On Tuesday, the Uhlala Group in Berlin introduced its annual “Pride Index”, which evaluates the commitment of companies and organizations for LGBTQI+ employees. Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe was audited for the first time and honored with the “Pride Champion Gold Seal” right away. BMG also took part in the audit again and, as reported yesterday, received another award. Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe impressed with its combination of strategically anchored measures, a wide range of initiatives and campaigns, and the intersectional approach of Diversity Management.
“Creating visibility and raising awareness”
“Creating visibility and raising awareness is what I consider one of my key tasks in DEI management,” said Anne Wöhner, Diversity Manager at Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe. “The fact that we achieve Gold status with our first participation in the Pride audit is a great recognition of the close cooperation between Diversity Management, our employee networks, and the management of our publishing group. I am absolutely delighted and see the result as motivation to continue working hard to ensure that Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe offers all colleagues a working environment in which they feel safe and can be themselves.”
The Pride Index evaluation is based on a detailed list of criteria in the categories organizational structure, human resources, communication and visibility, and legal framework and regulations. Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe achieved excellent results in all areas. Training courses for managers and training measures for the recruiting process, cooperations with foundations and initiatives for education contributed to the result as well as the diverse activities of the be.queer employee network, joint activities with the internal Frauen* women’s network and the disability officers, or participation in the Queer Media reception at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
“For us, diversity is not just a buzzword”
Christian Jünger, CEO Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe and Executive Sponsor von be.queer, said: “For us, diversity is not just a buzzword but lived reality and the foundation of our work. As a book publishing group with over 40 programmatically independent publishers, we give a voice to a wide range of opinions and perspectives. We believe in the power of words – good stories need different perspectives to promote empathy and thus contribute to an open society. Being awarded the ‘Pride Champion Gold Seal’ confirms our commitment to living a corporate culture that promotes inclusion and diversity and leaves no room for discrimination.”
Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe understands itself as a house of diversity – diverse voices, ideas, and perspectives in terms of content, authors, and employees. A key building block of the commitment is the be.queer cross-divisional network, which connects LGBTIQ+ employees and allies within the Bertelsmann Group. The network promotes exchange, raises awareness of diversity, and reduces reservations. For the strategic further development and implementation support, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Management was established in 2024 within the publishing group’s People & Culture division.
