Two American Century Investments (ACI) executives have been named LGBT+ allies by LGBT Great, a corporate membership organisation that furthers LGBT+ inclusion.
Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Thomas and Chief Investment Officer Victor Zhang have been named two of the Global Top 100 Executive Allies for 2021, which is LGBT Great’s annual Top 100 list that acknowledges executives from across the investment and savings industry who have demonstrated strong LGBT+ allyship.
Thomas serves as the chair of ACI’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion council, which aims to create an inclusive workplace culture where “diversity is not only accepted but also valued and built into the fabric of the organisation.” He has served as president and chief executive officer of ACI since 2007.
Before joining American Century Investments, Thomas served in various senior leadership roles with Morgan Stanley, Fidelity Investments, and Bank of America. He also serves on the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and Bio-Med Valley Discoveries’ Boards of Directors.
Zhang is an executive sponsor of the Pride Business Resource Group, representing members of the LGBT+ community and their colleagues, family members, and friends. He was named as one of LGBT Great’s Global Top 100 Executive Allies in 2020. He has served as senior vice president and chief investment officer for American Century Investments since 2014. Before joining the company, he served in several senior leadership positions with Wilshire Funds Management and Bank of Montreal.
The firm also demonstrates its allyship with the LGBT+ community via “providing education, opportunities, and support for LGBT+ team members and allies, ” including “corporate resources and support for LGBT+ non-profits and causes.” Their educational efforts include the “Did you know?” a communications series with guest speakers about LGBT+ topics.
Zhang said: “We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment by learning about ourselves and others, unlearning biases and relearning behaviours to ensure that our LGBT+ employees feel safe, welcome, and valued in the workplace.”
Thomas said: “At American Century, we continue to learn and grow in LGBT+ allyship and all areas of diversity, equity and inclusion by highlighting unconscious bias, learning and understanding different views and encouraging courageous conversations. I am proud to be an LGBT+ ally and help create an inclusive environment for my colleagues and clients.”
To view the full 2021 Global Top 100 Executive Allies list, click here.
