In this week’s installment of our Career Advice video series, Senior Business Writer Linda Bell spoke with Eliana Nunez, VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at The Cigna Group (No. 14 on the Fair360 2023 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list). Nunez shared insights on her 40-year career at Cigna, the benefits of employee resource groups and her passion for volunteerism.
Up 10 spots from 2022, Cigna has a five-year initiative to grow and accelerate its DEI efforts within the environment, society and its workforce.
“We exist to improve the health and vitality of those we serve, and it’s mission-critical that we rely on the power of our team strengthened by a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. It’s at the heart of who we are as a company to treat each other with respect, provide meaningful opportunities to grow and contribute and challenge ourselves to always get better at increasing belonging, innovation and equity for all our co-workers.”
True commitment and progress in supporting diversity and driving equity and inclusion must be integrated in what we do and how we do it. Building a strong culture of belonging enables and encourages different perspectives, points of view and ideas, which ultimately helps us better serve our stakeholders and communities in which we live, work, and play.
We are a global health services company dedicated to improving the health and vitality of those we serve.
We have a longstanding and deep commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and are focused on advancing an inclusive culture of belonging that is powerfully diverse, strives for equity and values the unique differences and talents we each bring in service of our mission. When our employees feel like they belong and bring their best selves to work, we’re better able to serve the diverse needs of our customers, clients, and communities.
We believe DEI must be embraced, embedded, and championed across our company. Through this shared commitment we grow stronger in our ability to positively impact the people and communities we serve.
Knowing where we’re going and tracking our progress is a key step on the path toward delivering real, sustainable change. That’s why we’ve increased our transparency through our annual Diversity Scorecard Report. It reflects our goal-oriented approach and targeted actions we’re taking to make meaningful change in three key areas – colleagues, clinical, and communities.
We launched our Building Equity and Equality Program in 2020 as part of our commitment to confronting systemic racism and discrimination of all forms. This five-year initiative was created to grow and accelerate our efforts to support diversity, inclusion, equity, and equality for communities of color.
To oversee the program, track and report on progress, and strengthen our efforts to advance DEI and health equity, we launched our Enterprise DEI Council in 2021. The council includes senior leaders across the enterprise and reflects our company’s diverse workforce. Another way DEI is brought to life is through our 11 Enterprise Resource Groups, which provide a positive place for support, development and cross-cultural understanding for The Cigna Group colleagues.
Partnering with and supporting diverse suppliers is a key part of our strategy. We’ve committed to spending $1 billion with diverse suppliers by 2025 and are on track to reach this commitment.
We’re committed to respecting differences, treating one another fairly, and standing together.
