Loud and Proud at Cohesity
by Amy Cappellanti-Wolf

Pride is about celebrating our differences, it’s about reinforcing equal rights, it’s allowing everyone to be their true, authentic selves. And most importantly, pride is about empowering those in the LBGTQ+ community to be who they are, loud and proud, without one drop of shame.

On August 28th, Cohesity sponsored the Silicon Valley Pride Parade, which started back in 1975 as a gay rights rally.  It has since evolved into the largest Pride celebration in the South Bay. It was an opportunity for us to celebrate and stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and our allies. Employees based in the San Francisco Bay area walked in the parade or volunteered in our Cohesity booth at Plaza de César Chávez Park during the afternoon festival.

Far too many members of the LBGTQ+ community still feel like they need to hide their authentic selves in the workplace. I want the community to know that that’s not the case at Cohesity–all are welcome here!

– Ross Camp, Cohesity’s Vice President of Corporate Communications

Ross Camp, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Cohesity, who was a key driver in our sponsorship of the parade, shared in a June blog that nearly half of LGBTQ workers in the U.S. are closeted at the office, meaning they don’t feel safe “coming out” at work. We feel it’s our responsibility to be a voice in the community for those who still struggle for equality, for those who feel unsafe to be themselves. Sponsoring and marching in the Silicon Valley Pride parade was an opportunity to demonstrate to our community that all are welcome at Cohesity. It was an opportunity to quite literally (not only) talk the talk, but walk the walk.

I am also proud that Cohesity, along with nearly 200 other global businesses, has recently signed a letter driven by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to call on the U.S. Senate to pass the Respect for Marriage Act. We believe that who one chooses to love is a universal human right, and the decision of who to marry is a personal choice that needs to be protected. We support our employees, customers, and peers in showing up to the workplace as their true selves, while also knowing they are being respected and protected by the law.

Cohesity’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council

In October of 2021, Cohesity established a formal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council, and Lynn Lucas, our CMO, and I are the council’s co-executive sponsors. The DEI Council is made up of a diverse group of global Cohesians, representing all departments.

It’s amazing to think that members of the DEI Council are volunteers. Many of the council members, and their family members, were at the Silicon Valley Pride parade, taking time on a Sunday to march in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

I chose to walk in the Silicon Valley Pride parade to say, emphatically, that everyone deserves the right to be their true, authentic selves, both inside and outside of the workplace.

– Robert O’Donovan, Cohesity’s Chief Financial Officer

As an ally, I want to make it a reality for all individuals to be accepted and empowered in the workplace, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

– Lynn Lucas, Cohesity’s Chief Marketing Officer

Three Workstreams to Help Drive Action

Our DEI council is quickly becoming a pillar of our business. To help balance and formalize our objectives, the council is divided into three workstreams with executive sponsorship, each with its own purpose.

1. Workforce – This group is focused on uncovering ways to avoid bias in our hiring practices, ensuring that we’re continuously evolving our recruiting and hiring practices so that diverse talent are able to see themselves working at Cohesity.
2. Workplace – These individuals are about fostering an inclusive work environment where people are truly recognized and valued as individuals. They are thoughtful about celebrating diversity and provide all employees with the opportunity to participate and celebrate.
3. Marketplace – This workstream proactively seeks diversity in our external partnerships and helps to ensure that Cohesity has a positive impact and relationships within our communities. Members of this group recommended to the DEI council that we sponsor the Silicon Valley Pride parade.

The Value of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

The DEI council, too, is largely responsible for facilitating our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which have or will soon launch this year. And we didn’t roll out ERGs to check off a box; employee surveys told us that our team wanted more opportunities to participate in these resource groups. They expressed that it was extremely important to have a connection point that could help them build a community with like-minded cohorts across the business. In our hybrid and remote work environments, especially, I believe employees are looking to connect with colleagues who share similar values and perspectives.

I am walking in the Pride parade because I feel a responsibility to the LGBTQ community–and to our employees–to champion diversity.

– Lamar Martinez-Daniels, Cohesity’s Director of Recruiting

Cohesity’s ERGs:

• Black Cohesity Network: BCN is a safe space for African Americans at Cohesity to discuss issues and challenges, and sponsor awareness events across the company. This ERG is also used to identify Black talent, provide mentorship, and increase the number of black employees compared with other technology firms in our industry.
• Women’s Impact Network: WIN is a global group of women and allies at Cohesity. In addition to celebrating our unique differences, WIN is dedicated to hiring, developing, and retaining our female talent across the organization. WIN members value collaboration, connection, and professional growth while creating a safe space where all women can succeed.
• THRIVE Employee Resource Group: Cohesity’s newest employee resource group aims to promote health, happiness, and wellness. THRIVE focuses on improving awareness of mental wellness resources and providing learning opportunities to enhance the overall well-being of our employees.
• Latinx Employee Resource Group: Launching this September to kick off Latinx Heritage Month, this group’s goal is to unite the Latinx community at Cohesity through a collaborative network that promotes cultural awareness, talent recruitment, retention, and professional development.

In our hybrid and remote work environments, employees are looking to contribute and make a difference while connecting with colleagues who share similar values and perspectives. But also, ERGs educate allies about the real struggles these groups face in the corporate world and help to shed light on what allies can do to help level the playing field and enable everyone to reach their true potential. Cohesity cannot truly be a pro-DEI company without its allies. In a recent blog post, Cohesity’s Staff Designer, Bart Abicht called allyship a moral imperative, and I believe that to be true. Those who took part in the Silicon Valley Pride parade recognize the power (and the utmost responsibility) of allyship.

Our Goal is True Diversity

DEI is not an initiative, it’s a strategic way of doing business. We’re on a mission to embed DEI into all that we do.  Innovation flourishes in environments that are representative of diverse people from different cultures, geographies, and backgrounds. On the flip side, homogeneity and consensus decision-making yields sub-par solutions. If you bring a diversity of thought and experience, you’re going to see a problem from every angle possible and achieve the best solution.

All Are Welcome at Cohesity

The employer value proposition for employees is shifting in front of our eyes. For anyone looking for new career opportunities at Cohesity, I believe you have a chance to be a part of something really special. We’re creating a new category in the market, and for us to be trailblazers to our customers, we need people who are trailblazers and who push us to think differently. Joining us at Cohesity will give you access to new ways of doing business, and exposure to some brilliant people who will help you think differently about the world of data management. And you’ll be in a place that’s inclusive and highly collaborative. At Cohesity, we will take some risks together, we, at times, will fail together, and most importantly, we will learn and win together!