Love On!

I was thrilled this morning to show up for work and find Lenovo had “changed” names for the day to Love On.

Today’s event was to announce a charitable and philanthropic arm of the company called the Lenovo Foundation. I’m really excited about it because I believe it’s important the companies we work for act responsibly and reflect the beliefs of the employees and leadership. I’m a big believer in inclusivity and equality of access to all the benefits a modern society brings. Please let me know what you think in the comments. I’m especially proud that Lenovo, LoveOn makes technologies which make it easier for all of us to access and share the knowledge and services which improve our lives every day. The official announcement follows.

 

Milanka Muecke and Torod Neptune help kickoff the global Lenovo/Love On announcement in Morrisville, NC

 

Today Lenovo formally launched the Lenovo Foundation, a charitable and philanthropic arm of the global company. The Foundation will strengthen Lenovo’s ongoing commitment to increase access to STEM education and empower diverse and underserved communities through global grant making and employee engagement.

The author taking a selfie with the Lenovo logo mascot

To celebrate the launch of its Foundation, for one day Lenovo is rebranding itself to ‘Love On’, an anagram of its name. The re-brand will be brought to life on Lenovo’s HQ signage in Beijing and Research Triangle Park, as well as the company’s digital presence.

The Lenovo Foundation’s strategy underscores the company’s vision of ‘Intelligent Transformation’. Lenovo’s CEO, Yuanqing Yang, defines intelligent transformation as the shift from traditional IT (information technology) to the future advancements as traditional IT is coupled with the potential of technology like cloud storage and artificial intelligence. Intelligent transformation cannot be fully realized if populations don’t have the ability to access, contribute to, or benefit from innovations. Lenovo’s focus on inclusion for diverse individuals is not a new strategy for the company, but has always been integral to its success as it recently regained its place as the world’s #1 PC Maker.

 

Yuanqing Yang kicks off the global announcement in Beijing

 

“We have a responsibility to support inclusivity – not just in the workplace, but globally, across disparate communities,” said Yolanda Conyers, President of the Lenovo Foundation, VP of HR, and Chief Diversity Officer of Lenovo. “Equality of access has never been more important. Through the Foundation, we’re now able to extend our culture of breaking down barriers and empowering people worldwide to fully participate in the global community.”

As part of this launch, Lenovo is announcing a new program of “Love on” mini-grants. A total of $150k USD will be given in varied amounts of cash and product to applicants who are connecting under resourced populations with technology. Lenovo Foundation’s Board of Directors and a panel of employee volunteers will judge the applications based on degree of innovation, ability to apply resources efficiently, and scalability of programs. Interested organizations can visit LenovoFoundation.com for more information.

 

 

The Foundation’s Work
Prior to its formal launch today, the Lenovo Foundation has contributed significantly to supporting its many communities worldwide. For instance, over the past two years the company’s global service week donated more than 20,000 hours of volunteer time, from more than 2,000 employees around the world. The week of service aligns to Lenovo’s philanthropy focus areas of increasing access to STEM education and empowering diverse and minority communities. More information on the Foundation and the Lenovo Love On Mini-Grant Round can be found at www.lenovofoundation.com.

I was not paid nor did I receive any form of compensation for this post. I just wanted to share because I was happy to see it, and I think it’s a good example for other firms to follow. Let me know what you think in the comments below.