PROUT EMPLOYER Vinci Energies Deutschland
“As the Group’s German division, we also want to take a stand and to position ourselves clearly against discrimination.”
Stefan Falk, who was born in 1968, has been head of the Fire Protection Solutions Group since 2005. After completing his engineering studies, he started his career in 1994 at a large provider of fire protection solutions, which he left after six years in various management positions. In 2001, he joined Calanbau Brandschutzanlagen GmbH and was appointed as its managing director in 2004. Under his leadership, additional companies were acquired in the same market segment and consolidated in the Fire Protection Solutions Group.
On 1 January 2016, Stefan Falk was appointed as managing director of VINCI Energies Deutschland Schutzsysteme and became chairman of the management of the G+H Group.
Since 2017, he has been managing director of VINCI Energies Deutschland together with Frank Westphal.
What prompted you to become a PROUT EMPLOYER?
Stefan Falk: Our VINCI Group pursues a determined policy of equality that takes action against any form of discrimination in employment and occupation. Diversity is valued and promoted at VINCI. As the Group’s German division, we also want to take a stand and to position ourselves clearly against discrimination.
Can you tell us about an initiative regarding equal opportunities in the workplace for LGBTIQ people that has already been successful in your company?
Stefan Falk: Specifically, we supported a person on their journey to coming out. We would like to offer all employees equal opportunities and give them the chance to come out and be able to communicate openly.
“We want to demonstrate that this issue is important to us. Equal opportunities is not just a slogan, but something we commit to every day.”
How are you hoping to get specific support from PROUT AT WORK?
Stefan Falk: We would like to use the network to share experiences with other companies and to be able to continue to make progress ourselves.
What objectives are you pursuing with the PROUT EMPLOYER cooperation?
Stefan Falk: We want to demonstrate that this issue is important to us. Equal opportunities is not just a slogan, but something we commit to every day.
What activities are there at VINCI Energies Deutschland with regard to LGBT*IQ diversity?
Stefan Falk: As demonstrated by the VINCI Ethics Charter and many other measures, the subject of diversity is now an integral component of our manager training programmes. In France, VINCI has a network of more than 200 diversity officers whose main duty is to sharpen awareness and to hold diversity training in the individual divisions and companies of the group. We now want to promote and support this topic in Germany.
Why is it a matter close to your heart to support LGBT*IQ?
Stefan Falk: Because I have experienced in my private and professional life that people find it hard to talk about being different and are reserved in their working environment. Employees who are happy and feel comfortable are able to work more successfully.
Mr Falk, many thanks for talking to us!
PROUTEMPLOYER Discovery (2014-2020)
“We are firmly convinced that only an open and inclusive working environment allows employees to develop both their creativity and their productivity to the full.”
Oliver Donks was born in Duisburg and grew up in the Rhine-Main area. After working at several TV stations and media companies in Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Dortmund and Cologne, he joined Discovery Germany as BSO manager in Munich in 2008. Oliver Donks took over as co-chair of the local priDe group in 2015 and has already organised a large number of LGBT events with his team.
Mr Donks, Discovery Network in Germany has been part of the PROUT EMPLOYER cooperation since 2014 and therefore almost as long as our foundation PROUT AT WORK has existed. What prompted you to become a PROUT EMPLOYER so early on?
Even before PROUT AT WORK was founded, we were actively represented in LGBT associations by our companies in other countries. So we were all the more delighted when in 2014 PROUT AT WORK was launched in Germany. Diversity and equality have always been among our core values and integral parts of our corporate philosophy. We are firmly convinced that only an open and inclusive working environment allows employees to develop both their creativity and their productivity to the full.
“On top of that, in my function as a role model, I’d like to motivate other colleagues to be open about this topic at work because a particularly large number of young people no longer openly live their sexual orientation once they start their working lives.”
What activities are there at Discovery in terms of LGBT*IQ diversity?
Our priDe group offers a broad range of activities. They include the annual priDe parades, a self-organised panel discussion, voluntary work at an Aids charity as part of our Impact Day and an employee breakfast where we present the topics that we are focusing on. In addition, there are numerous activities in smaller groups aimed at further improving working conditions for LGBTI.
Alongside your main job, you are co-chair of Discovery priDe’s LGBT*IQ network. Why is it a matter close to your heart to support LGBT*IQ?
