As I reflect on this time a year ago, we came together in sorrow as we watched George Floyd tragically murdered, with so many other countless Black lives lost since then. As a company, we stood together with a mission to affect change then and continue that mission today.
At that time, Teradata declared our intent to be an active, anti-racist company with a commitment within Teradata to make this happen. The actions we took included: the launch of the DE&I Advisory Board, the formation of a team focused on eradicating racism, Diversity Dialogs to help us learn together, and a commitment to stand in solidarity with the black community, our customers, and our colleagues.
In the past year, our executive team and the work of our DE&I Advisory Board have worked to raise awareness and drive change to eradicate racism at Teradata. Several outcomes from this include:
- The addition of a Zero-Tolerance for Racism section in Teradata’s Internal Global Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying.
- The Executive Leadership Team and DE&I Advisory Board signed commitment to “Our Pledge to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”.
- An Anti-Racism section added to Teradata’s Code of Conduct.
While we have made progress, I believe this is only the beginning of the important work we will continue to do at Teradata to eradicate racism and expand diversity into all aspects of the business. Our Teradata team is committed to doing the work needed to support equity for all. Dialog and action create the path to a better future for all of us.
We encourage reflection, connection, and continued dialogue as we celebrate black culture and achievement on Juneteenth, June 19. This holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger came to Texas, the last confederate state in the U.S. to emancipate slaves, to announce the end of the Civil War and black slavery.
(Author):
Kathy Cullen-Cote
Kathy Cullen-Cote is Teradata’s Chief Human Resources Officer. In this role, she is responsible for the corporation’s talent strategies and programs and leads a global team of human resource professionals responsible for talent acquisition, compensation, benefits, equity programs, employee engagement and retention, and employee relations. Additionally, she oversees Teradata’s talent management as well as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program.
With more than 30 years of experience in all facets of human resources, Kathy is a skilled leader in building a robust and caring culture of employee engagement, creating and guiding execution of human resources programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion and enhance the employee experience.
Kathy joined Teradata from PTC, a Boston-based software company, where she was serving as EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer. At PTC, she served in HR roles of increasing responsibility as she guided the organization’s growth through cultural transformation programs, global employee engagement initiatives, diversity, equity and inclusion, and the implementation and adoption of cutting-edge HR systems. Prior to PTC, she served in HR leadership roles at Johnson and Johnson, Raytheon, Imark Communications and Barry Controls. Kathy was awarded the 2018 Bob Gatti HR Leadership Excellence Award.
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