[October 31, 2014]

Fortune 500 Executives, Out Leaders Congratulate Apple's Tim Cook on Coming Out Publicly

Out Leadership, a strategic advisory firm dedicated to cultivating LGBT and ally senior leaders to create global business opportunity and drive equality forward, congratulates Apple (News - Alert) CEO Tim Cook on the occasion of his coming out publicly.

"While Tim Cook chose to publicly identify himself as gay for the first time yesterday, he and Apple have long been allies to the LGBT community," said Todd Sears, Out Leadership's Founder. "We particularly applaud his choice to use this moment to underline the business case for diversity and the value of out leaders in the boardroom."

"Though Cook may not consider himself an activist, the fact that the leader of the world's most valuable company is proud to be gay will no doubt reverberate globally," Sears continued. "Apple is admired and emulated worldwide, including in many places that have historically been unwelcoming to LGBT people and professionals. Today it's going to be a bit harder to both love your iPhone (News - Alert) and be a homophobe.

"Out Leadership's member firms, including the executives below, join me in congratulating Tim Cook on his historic step forward. We thank him for his leadership and hope his example will inspire LGBT business leaders around the world to claim their identities with pride. We wish him the very best."

Jacques Brand, CEO of Deutsche Bank North America. (Deutsche Bank will host the third annual Out on the Street: Europe Summit at its headquarters in the city of London on 10 November 2014):

"Apple has inspired us yet again. We applaud Tim for his personal and powerful message and Apple for its long-standing commitment to diversity."

Lloyd Blankfein, CEO and Chairman of Goldman Sachs and member of the Out Leadership Advisory Board:

"His words resonate, especially the importance of a workplace that embraces people's differences."

Lord John Browne, Managing Director of Riverstone Holdings and member of the Out Leadership Advisory Board:

"Significant moment for Tim Cook, Apple and LGBT people everywhere. He'll change the corporate world."

Trevor Burgess, CEO C1 Financial:

"Tim Cook is an American Dream story - he serves as a shining example that you can be who you are, you can be gay, and become the CEO of the most valuable company in the world."

Pat Burke, President & CEO, HSBC USA:

"Tim Cook has taken a bold step and should be congratulated for doing so. His action raises the importance of leading from the front and robustly paves the way for others."

Dan O'Connell, CEO and Founder of Vestar Capital Partners:

"Tim Cook is brave, unselfish and caring...his decision to come forward is already having a huge positive impact...not only is he a great CEO but he is a great leader and true American."

John Roberts (News - Alert), Partner, Denver Investments and founder of the Workplace Equality Index:

"Tim Cook's eloquent statement reinforces what many now call the 'return on equality™.' His character and truthfulness are traits that tend to shape corporate performance, especially among equality-minded corporations like Apple. Put simply, Cook's example mirrors Apple's own commitment to global equality."

Roberts also noted that Apple is among the 164 U.S. companies that appear on the Workplace Equality Index, an innovative stock market benchmark that educates investors about the performance of corporate leaders in LGBT equality.

"Out Leadership's research with LGBT senior executives has shown that the most important factor influencing a leader's decision to come out is knowing that their peers are allies of the LGBT community," Sears said. "We've had 63 Fortune 500 CEOs stand up as allies at our global summits, but we can only imagine the impact of Tim Cook's announcement on future leaders."

About Out Leadership

Out Leadership, a recognized global strategic advising firm that connects leaders across the world's most influential industries to create business opportunities, cultivate talent and drive LGBT equality forward. Comprised of 54 member firms from across the financial, legal, and insurance sector, Out Leadership operates three industry-specific verticals: Out on the Street, Out in Law, and Out in Insurance. Each vertical hosts cutting-edge programming and international summits for its industry, as well as offering unique opportunities for cross-industry collaboration. In addition to these verticals, Out Leadership created and operates OutNEXT, the first global leadership initiative for the next generation of LGBT talent. Out Leadership is a certified B Corporation.

For more information, please visit www.outleadership.org.

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