The coalition, which recently held its initial virtual kickoff meeting, consists of large employers and other key organizations from a broad set of sectors focused on how to re-introduce fundamental aspects of society and the economy: working, traveling and convening. These top New York organizations will collaborate to outline a set of guidelines for businesses and communities to confidently and safely help restart the economy. The New York coalition will also be looking at ways companies can better engage and support social justice issues.
Aon launched a similar coalition in Chicago in June and plans to conduct similar efforts in other major cities including London, Singapore and Tokyo.
“We are very pleased to bring our coaltion-building efforts to New York, a city that means a great deal to our company for so many reasons,” said Greg Case, Aon CEO. “We all have an important role to play, and we hope that by working with the public and private sectors we can be a positive catalyst in helping organizations return safely to the workplace and help rebuild economies around the world globally.”
Convened and led by Aon, the focus of the coalition will be around Work, Travel and Convene efforts across leading businesses. The goal is for member companies to share key learnings and insights related to planning and operations, to assess impact and measurement of efforts, to evaluate the latest technologies, and to develop a set of guidelines that can help navigate the challenges businesses face as society reopens throughout the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The New York coalition will also be focusing on Community Wellbeing to ensure that our collective efforts play a role in supporting social justice, as well as societal and economic recovery initatives,” said Petra Schmidt, managing partner and co-head of Financial Institutions in Aon’s New York office.
The coalition will share existing internal and external efforts as well as insights and learnings from their ongoing efforts across industries, sectors and geographies. This collective knowledge will then be used to create a first-of-its-kind benchmark to help develop key recommendations and guidelines to build a path forward. An initial readiness assessment report is expected by the end of the summer.
“As businesses and organizations across New York City take steps to reopen offices, it’s important that we do so with a people-first approach, taking the care and safety of our employees as the highest priority,” said Dimitra Manis, chief people officer, S&P Global. “It’s also vital that we commit to strengthening the communities in which we work and live. The coalition’s focus on Community Wellbeing is critical to ensure we approach these efforts with an eye to the fair and equal treatment of all people, from our employees to our local neighbors. We’re proud to lend our voice and learnings to this group as we move forward together.”
Initial members in the New York coalition include: Accenture, A&E Networks, BlackRock, Charter Communications, Citigroup, Infosys, LOEWS Corporation, MetLife, Moody’s Corporation, Morgan Stanley, NASDAQ, New York Life Insurance Company, Prudential, S&P Global, Verizon and others.
Reflective of business leaders’ expertise, the coalition will also look to closely align efforts with New York State guidelines on public health and other related regional and state official recommendations.
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