How DEI is Driving Business Performance and Results at G2

I am super proud to share that earlier this year, we launched our external DEI webpage after many months of coordination and collaboration across teams. From the outside looking in, the timing might seem unusual as many organizations are phasing out commitments due to pushback in both the public and private sectors. But internally, and to those who have been following G2’s DEI journey, our new webpage isn’t about making a statement—it’s just one more example of how we are staying the course of our DEI plan and consistently building upon our efforts over the past 5 years.

When we formalized our DEI strategy in 2020, we made the conscious decision to approach our DEI work intentionally and rooted in pragmatism. In other words, we were mindful that there was a lot to learn in this work, and knew we needed to make measurable changes over time. 

This consistency has paid off for our business and culture. Over five years, we’ve made  tangible progress with milestones including: growing our ERG network from two to nine groups, establishing bi-annual DEI Town Halls that we still hold today and with strong attendance, and completing our three-year long Global Career Levels Framework and Pay Transparency rollout.

Along the way, we've partnered with external experts who advise us on best-in-class DEI strategies and research.  Right now, we are proud to have Rachel Bonds as our current partner and consultant. She’s a strategy and talent leader with more than 15 years of experience leading DEI strategy in the venture capital, technology and nonprofit sectors. When we first brought her on, she saw that G2 took an innovative, yet measured approach to DEI:

“DEI’ is too often reduced to a ‘simple’ catchphrase, so I appreciated G2 taking the time to really define how these concepts - diversity, equity, inclusion - align to their PEAK values, and how DEI is  embodied throughout the business. There’s no shortage of data that proves that DEI drives business results, but it’s also systematic work that takes time. G2 has remained consistent in its commitments in the best service of employees and customers.”

These are just a few ways we’ve pushed DEI forward at G2—and while the work hasn’t always been easy, it’s been meaningful, necessary, and something we’re deeply proud of. That’s why we have no intention of changing course at G2 because DEI isn't a nice-to-have at G2—it's an investment in our people, our customers, and our business that we believe drives real results. 

DEI drives real business results

When it comes to performance and driving real results, we always start with  our PEAK values—Performance, Entrepreneurship, Authenticity, and Kindness. Our DEI work is no exception to this. When we sat down to build our strategy and plan, we thought about how DEI can enhance performance, inspire entrepreneurship  and innovation, push us to be more authentic, but also ground us in kindness and professionalism. For 2025, we want to share with you a few ways in which we are leveraging DEI to drive real business results.

Global expansion requires diverse perspectives

Over the past year, we’ve seen exciting growth and new opportunities in the EMEA and APAC markets. This is a testament to the strength and hard work of our London, Bangalore, and Singapore-based teams. As a U.S. based company seeking to expand globally, it’s imperative that we find ways to understand the unique needs and demands in each global regional market . This will not only allow us to better service our customers but also to build products that resonate across borders. 

Recently, our SVP of Product R&D Operations Marty Duffy shared how we’re leveraging AI to help users leave reviews  by building in AI-assisted writing tools that can support multiple language voice collection capabilities that work across accents and dialects. And with our recent acquisition of unSurvey, we’re only just scratching the surface of making review collection more accessible to all. 

Embedding DEI across the business

At G2, DEI isn’t just an HR initiative. It’s also about our users and customers and how we can create a better experience for them. That’s why we are taking an “across the business” approach with our DEI plan in 2025 where we are working closely with each team to track projects related to belonging, inclusivity, accessibility, and global diversity. This shared ownership is what makes our collective DEI work sustainable and ensures it stays aligned to our business goals and needs. 

The first step we took was to update our DEI plan structure to reflect this cross-functional work. Until this year, we structured our strategy around the pillars of DEI pillars—diversity, equity, and inclusion. But this year, to ensure shared ownership of our goals and metrics, our plan is now structured around organizational functions e.g. Revenue Team’s plan for new global customers, Product R&D’s work on inclusive and accessible design, Marketing team’s efforts to grow brand presence in new markets, People Team’s efforts to grow our EMEA and APAC workforces. For this approach to be effective, it requires buy in from the top. By having leaders across the business own a piece of our DEI plan, we can more directly tie our it to business results and performance.

Global markets need global teams

As we look to grow our presence in markets outside of the U.S., we will also have to grow our global teams. In order for us to maintain a productive work and healthy workplace culture, that means our people must be able to navigate differences in cultural norms, communication preferences, and leadership styles. 

At the same time, it’s imperative that all employees, no matter where they work, feel equally valued and supported. It’s a tall order for any leader, no matter how experienced, which is why DEI is critical. It holds the business and leaders accountable to ensure all employees have the opportunity to succeed in their roles and be fairly recognized and rewarded for their work. Here are a few examples of our DEI efforts that support our global team:

• In February 2025, for the first time ever, we invited our global team to Chicago for our annual kickoff event. It was an invaluable and exciting experience to have all G2 teammates physically be in the same space, many of whom have worked together for years but have never met in person. It was important in-person collaboration time but we wanted our APAC and EMEA teammates to have the same kickoff experience as the AMER teammates. 
• In February we also held our first ERG Fair. With all global teammates all flying into Chicago, we seized on the opportunity to showcase our vibrant ERG network and invite all G2ers to join. It was also an opportunity to show just how expansive and inclusive our ERGs are—that no matter who you are, what your background is, there is a supportive community for you. 
• This year Our Go-To-Market teams are building "Working Across Cultures" resources to build greater cultural understanding and more inclusive work environments for all. 

Moving forward with conviction

The 2025 landscape for DEI is undeniably different from 2020, when we set out on our DEI Journey. While others are pivoting, we have chosen to stay the course and see this as an opportunity to apply rigor and prove how DEI can drive performance across the business. It’s an investment and a bet that we can build more accessible products, better support our global customers, strengthen our work culture and community. We are confident in our DEI journey and excited to showcase our efforts and results of our efforts in the months and years to come.