In this episode of OutBüro Voices featuring LGBTQ professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders from around the world, host Dennis Velco chats with Dr. Markus Loew about the Queer Staff Network of Berlin.
Dr. Loew describes the group as an LGBTQ professional network of networks. It is a coming together of all the LGBTQ employee resource groups (ERGs) from all corporate employers with offices operating in Berlin. They have 3-4 meeting a year in where they discuss issues, strategies, opportunities, collaborate and share to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer equality, workplaces belonging, career advancement, and how to assist their employers to be a better citizen in the LGBTQ community at large.
01:00 Introduction of Queer Staff Network of Berlin
05:00 Discusses the new direction to expand to LGBTQ entrepreneurs
06:30 Advocating Corporate Supplier Diversity a mutual benefit
13:00 Leveraging www.OutBuro.com for Employer ERGs through online groups
14:20 Questions for companies - are you maximizing the opportunities?
18:00 A company thought they were in the LGBTQ consumer market, yet was not positioned well
19:00 Inclusion and diversity with authenticity can lead to opportunity
24:15 Pinkwashing - Bad for corporate image and business - be authentic - example
Currently, Germany has one LGBTQ chamber of commerce located in Köln (Cologne). The Queer Staff Network of Berlin is bridging the lack of a formal LGBTQBerlin Chamber of Commerce to invite local and regional small and medium LGBTQ entrepreneurs to join the group. They are mentoring the business owners on how to do business with the large corporations, what products and services are needed and how the LGBTQ owned businesses can participate in the procurement process and hopefully win the contracts. On the inside, the corporate members of the Queer Staff Network of Berlin are raising awareness of the need and value of supplier diversity. They are internal champions for the small and medium LGBTQ owned businesses. It is a "Hey Dir of Procurement, we use/need X, and here's an LGBTQ owned business that can supply that for us". This level of collaboration, commitment, mentorship, and advocacy is a bright shining example of DOING IT RIGHT! APPLAUSE!
Connect with Dr. Markus Loew on OutBüro: https://www.outburo.com/profile/markusloew/
Join Markus on OutBüro, the LGBTQ professional and entrepreneur online community network for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, allies and our employers who support LGBTQ welcoming workplace equality focused benefits, policies, and business practices. https://www.OutBuro.com
Would you like to be featured like this? Contact the host Dennis Velco. https://www.outburo.com/profile/dennisvelco/
