July 24, 2020
Dear Heartists,
I’m following up with you today to share the specific actions we are taking on the Diversity & Inclusion
commitments we shared last month.
The power of a diverse leadership group is something that I have always believed creates a stronger
organization. A team of leaders collaborating together utilizing their different experiences, backgrounds,
ethnicity, gender, life experiences, is invaluable. There is no doubt in my mind that our differences spark
awareness, innovation, creativity and fundamentally, we make better decisions to support our Heartists
and growth as an organization.
The other key component, I know we are more impactful when we work together toward a common,
measurable goal. And so, today I am pleased to share our three year goal – by the year 2023, we
will aim to have 30 percent BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) leadership in NCA
(manager and above, hotels + regional office).
Our Diversity & Inclusion Committee has been working closely with the leadership team on a plan to
achieve this goal, as well as deliver on our commitment to ensuring that Accor is a safe, welcoming, and
inclusive place where ALL Heartists are empowered, supported and thrive. Implementation on the
following action items is already underway:
Listening Forums: Increase our efforts to make our workplaces trusting places to have complex,
and sometimes difficult conversations about systemic racism and ensure that no barriers exist to
prevent BIPOC Heartists from advancing within the company. Create and maintain an environment
that fosters open dialogue, including listening forums where our people feel comfortable to gain
greater awareness of each other’s experiences and perspectives.
Expand Inclusiveness & Impact: Invite more BIPOC Heartists to participate on the Diversity &
Inclusion Committee and Cultural Sub-Committee. Implement Diversity & Inclusion leads at each
property to create Hotel Committees, share objectives and progress, and drive activity to meet
hotel-level targets.
Educate, Educate, Educate: Institute company-wide mandatory Diversity & Inclusion training,
starting in September – training topics to include: unconscious bias, addressing bias in recruitment
and workplace decisions, anti-racism and your role as an ally. Also roll out resources and resource
groups to facilitate learning, discussion and support.
Scholarships: Introduce scholarships to ensure that we have a strong community of BIPOC leaders
for tomorrow, through partnerships with the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH)
and historically black colleges and universities.
Local Community: Connect with our local communities to facilitate diverse partnership,
engagement and employment opportunities. Forge relationships with organizations such as the
National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers; the Black Business and
Professional Association; and other community leaders. Strengthen our public commitments through
support of programs such as Black North, the Canadian Council of Business Leaders’ initiative
against Anti-Black Systemic Racism.
BIPOC-Owned Business: Continue and grow our purchasing programs aimed at the support of
diverse and BIPOC-owned businesses.
One of the strongest things we can do as leaders is know when to ask for help. We have spent the last
few weeks conducting research and interviews to find the right partner to guide us in this process. Our
goal was to secure someone with notable expertise in Diversity & Inclusion and a proven track record
in retaining, developing and advancing traditionally under-represented talent. We are happy to share
that we have selected as our partner Korn Ferry, globally renowned consultants with more than 50
years’ of experience in impacting positive organizational change. Their role will be to help us facilitate
the listening forums, evaluate our processes and procedures, track qualitative and quantitative data and
analytics, and rework our Talent Acquisition and Talent Management policies and training. They will also
serve as an honest, unbiased view on how we are doing, where we are making progress, and where
improvement is still needed.
The biggest need for diversity in hospitality is not only to acknowledge the fact that it is still an
opportunity, but to turn conversation into action and to ensure that we are creating real change. The
above is the first step, and more communication will follow over the coming weeks and months. A huge
thank you to the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for all their hard work in helping to move this forward.
The Committee’s passion, along with that of all our Heartists, is truly inspiring.
There is no question that these are challenging times but it also true that times of trial can drive
remarkable change.
I know that by working together we can make real change.
Heather McCrory
Chief Executive Officer, North & Central America
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