Sodexo receives 2009 Diversity Grand Prize for global diversity policy

The honor was awarded by a judging panel composed of academics and professionals representing several of France's leading institutions on diversity and employment.

Sodexo was chosen based on its structured, global approach to fostering diversity in four areas (gender representation, generational opportunities in the workplace, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities) that includes:

• A true organizational structure dedicated to diversity issues with two teams, one in the U.S., the other at the Group headquarters in France, and a task force of 34 employees from 15 of the Group's entities and the headquarters;
• Support for each country in developing its action plans to meet Group-set diversity performance targets;
• Best practice exchanges between countries to foster innovation. Among Sodexo's local initiatives: an action plan dedicated to employees over 55 years of age in Belgium; a plan to improve work-life balance in Spain; a strategy for proactive recruitment of persons with disabilities in France.
• Awareness training for Group managers, in the U.S. (where 20,000 managers have been trained) and in Europe (where 5,000 executives have participated in "Spirit of Inclusion" training).
• An annual Global Inclusion Summit, featuring panel discussions on diversity themes and awareness and training programs.

Sodexo also announced this year the launch of its Sodexo Women's International Forum for Talent (SWIFt). It is composed of 20 Sodexo women leaders representing 12 nationalities, whose mission is to reinforce actions towards a better gender balance throughout the entire Group.

"Our approach ensures the monitoring of progress and provides coherence for local initiatives,” said Jean-Michel Monnot, VP Diversity & Inclusion Europe. “The commitment for a company of our size in meeting this challenge reflects the fact that diversity is not just a moral obligation for Sodexo, it is a real strategic issue. We are particularly proud of this award, which recognizes the efforts by our teams to make Sodexo a leader in diversity and inclusion."

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About Sodexo

Quality of Life in the service of performance
Quality of Life services play an important role in organizational performance. Based on this conviction, Sodexo serves as the strategic partner for companies, institutions and local authorities who place a premium on performance, as it has done since Pierre Bellon founded the company in 1966. Sharing the same passion for service, Sodexo's 355,000 employees, in 80 countries around the world, design, manage and deliver an unrivalled array of comprehensive On-Site Service Solutions and Motivation Solutions. In this, Sodexo has invented a new form of service business that promotes the fulfillment of our employees and contributes to the economic, social and environmental development of the local communities with which we work.

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