Xerox Chief Technology Officer Receives "Champion Award" at the Out & Equal Workplace Summit

Sophie Vandebroek recognized at The Outie Awards for fostering workplace equality

Xerox's Sophie Vandebroek has been selected as this year's Champion Outie Award winner, at the annual Out & Equal Workplace Summit. Vandebroek, Xerox's chief technology officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group, was presented with the award today, during the group's annual conference in Dallas.

The Out & Equal Workplace Summit provides employers and employees a place to share information and resources in order to create, develop, and foster an out and equal workplace environment for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees.

As the champion award winner, Vandebroek was recognized as the non-LGBT person who has played a pivotal role in championing equal treatment of LGBT employees on the job.

"The Champion Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to advancing workplace equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community," said Selisse Berry, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates founding executive director. "Sophie has repeatedly demonstrated her support as an enthusiastic friend and executive ally to the LGBT community at Xerox and beyond."

At Xerox, Vandebroek serves as the corporate champion of GALAXe Pride at Work, an official Xerox caucus group for employees who are or who support LGBT persons. As corporate champion, Vandebroek has helped GALAXe accomplish such goals as: transgender benefits, Xerox support of the New York Marriage Equality Act, the Self Identification Initiative, LGBT Employee roundtables, the Executive Ally program, and revitalization of the different chapters. Additionally, GALAXe has more than doubled its membership in the last two and a half years, since Sophie became the group’s executive champion.

"Being the champion for the Xerox LGBT employees has been a wonderful experience, enriching my life and allowing me to help Xerox’s GALAXe caucus group accomplish its goal of making our workplace and the communities in which we all live as inclusive as possible," said Vandebroek.

Vandebroek, named to her current position in 2006, is responsible for overseeing Xerox’s research centers in Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States, as well as the Palo Alto Research Center.