I’m involved with priDe Germany first and foremost to improve the working environment especially for LGBTI. On top of that, in my function as a role model, I’d like to motivate other colleagues to be open about this topic at work because a particularly large number of young people no longer openly live their sexual orientation once they start their working lives.
Where do you see challenges and opportunities for LGBT*IQ diversity in your company in the coming years?
I see great opportunities especially as our work enables us to present Discovery as a progressive and innovative employer in the difficult market for skilled professionals and thus to increase our attractiveness in particular among young people.
Mr Donks, many thanks for talking to us!
PROUT EMPLOYER Linklaters
“The advantage for our law firm is obvious: diverse teams are more multi-faceted, more creative and therefore more successful.”
Dr Sebastian Daub is a lawyer and partner at Linklaters in Frankfurt am Main. After his first state examination in law, his studies took him to Atlanta, where he obtained an LL.M before sitting the bar exam in New York. He then gained a doctorate (Dr jur.) and, after his legal internship, he joined Sullivan & Cromwell as an associate. Two years later, he moved to Linklaters in the same role, where he went on to become a managing associate at first, and then a partner. He specialises in private equity, M&A and joint ventures as well as corporate law.
Diversity has long been a topic at large law firms in English-speaking countries. How are your staff responding to the fact that the focus is now being placed on LGBTIQ?
Positively for the most part! Some colleagues question whether it’s actually still necessary to get involved in these issues. – If you’re a heterosexual man, it may be harder to see whether and in what form LGBTs are actually still battling against prejudice and perhaps discrimination or don’t dare to come out simply because they don’t know how their colleagues will react. To be honest, it has long been overdue that we offered a dedicated network for our German LGBT employees in addition to our successful “Ally” diversity programme and thus made another statement in support of openness and diversity. No one should feel that they have to hide their identity. And the advantage for our law firm is obvious: diverse teams are more multi-faceted, more creative and therefore more successful. Besides, in a presentation Jean-Luc recently gave to us, he quoted a study according to which the majority of LGBTs still hide their sexual orientation at work and about a quarter of their energy is wasted on building a construct for the outside world. This is alarming and at the same time encouraging. It’s encouraging because we can obviously further increase our productivity by creating an open environment. That’s a convincing argument even for people who are not affected.
We expect the PROUT EMPLOYER cooperation to give us new impetus and new ideas. As lawyers, we need our networks, and the cooperation creates another network and helps our LGBTs to be even more successful professionally.
What objectives are you pursuing with the PROUTEMPLOYER cooperation?
Although we have already set up an LGBT network, we see a lot of potential to expand our firm’s work to combat homophobia and transphobia and thus to further improve our corporate culture. We want to send a clear signal both internally and externally. We expect the PROUT EMPLOYER cooperation to give us new impetus and new ideas. As lawyers, we need our networks, and the cooperation creates another network and helps our LGBTs to be even more successful professionally. – And here again: it’s win-win!
What activities are there at Linklaters in terms of LGBTIQ diversity?
We have been championing diversity in our firm for many years. We’ve had established LGBT communities for a long time in London, New York, Tokyo and other locations of our law firm. In Germany, we also want to extend our network for our LGBT employees, which is still quite new there, and establish it as a platform on which colleagues can get updates on current topics, events, news, etc. or which they can simply use to share their experiences. This is particularly helpful for new colleagues who don’t yet know the environment. Interconnection within the Linklaters organisation is equally important. A good example is Hong Kong, where last year the commitment of our colleagues was awarded the Silver Standard of the LGBT+ Index by the Community Business organisation. This makes us the first and so far the only Magic Circle law firm to have been awarded the Silver Standard. That’s what I want to achieve in Germany, too.
You are the diversity sponsor at Linklaters. Why is it a matter close to your heart to support LGBTIQ people?
I have too many friends, even of my generation, who struggle with the issue of coming out and suffer from being different from what they pretend to be. In my view, the legal sector in particular still lags behind the rest of society here. However, each of us can fully develop our potential and talents only if we are accepted and valued by the people around us (both colleagues and clients). I try to play a small part in this through my contribution as diversity partner at Linklaters.
What do you think are the challenges with regard to LGBTIQ diversity in your firm in the coming years?
Our goal is to achieve a corporate culture in which sexual orientation is simply irrelevant because it doesn’t matter whether a colleague etc. is “straight” or LGBT. And “it doesn’t matter” doesn’t mean ignorance, but openness. In my view, the challenge here is to ensure that the discussion which we need for opening up these topics doesn’t cause a backlash from individuals.