We recognized that almost 70% of our employee population is women, but we lacked a process where women could share their experiences so that others could benefit.

The Women’s Inclusion Network (WIN) was launched by Atlantic Union Bank’s President, Maria Tedesco, and a group of volunteers to support our corporate culture of empowering employees and creating an inclusive environment. We invited Teammates to attend one of 6 kick-off events in locations where we have the highest percentage of employees. These events are the first of many that will be hosted by WIN to create opportunities for Teammates across the organization to leverage each other to grow personally and professionally.

The theme of the event is Getting Out of Your Own Way: Finding and Using Your Voice at Work. The moderator and panel are all professional women within Atlantic Union Bank. The events were focused on issues facing women in today’s workplace, but all Teammates were encouraged to attend.

Following the tragic death for George Floyd, we felt it was important for our employees to share their thoughts and experiences on racial injustice and help foster a more inclusive environment in the Bank. Our WIN group sponsored a series of virtual internal webinars titled: WIN on Racial Equality. Each webinar was co-hosted by our CEO, John Asbury, and our President, Maria Tedesco.

Most of the Finding and Using Your Voice at Work events were full to capacity, averaging approximately 50 employees each meeting and great feedback has been provided to continue to make these events successful. Over 400 employees so far have participated in a WIN on Racial Equality webinar with 3 more events scheduled for July. Feedback to date has been overwhelming positive with employees seeking resources and tools to better learn inclusive behaviors.

Tamika Brewer