiersdorf” network. The community stands for a colorful and tolerant working environment and supports the interests of LGBT*IQ people. Within the company, it is an important pillar for diversity and inclusion: “At Beiersdorf, an open society and an inclusive working environment are important to us. To ensure that we do not pay lip service to this, we actively promote various aspects of diversity. Our goal is to raise awareness and promote tolerance – both within the company and beyond,” emphasizes Misel Ahom, Global Director Diversity & Inclusion.

Visitors of the Beiersdorf “Pride Festival” can expect a varied program in a relaxed festival atmosphere. Olivia Jones and fellow drag queen Veuve Noire will talk about their joint educational project “Olivia macht Schule” to promote tolerance, diversity, and respect in schools and daycare centers. With theatre man Corny Littmann, former president of FC St. Pauli, another Hamburg icon from the LGBT*IQ environment will be on the virtual stage. The French-Algerian Imam Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed will also be a guest. As an openly gay Muslim, he founded Europe’s first inclusive mosque in Paris.

Diversity in the company will be represented by, among others, two panel discussions on the family life of a gay couple with a child and on the topic of trans*identity. “With our event, we want to inspire without lecturing and invite people to engage with LGBT*IQ and question traditional opinions,” explains Piotr Specht, Global Brand Manager NIVEA Face Care, on behalf of the organizing team of “Be You @Beiersdorf”.

Beiersdorf gained the initiatives PROUT AT WORK and Queere Vernetzung Hamburg as partners for the "Pride Festival," both of which are permanent cooperation partners of “Be You @Beiersdorf.” In addition, Beiersdorf succeeded in getting four major companies on board: Google, OTTO, Accenture, and Deutsche Post DHL. As inclusive employers, they are just as committed to diversity and inclusion as Beiersdorf. All four will report on the work of their in-house LGBT*IQ communities during the "Pride Festival" in key notes lasting approximately half an hour. Their statements:

You can access the program and livestream via the following website: Pride Festival (goes-virtual.de)

_{* LGBT*IQ is an English abbreviation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intergender, Queer and more.}