Voya Financial Publishes Corporate Responsibility Annual Report

Thursday, September 17, 2015

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that it has published the company's most recent Corporate Responsibility Annual Report, which details the organization's corporate responsibility (CR) approach in four key areas: community investment, environmental sustainability, multicultural affairs and business practices and principles.

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"Understanding that Voya's business is built on trust, integrity and transparency, we have made 'doing the right thing' a cornerstone of our culture," said Voya Financial Chairman and CEO Rodney O. Martin Jr.  "At the heart of this commitment is a focus on embracing diversity and inclusion; contributing to our communities through volunteerism and corporate giving; and minimizing our impact on the planet through sustainable business practices."

The report, entitled "In Their Own Words," features thoughts and insights from Voya's board of directors, senior management and a cross-section of employees from across the company. Organized according to the four "pillars" that serve as the framework for Voya's CR strategy, the report highlights include the following:

Community Investment — through Voya Foundation grants, Voya aims to improve the quality of life in the communities where its employees and customers live and work. Voya Foundation's giving areas include children's education, financial literacy and disaster relief.  This pillar also supports the company's employee volunteerism and giving efforts, as well as nonprofit board participation by senior management.

  • Voya's CR Report highlights the company's support of signature programs and partnerships such as the National Teacher of the Year, Voya Unsung Heroes, Junior Achievement and the Voya-Girls Inc. Investment Challenge.
  • In 2014, Voya Financial held its inaugural National Day of Service (NDOS). The company-wide initiative encourages Voya employees to volunteer on one single day for a wide range of causes. This initiative engaged nearly half of the company's 6,500 employees. Including the efforts of NDOS, Voya Financial employees volunteered more than 39,500 hours serving community organizations over the course of the year.
  • Beyond the significant amount of time volunteered, Voya Financial employees also gave generously throughout 2014 as part of the company's Employee Giving Campaign efforts.  Employee donations represented $4.7 million, which included matches from Voya Foundation.

Multicultural Affairs — an inclusive culture fosters an environment in which employees can be authentic and engaged. Voya views diversity and inclusion as crucial to its high-performing culture, and to its ability to recruit and retain top talent:

  • In 2014, Voya Financial earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, something it has achieved for the past decade.
  • Through six different employee resource groups, Voya utilizes networking opportunities to encourage its diverse workforce to find greater satisfaction and success in their roles at the company.  The report also highlights an interview with Elizabeth Derby, Voya's new vice president of diversity and inclusion.

Environmental Sustainability — in an effort to protect natural resources and minimize its ecological footprint, Voya looks for ways to reduce waste through environmentally responsible business practices:

  • In 2015, Voya Financial was recognized as one of the Top Green Companies in the U.S., making its debut on the Newsweek Green Rankings list (#78 of 500).
  • Since establishing sustainability benchmarks in 2007, Voya has reduced total energy usage by 39 percent.  Voya also reduced its paper usage by 71 percent and landfill waste by 64 percent.
  • Voya Financial partners with NextEra Energy Resources to offset 100 percent of its energy use and make a measurable investment in the future of renewable energy in the U.S. Voya has been a member of the EPA's Green Power Leadership Club since 2008.

Business Practices and Principles – adhering to corporate values, maintaining a strong code of conduct and working with trusted external organizations are key business practices embraced by Voya:

  • Voya Financial was named to Ethisphere's list of the World's Most Ethical Companies® for the company's practices, policies and overall CR efforts.
  • The report features interviews with Tim Erblich, CEO of the Ethisphere Institute, and Ethisphere board member and Voya Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Paul Gennaro about the role of ethics and culture within an organization.

"Corporate responsibility is a business imperative woven throughout our enterprise," added Martin. "We regard it not only as an investment in society, but also as critical to the success of Voya Financial."

As an industry leader and advocate for greater retirement readiness, Voya Financial is committed to delivering on its vision to be America's Retirement Company™ and on its mission to make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family and one institution at a time.

Media Contact:
Joe Loparco  
Voya Financial     
Cell: 860-462-6525 
[email protected]         

About Voya Financial®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 13 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $11 billion in revenue in 2014. The company had $484 billion in total assets under management and administration as of June 30, 2015. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family, one institution at a time — Voya's vision is to be America's Retirement Company™.  The company is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible — Voya has been recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies, by the Ethisphere Institute, and as one of the Top Green Companies in the U.S., by Newsweek magazine. For more information, visit voya.com or view the company's 2014 annual report. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook and Twitter @Voya.    

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