The Brand Union Designs the First German Diversity Award
The inaugural German Diversity Award was presented for the first time at a gala event on November 14th. The award, originated from a partnership between Henkel, McKinsey & Company and economics magazine Wirtschaftswoche was presented to employers, entrepreneurs and innovative projects that are especially committed to establishing a culture of diversity. The award sculpture itself was developed by The Brand Union Hamburg.
The event, hosted by German TV presenter Schöneberger, took place in the Lange Foundation in Neuss (Düsseldorf). About 200 guests from the worlds of politics economics, culture and media attended the ceremony, which was supported by the Charta der Vielfalt initiative which promotes a working culture characterised by diversity.
“The challenge was to develop a design object that demonstrated the uniqueness of the award. We had the motivation to create the prize as an object that was diverse in itself” says Elke Pietsch, Consultant Director at The Brand Union. The result is a white varnished sphere, made up of four segments that represent each awarded category. And so, the idea of diversity about coming together is shown; four categories, four parts come together into one entity.
“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to develop the trophy for such an important award. As a creative agency we place great importance on diversity within our company culture too. Through the cooperation of varied, multi- cultural teams, from a range of backgrounds, the best and most creative solutions can emerge.” Says Dr. Alexander Schubert, CEO of The Brand Union Hamburg.
The aim of the award is to encourage the employers to develop effective and sustainable diversity practices as well as to reward those who make an outstanding contribution to the field. Awards were presented to brands such as Google, BASF and Ford as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel who took home the award for ‘Diversity Personality of the Year’.