Schellman Strengthens Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Tampa-based Schellman, a leading provider of cybersecurity attestation and compliance services, announced today that President and CEO Avani Desai, has signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ commitment as part of the organization’s effort to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
Desai joins more than 2,300 CEOs who have signed the pledge, whose sponsoring coalition provides a platform for the exchange of ideas regarding cultivating workplaces where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected. In committing Schellman to the largest CEO-driven business promise to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace, Desai is pledging to develop diverse perspectives and experiences at the firm.
"Compliance may be our business, but building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive future is a key part of Schellman’s ethos and firm strategy,” said Desai. “As a small part of our industry and the greater community, we want to help create a world where deep-rooted inequities are challenged and everyone is seen, supported, and treated fairly—including at our firm.”
A similar sentiment is surely shared by all signatories of this commitment, each of whom are company leaders that agreed to implement the pledge within their respective workplaces and support companies doing the same. At Schellman, the commitment is being brought to life by continued efforts to implement and sustain four key actions in an already diverse work environment.
1. Supporting an open dialogue on complex and sometimes difficult conversations about diversity and inclusion in order to build trust, encourage compassion, and reinforce a commitment to foster inclusivity and equity.
2. Expanding awareness of unconscious biases so that individuals can begin acknowledging and minimizing potential blind spots.
3. Sharing best practices and unsuccessful actions with other companies so that we all may evolve and enhance our diversity strategies across the board.
4. Establishing accountability with the board of directors to enable concrete and strategic action that prioritizes and cultivates an inclusive culture and talent.
Through these practices, Schellman hopes to provide team members with further unique growth and development opportunities.
About Schellman
Schellman is a leading provider of attestation and compliance services. We are the only company in the world that is a CPA firm, a globally licensed PCI Qualified Security Assessor, an ISO Certification Body, HITRUST CSF Assessor, a FedRAMP 3PAO, and most recently, an APEC Accountability Agent. Renowned for expertise tempered by practical experience, Schellman's professionals provide superior client service balanced by steadfast independence. Our approach builds successful, long-term relationships and allows our clients to achieve multiple compliance objectives through a single third-party assessor.