Coles Group has entered into a three-year partnership with Sydney WorldPride 2023 and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, becoming the Presenting Partner until 2025.
This important partnership is part of Coles Groups’ commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQIA+ people across its workforce and in its stores.
As one of the largest private sector employers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, Coles Group will also be supporting Sydney WorldPride’s First Nations Roadshow.
The First Nations Roadshow will enable Sydney WorldPride to connect with First Nations communities, to share the program of festival events, and to help support them to celebrate Sydney WorldPride in 2023.
The Roadshow will also provide Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras the opportunity to build ongoing relationships for the years to come.
Coles Group will also to be the presenting partner of Sydney WorldPride’s Sustainability Program.
In a recent survey of over 90,000 Coles team members, close to 10 per cent identified as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, meaning Coles employs more than 10,000 LGBTQIA+ team members and making it one of the largest private sector employers of LGBTQIA+ people in Australia.
Coles Group general manager transformation and supply chain and co-chair of the pride steering committee, Genevieve Hawkins, said Coles was committed to doing everything it could to create a safe environment for LGBTQIA+ people.
“We want to grow and nurture our Pride network to help us enable all of our team members to be their authentic selves; the mental health program at Coles is an important program to support our team.
Our sponsorship of World Pride and the Sydney Mardi Gras is a great way to help us amplify the conversation around the value we all get from feeling like we belong,” said Hawkins.
