Retail Business Services Hosts Second Annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Immersion Summit

Two-Day Virtual Event Provided Associates with Greater Understanding of Inclusion and Belonging

QUINCY, Mass., Sept. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Retail Business Services (RBS), the services company of leading grocery retail group Ahold Delhaize USA, held its second annual Build, Refresh, Grow DE&I Immersion Summit on Sept. 12 and 13. The virtual event encouraged greater appreciation and understanding of inclusion and belonging among RBS associates, both professionally and personally.

Open to all RBS associates, the summit provided attendees with the opportunity to learn from some of the nation’s most respected DE&I experts and grow their understanding of colleagues and themselves through panels, programming and activities that engaged the five senses. Many of the intersectional sessions included multi-sensory elements, allowing for a deeper understanding and practice of inclusion. Some of the topics included:

"How My African Roots Affirmed My Transness": An award-winning Black nonbinary poet from Cape Town, South Africa, Lee Mokobe used drawing and spoken-word poetry to follow a transgender African immigrant from liberal America to conservative Africa and how they navigated that change.
Building Communities of Belonging: Educator and equity advocate Dr. Sue Borrego spoke about how embracing diversity allows for the creation of organizational spaces where everyone feels they belong.
Your Sixth Sense: Is It Always Correct: Dena Samuels, PhD, mindfulness-based DE&I author and leadership coach, discussed the factors that contribute to intuitive judgments vs. a “gut” feeling, and how we can recognize unconscious biases and their influence on the workplace.
In Conversation with Catarina Rivera: On Disability’s Place in DE&I, Ableism, and Intersectionality: Public speaker and content creator Catarina Rivera held a dynamic fireside chat, discussing her personal journey as a disabled Latine woman.

“This year’s summit brought associates on an engaging and thought-provoking experience that expanded perspectives on inclusivity, community, and career advancement,” said Retail Business Services DE&I Manager Valencia Hill. “I am grateful that RBS places such value on DE&I, and I hope the hundreds of associates who attended bring these learnings into their everyday work.”

In addition to the external experts, members from the company’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs) – employee-led groups that serve as a resource for associates – also led discussions and had open chats about their unique missions and goals. They aimed to gain feedback from fellow associates with unique perspectives, all to enhance their work and impact.

About Retail Business Services
Retail Business Services is the services company of leading grocery retail group Ahold Delhaize USA, currently providing services to five omnichannel grocery brands: Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. Retail Business Services leverages the scale of the local brands to drive synergies and provides industry-leading expertise, insights and analytics to local brands to support their strategies with services that include Business Integrity Services (Legal, Risk Management, Quality Assurance), Business Services (HR Technology Systems and Process Management), Communications, Omnichannel Service, Finance Business Services, Financial Planning and Analysis, Human Resources, Indirect Sourcing, Procurement, Information Technology, Pharmacy Services, Store Development, Leasing, Facilities Support, and Strategy and Business Development. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we foster a community of belonging where everyone is valued. For more information, visit www.retailbusinessservices.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ad4bbb5a-4789-4c48-9056-b6afb54215ae.

MEDIA CONTACTS: 
Christy Phillips-Brown 
704-310-2221 
Erin DeWaters 
704-310-3884

RBS DE&I Virtual Summit

Members of the RBS DE&I team conducted a virtual Summit on inclusion and belonging, Sept.12-13

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