GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to Quality of Life, announced that Lorna Donatone, CEO Geographical Regions for Sodexo North America, was named as an Industry Titan during the Women’s Foodservice Forum’s (WFF) 2019 Annual Leadership Development Conference. Donatone was listed as one of 37 forward-thinking leaders in the food industry recognized for their public commitment to prioritizing women’s advancement in their organizations, leveraging their influence to urge their peers to do the same and creating change that will increase opportunities for women across the industry.
In addition to Donatone’s distinction, Sodexo’s Nell Fry, Senior Manager, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility for Sodexo North America, and Amy Johnson, Facilitator, Learning and Performance for Sodexo North America, were recognized as Change Makers. A Change Maker is a woman early in her career who is already driving strong business results, exemplifies inclusive leadership and is seen as a future industry leader.
“I’d like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to my colleague, Lorna Donatone, on this well-deserved recognition, which is a true testament to her commitment to women’s advancement at Sodexo and within the food service industry,” said Rohini Anand, Senior Vice President Corporate Responsibility and Global Chief Diversity Officer, Sodexo. “We are proud of Lorna and our Change Makers who continue to make a difference in the workplace and beyond.”
Sodexo’s commitment to advance and advocate for women is rooted in the organization’s business structure and exemplified within Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2025 strategy. The strategy includes Sodexo’s goal to increase the number of women in leadership roles to 40 percent by 2025. To reach this, Sodexo offers a variety of professional development and mentoring opportunities including SoTogether,a Sodexo Employee Resource Group with the mission of fostering a culture where enhancing women’s individual and professional growth contributes to the organization’s global success. Beyond these initiatives, Sodexo proudly partners with women-owned small enterprises and encourages suppliers to embrace gender inclusion.
Sodexo is consistently recognized for the organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. In January, Sodexo was recognized on Bloomberg’s 2019 Gender Equality Index and FORTUNE’S 2019 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. In 2018, Sodexo was ranked in the top 10 of DiversityInc magazine’s ‘Top 50 Companies for Diversity’ list for the 9th consecutive year and inducted into DiversityInc’s Top 50 Hall of Fame.
ABOUT WFF
The Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) is the industry’s premier leadership development organization with more than 25 years of experience advancing women in the foodservice industry. WFF serves thousands of individuals and hundreds of employers in all segments of the industry including operations, manufacturing, distribution, publishing, consulting and more. Through highly effective and educational events such as the Annual Leadership Development Conference, Executive Summit, leadership development programs and rich networking opportunities, WFF provides the competence and strategic connections needed to make a positive difference in the careers of women in the foodservice industry.
About Sodexo North America
Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 72 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The company employs 160,000 people at 13,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada, and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $19 billion in goods and services from small to large businesses. Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct. In support of local communities across the U.S., in 2018, Sodexo contributed over 159,500 in volunteer hours, and since 1996, the Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed nearly $34.5 million to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visit SodexoUSA.com, SodexoInsights.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
