Lesbian business executives

People with powerful positions in business are often uniquely situated to impact the rest of society. With money can come publicity, power, and influence. When they put these tools to good use, business leaders can bring about real change in ways overt and subtle. While there are thousands of LGBTQ leaders who are contributing in ways great and small to their communities and to the world, there are several in the business realm who are quietly playing important roles in improving acceptance, expanding rights, and building wealth!

Take a look at the executives who made the top of the list. He is a member of Property Week's Open Plan diversity panel, and an ambassador for gay charity Stonewall. Insurance company Aviva is frequently recognised for its attempts to increase LGBT diversity in the workplace, particularly through its 'Pride' network. Darlington began to speak more openly about her sexuality at work after following an Aviva Pride talk held by rugby player Gareth Thomas. Bailey is responsible for over 11, employees at the iconic British fashion brand Burberry. Peter Arvai co-founded innovative software company Prezi in Before that, he moved to San Francisco from his native Hungary and founded WeAreOpen, an organisation for gay tech entrepreneurs.

But Ford's appointment marks another milestone: she is also the first openly gay woman CEO to run a Fortune company. I realize this is an important milestone for many people and I am pleased to share it. Related: Why it matters so much every time a woman CEO leaves. There are already very few role models for women in business.

She is also committed to promoting diversity in her department and across the industry. At Prezi, Peter wanted to create an open environment where they celebrate diversity and everyone—regardless of gender, sexual orientation or national origin— feels comfortable with sharing their identity with others. They have been so successful in this difficult environment that they have become the subject of 5 year-long Swedish university research on the topic. Externally, Peter is the co-founder and chair of the organisation called WeAreOpen, which we launched with support from Google, espell and Prezi.