Unum names DeBruce Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (March 4, 2021) – Unum (NYSE: UNM), a leading provider of financial protection benefits in the U.S. and U.K., has appointed Ericka DeBruce as the company’s Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer. She will report to Liz Ahmed, Executive Vice President of People and Communications.

DeBruce will apply her decades of experience to further drive strategic inclusion and diversity programs and initiatives across the enterprise. She will strive to make sure Unum’s culture and business approach empowers and enables all employees, regardless of their differences.

“Ericka brings tremendous experience in cultivating positive and inclusive employee engagement through multiple organizations,” said Rick McKenney, president and CEO of Unum Group. “I am confident she will help us further our ongoing efforts to embed inclusion and diversity into everything we do to support our customers and employees.”

Prior to joining Unum, DeBruce was vice president of Colleague Experience & Global Citizenship at Sedgwick. She was responsible for diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility and employee engagement. Her specialty is creating and facilitating learning experiences focused on inclusive strategies. She was global diversity and inclusion manager at International Paper in Memphis and BAE Systems in Rockville, Maryland, and Director of Diversity and Community Outreach for the American Red Cross in Philadelphia.

DeBruce is Board Chair for University Schools and Advisory Board member for the Department of Education at the University of Memphis. She earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Bradley University and a certificate in strategic D&I management from Georgetown University.