DNV is continuously working to embed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into everything we do, every day.  

DEI enables our organization to better meet the needs of an ever-changing world, aid collaboration and innovation, solve complex problems for our customers, and foster an inclusive, psychologically safe culture where all our employees can feel like they belong, grow, and reach their full potential. And DEI helps us further accomplish our Equal Employment Opportunity commitment.  

We approach DEI using a ‘glocal’ (global + local) lens.   

Our North America DEI Program Management Office drives the design, development, and implementation of DEI programming, in alignment with our global strategy and regional needs.   

We have made significant strides and accomplished a great deal, and we will continue to strive to meet our DEI ambitions. 

Explore our global DEI Ambition, policy and initiatives here – and learn about our global DEI progress in the DNV Annual Report. Continue reading to learn more about our targeted DEI efforts for our North America region, which includes more than 1800 exceptional employees across the US, Canada, Panama, Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago. 

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DNV is committed to continuous improvement. We leverage data-driven insights and in-depth DEI survey assessments to identify gaps and opportunities for growth. To better understand the heart of the issues, we seek input from our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and focus groups. We collaborate with diverse, cross-functional stakeholders to implement impactful programs and initiatives. 

We are actively working to achieve our North America DEI goals: 

1. To foster an inclusive culture where employees can grow, feel valued, and have a sense of belonging – by building DEI capabilities and improving inclusive behaviors.
2. To strive to provide equal pay for work of equal value and to provide equitable, meaningful opportunities for employee growth and development – by embedding DEI into our talent policies, processes, and practices.
3. To leverage diversity to accelerate our growth, deliver better business results, and create more innovative products and services – by ensuring a diverse workforce and embedding DEI into our operations and customer interactions. 

To help us achieve our goals, we have developed and implemented a comprehensive North America DEI Action Plan with process-oriented metrics and targets. We’ve assigned responsibility and accountability for all DEI programs, initiatives, and actions in our plan. Our regional DEI Program Management Leader, business leaders, people leaders, ERGs, and DEI program teams all work collaboratively to ensure we’re making meaningful progress. 

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) 

Here at DNV, our people are at the heart of it.  

Our ERGs support our people, foster an inclusive and psychologically safe environment, and help ensure everyone at DNV feels like they belong. They are employee-driven and led groups with leadership support, funding, and sponsorship from leaders – because our leaders understand the value to both our people and our business.  

ERGs are inclusive by nature and welcome all employees to join and participate as ERG members, including those who do not identify as a member of that community. Active and aspiring allies are essential to all our DEI programs. Many of our people join ERGs for the opportunity to learn, practice allyship, and grow their network. 

We have seven active ERGs in DNV North America: 

Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) ERG  Black Employee Network (BEN) Hispanic/Latinx (SOMOS) ERG Neurodiversity ERG Pride @DNV ERG Veterans ERG (VERG) Women+ ERG

Building our DEI capabilities 

Our leaders and managers are expected to set positive examples by leading inclusively, and we provide learning and development to educate and inspire people to do this.

We all contribute to building our DNV culture, so we also encourage everyone across the business to help foster an inclusive environment where all employees can grow, feel valued, and have a sense of belonging.  

We’ve invested in formal training programs focused on foundational DEI concepts, psychological safety, inclusive leadership, building cultural competence, engaging in dialogue across differences, and more. We offer monthly DEI awareness events, in partnership with our ERGs and other passionate colleagues. And we strive to include DEI moments and micro-learnings into team meetings.     

Improving equity for our talent 

We strive to provide fair access to continuous growth and development for all employees. We evaluate our talent processes, policies, and practices in an effort to reduce biases and achieve more equitable outcomes. 

Our People team works in compliance with national and local laws, conducting regular pay gap analyses. They partner with leaders and managers to ensure fair performance evaluations, promotions, and succession planning. By using a DEI lens, we’ve embedded tools and resources on inclusive recruitment practices and equitable performance feedback, and we’re striving to improve how we approach coaching and sponsorship of our employees. 

We invite all employees to participate in our annual Career Mentor Program, which uses a mentor-mentee matching software with various search filters including organizational level, area of expertise, pronouns, ERG interest, and more.  

Our ERGs also support the development of future leaders by providing opportunities for networking, mentoring, and sponsorship. We have organized events and workshops to support ERG members with developing short-term and long-term career goals, preparing for annual performance reviews, and advocating for individual career growth. ERG Board Member roles also provide employees with a pathway to develop new skills and gain leadership experience. 

Leveraging diversity for growth 

We strive to embrace diverse identities, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives – across all levels and all areas of our business. 

Fostering an inclusive, psychologically safe environment enables us to leverage our diversity to accelerate our growth, deliver better business results, and create more innovative products and services. And our ERGs are critical to our success. They help us celebrate and learn about diverse communities, grow cross-functional internal networks, and build and strengthen relationships with external customers and industry partners.  

We have sponsored diverse professional organizations, conferences, and industry events, including the National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE), Women in Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE), National Utility Diversity Council (NUDC), Council on Women in Energy & Environmental Leadership (CWEEL), and the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), and many more.  

DNV North America is actively growing our diverse supplier program. We measure and track our US diverse supplier procurement and spending, which helps us to raise awareness and inspire our people to consider diversity within the supplier procurement process. Some of our business areas intentionally build relationships with diverse suppliers and contribute to developing diverse supplier databases. Together, we continue to learn how we can better support minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, Native American-owned, LGBTQ-owned, and small disadvantaged businesses.  

Engaging with external communities 

DNV invests in our external partnerships working to support the communities in which we live and work.  

We engage in a broad range of global and local activities under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) umbrellas. 

In North America, our External Partnerships & Community Engagement program is focused on social justice, environmental justice, sustainability, housing, and food security. We have provided direct outreach and educational programming for youth and adults in underserved communities near several of our DNV offices. We’ve partnered with community organizations to provide scholarships and mentoring to low-income students, supporting their journeys to become future leaders. And we invite all employees to participate in our Impact Program, which offers employer-matched charitable donations and employer-matched volunteering.   

Our businesses, teams and offices across the US and Canada also engage with external partners and communities in a variety of ways.   

Here at DNV, we care, we dare, we share. 

Together, we thrive.