• Firm awarded top score of 100 for sixth time
• Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index provides an annual assessment of LGBTQ+ workplace equality
• Recognition reflects Mesirow’s continuing and longstanding commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

CHICAGO, January 8, 2024 – Mesirow, an independent, employee-owned financial services firm, today announced that it received a top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. The 2025 CEI includes 1,449 businesses, the highest number of rated companies since the start of the CEI in 2002. Mesirow is one of 765 US businesses that will be honored with a top score. The 2025 recognition marks the sixth time the firm has received this recognition.

“We are proud to again be recognized by Human Rights Campaign as a Leader in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion,” said Mesirow CEO Natalie Brown. “We appreciate our DEI Council and Associate DEI Council, as well as PrideConnect, our LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group, as they develop programs, training and community engagement that promote allyship, respect, and authenticity.”

The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: non-discrimination policies across business entities; equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families; supporting an inclusive culture; and corporate social responsibility.

“The CEI is so much more than a score on paper. For decades businesses have relied on the CEI as a tool for transparency and leveling the playing field for all workers, making sure LGBTQ+ people and their families can share in fair, respectful and supportive workplaces,” said HRCF Senior Director of Workplace Equality RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, SHRM-CP. “As conversations evolve on corporate America’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, year-over-year growth in CEI participation is evidence of a business community that largely recognizes the responsibility and value in upholding equity and inclusion.”

The full report is available online at hrc.org/cei. Learn more at mesirow.com/DEI.

About Mesirow 
Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned financial services firm founded in 1937. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices around the world, we serve clients through a personal, custom approach to reaching financial goals and acting as a force for social good. With capabilities spanning Global Investment Management, Capital Markets & Investment Banking, and Advisory Services, we invest in what matters: our clients, our communities and our culture. To learn more, visit mesirow.com, follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to Spark, our quarterly newsletter.

Mesirow has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Chicago by Crain’s Chicago Business multiple times and is one of Barron’s Top 100 RIA firms.

About the Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public’s understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice.