Working at JTI means having contact with different people from different places, with different stories. It is a company where your voice is heard and that values the well-being of all its employees, you are taken into account for your authentic self. Here we have a lot of resources to feel free to be ourselves and to impact other people and grow better and stronger each and every day.

To me, JTI's culture and support for LGBTQ+ employees are unprecedented and unique. As a non-binary, I understand that the concept is not always familiar to everyone, but the colleagues at JTI Vietnam astonished me with their welcome and respect for me as who I am. In fact, I was empowered to initiate and lead the Pride project, with lots of helpful support from the senior management.

It is only a year and a half I am in JTI and yet, somehow, I feel at home. This sense of belonging from day 1 is given by a very welcoming and really inclusive environment. The commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is part of JTI culture and as a gay man I lived it personally: I am free to be myself in a safe space. Moreover, the support from the top management and from all the allies in Italy allowed the creation of a powerful DEI Committee with a PRIDE chapter that is about to start and of which I will be proudly one of the leaders.

I still recall what I asked my DE&I sponsor about PRIDE Month activities and establishment of PRIDE Network were, ‘Is the Philippines ready?’, ‘We going full blast this year?’ and many more. We just did it because we thought it is the right thing to do. Surprisingly, we have received immense support from fellow colleagues to our ExCom since day one and having a like-minded community in the office felt that I truly belong, that there’s a support system to make me and others feel safe and confident to show our authentic self at work.