Jim Fitterling is Chief Operating Officer of the Material Science Division of DowDuPont and, after nearly 30 years in the closet during his professional life, he came out to Dow’s nearly 50,000 employees in late 2013. Since then, he has been instrumental in Dow’s drive towards LGBT+ equality, passionately mentoring LGBT+ employees, sharing his insights and striving to make a personal difference in the lives of these individuals. He was instrumental in appointing Dow’s first Chief Inclusion Officer who reports directly to him. In addition, he is an active member of Dow’s GLAD network, participating regularly in events around the world. As the highest-ranking out executive at Dow, he is a tremendous influencer of change through his high profile leadership example. Most notably, Jim has been a panellist at the Economist Pride and Prejudice event, keynote speaker at a number of LGBT+ events and, alongside his partner Alex, is a member of the Human Rights Campaign Federal Club, PFLAG and an active supporter of various LGBT+ charities.
