Barri Rafferty Awarded 2024 Luminary Award by The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance

Washington, DC (August 15, 2024) – The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance announced today that Barri Rafferty, CEO – Americas, Sodali & Co, will receive its 2024 Luminary Award, an annual award which recognizes a global thought leader who is consistently and uniquely devoted to the advancement of diversity and whose vision is leaving a legacy of inclusivity for future leaders. The award will be presented during the Alliance’s 2024 Annual Conference, Harnessing the Power of Your Organizational Culture, on Thursday, October 24, in Washington, DC. Registration is open to the public and available here.

“Barri Rafferty is a powerful pioneer for gender parity who has devoted her career to transforming businesses and building organizational cultures based on diversity & inclusion, belonging, engagement, well-being and flexibility,” said Manar Morales, President & CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. “Her commitment to leading with empathy, mentoring the next generation and uplifting others, women in particular, made her an obvious choice for our 2024 Luminary Award.”

“As an advocate for women's leadership through day-to-day workplace initiatives and holding board positions at Omniwomen, Step Up, and C200, I am deeply committed to fostering inclusive and supportive work environments,” said Rafferty. “With success comes responsibility to pay it forward. This Diversity & Flexibility Alliance award represents a significant milestone in my journey and a testament to our collective efforts in advancing diversity and equity, but also reminds me how much work is still to be done,” she added.

Since 2023, Rafferty has served as CEO - Americas for Sodali & Co, leading the shareholder consulting firm’s North and South American businesses. Prior to joining Sodali & Co, Rafferty led communications and brand management for Wells Fargo, and was the first woman to run a top five communications consultancy in her position as the Global CEO of Ketchum. 

Throughout her impressive career, Rafferty has demonstrated a leadership philosophy centered on collaboration, empathy, and inclusivity, and a commitment to creating flexible cultures that prioritize work life integration, strong family leave benefits, employee autonomy and flexible vacation policies. She has passionately championed efforts to advance women in business through her role as CEO and ongoing work with C200, a global organization that provides networking and support for women in corporate and entrepreneurial leadership. Rafferty is the former National Chairperson, and current Board Emeritus, of Step Up, a non-profit after-school program designed to help girls from under-resourced communities become more confident, empowered and reach their full potential. She is also a Founding Global Board Member of Omniwomen, a professional support group that provides skills and networking opportunities to empower women and help them advance within the Omnicom organization. 

The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance Luminary Award, which was launched in 2019, has been presented to Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP; Susan Neely, President & CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI); The Honorable Tonya Parker, Judge Presiding 116th Judicial District Court, Dallas County, Texas; Anne Chow, former CEO of AT&T Business; and, Tamika L. Tremaglio, former Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association. 

For more than twelve years, the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance has collaborated with organizations to develop inclusive flexible working cultures that cultivate diversity in leadership, drive workplace wellbeing, and foster a more humanized work experience.  The Alliance provides practical research-based solutions, customizable training programs, strategic advisory services and a peer-learning network that increase organizational effectiveness through diversity and flexibility.