Professional Diversity Network, Inc. President Star Jones Presents “Global Diversity Champion” Award to Sodexo CEO Michel Landel

CHICAGO, Oct. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Professional Diversity Network, Inc. (NASDAQ:IPDN) (“PDN” or the “Company”), a global developer and operator of online and in-person networks that provide access to networking, training, educational and employment opportunities for diverse individuals, today announced that PDN and its President Star Jones were invited and participated in the official opening VIP event of the Women’s Forum Global Meeting last week in Paris.  As part of the event, Ms. Jones presented Sodexo CEO, Michel Landel, with PDN’s first “Global Diversity Champion” Award.

Star Jones commented, “It was an honor to be able to present our long time client, Sodexo’s CEO Michel Landel, with our “Global Diversity Champion” Award.” Ms. Jones continued, "As a company that is laser focused on diversity and inclusion as a business imperative, we know how vital Mr. Landel’s leadership in the area has been to keeping this issue on the front burner of conversation. Mr. Landel is, and has been recognized, as one of the greatest champions of gender equity in business and society globally.” 

Michel Landel was appointed CEO of Sodexo Group in 2005. Since then, he has led Sodexo’s transformation to become the global leader in Quality of Life services.  Landel’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has resulted in the organization being considered a recognized leader in the area. Under Landel’s leadership, Sodexo was honored with the prestigious 2012 Catalyst Award for its diversity and inclusion strategy that resulted in systemic cultural change for the organization. Sodexo was also ranked #1 in 2010 and #2 in 2011. Sodexo was ranked #1 on the DiversityInc business index of Top Companies for Diversity & Inclusion in 2013 and #2 in 2012. 

Landel has received many distinguished honors including the CEO Leadership Award from Diversity Best Practices and the CEO Advocate of the Year award from Asian Enterprise magazine. In 2016, at the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles awards, Michel Landel was awarded the CEO Leadership Award. He is a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, sits on the Catalyst Board of Directors, and plays a leadership role in the Women’s Forum CEO Champions

PDN’s participation at the Women’s Forum Global Meeting is another example of PDN’s place in the global conversation on women’s issues and commitment to its members. The Company previously disclosed its long-term plan to enhance the lifetime value of its networking memberships, including those now beginning to be sold through its IAW segment in China. 

The Company continues to focus on bringing global attention to women’s issues, which grows awareness of networking, while specifically spotlighting its brand within that broader conversation.

The Company previously announced that on December 2, 2017, it will hold its First Nasdaq Global Capital Summit Forum, an exclusive forum focused on entrepreneurialism in Beijing, China at the Qiuhua Resort.

The event will be headlined by Bruce Aust, Vice Chairman of Nasdaq and hosted by PDN President Star Jones. The event is expected to be the Company’s highest attended event, potentially drawing as many as 5,000 paid participants, setting the stage for the Company’s 2018 growth plans.

About Professional Diversity Network (PDN)

Professional Diversity Network, Inc. (PDN) is a global developer and operator of online and in-person networks that provides access to networking, training, educational and employment opportunities for diverse professionals. We operate subsidiaries in the United States and China including National Association of Professional Women (NAPW), which is one of the largest, most recognized networking organizations of professional women in the country, spanning more than 200 industries and professions, and Noble Voice, a career placement and career counseling call center. Through an online platform and our relationship recruitment affinity groups, we provide our employer clients a means to identify and acquire diverse talent and assist them with their efforts to comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program. Our mission is to utilize the collective strength of our affiliate companies, members, partners and unique proprietary platform to be the standard in business diversity recruiting, networking and professional development for women, minorities, veterans, LGBT and disabled persons globally.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on our current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to buy any securities of any entity. Forward-looking statements in this release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof. Our actual results may differ materially from those stated or implied in such forward-looking statements, due to risks and uncertainties associated with our business, which include the risk factors disclosed in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," “plan,” "should," and "would" or similar words. We assume no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, together with this press release and the financial information contained herein, are available on our website, www.prodivnet.com. Please click on "Investor Relations."

CONTACT: Professional Diversity Network, Inc.

Jason Assad – Investor Relations
Jassad@prodivnet.com
678-570-6791

Jim Kirsch – Co-Executive Chairman
jkirsch@prodivnet.com
312-614-9021

Released October 9, 2017