Spotlight on Pride

There are many of us at WGSN celebrating Pride this month and what it means to support our community and have a positive impact on people, the planet, and the customers we serve.

During the month of June, we have been running a number of Pride celebrations across our global offices and several of our team shared their own Pride stories and what Pride means to them.

Here, our CFO, Patrick Walker, shares his own personal story and experiences around Pride month, and talks about creating positive change and why he’s proud to work at WGSN. 

“WGSN is the first company in my 30-year career where I've been completely out as a gay man.

I came out to the corporate world about 15 years ago, halfway through my time at my last company, a big tech company.

A big part of my ‘corporate’ coming out was launching the EMEA Pride group for that same company and we did so by participating in the London Pride march, hiring a red double-decker bus and covering it in branding, Pride flags, and rainbow balloons!

This was a special moment in my personal coming out journey - and that's why this week with London Pride happening on Saturday - marks a special time for me, not only because we had started a conversation of change, but the impact it had. I remember so many of my then colleagues coming to talk to me at London Pride; in particular one colleague had attended London Pride with his husband, and said it was the first time he felt comfortable to invite his partner to a company event and finally felt he could be open about his sexuality at work after working there for over 20 years.

For me, Pride month is about speaking up, taking action, and highlighting the need for more change. If we manage to make the world and, indeed, the workplace, feel like a more inclusive place for at least one person, then we are making progress.

The allyship, welcomeness, and inclusion I have felt at WGSN has been quite frankly amazing and I’d like to thank all WGSNers for that. It feels so good, and a huge relief, to be able to wake up every day and come to work as my true self after so many years of not feeling that I could do that in my corporate or, indeed, personal life.”

WGSN is focused on supporting our community and having a positive impact on people, the planet, and the customers we serve. Learn more about the work we are doing to drive diversity and inclusion here.