December 2, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
Richard M.F. Ernesti, a Hingham resident, was recently awarded LGBT Great's "Top 100 Gamechangers " 2022 international award in partnership with Citi, where he is a Managing Director and Senior Client Executive.
He has been involved in LGBT+ and Pride activities throughout his career, participating in LGBT+ recruiting and LGBT+ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) mentoring and reverse mentoring programs, where the typical roles are switched.
In his position at Citi, Ernesti covers strategic global relationships for Citi's Securities Services division and has undertaken several senior leadership roles across sales, product, and client service within Asia, Europe, and North America during his 21 years with Citi, a leading global financial institution.
The Gamechangers award recognizes 100 "inspiring people who are helping to change the game for LGBT+ across the global financial services industry."
Individuals honored in this way are chosen based on having gone above and beyond in their demonstration of consistent involvement in diversity, equity and inclusion work and notable contributions and achievements and how they have inspired others.
"Citi is focused and embraces both diversity and inclusion," Ernesti told the Hingham Anchor. "We look for our staff to come to work each and every day as their true selves, and having this inclusive and open culture increases employee engagement, enhances innovation, and improves leadership skills and abilities Citi wants its employees to feel comfortable being their true selves."
LGBT Great is the global LGBT+ financial services community and a platform of more than 40 financial services organizations working together to improve and focus on all aspects of LGBT+ issues.
After working for nearly 30 years in Tokyo, Singapore, Frankfurt, Hong Kong London, and New York, Ernesti decided to return to the Boston area from London nearly two years ago to be closer to his family living in the area and discovered Hingham while searching for a new home. "I find the town and neighborhood where I live to be welcoming," he said. "I've lived in big cities for most of my life, and when I walked into the house that I now own, it was really peaceful -- reminding me of my parents' home in Milton, which was recently sold."
Ernesti first saw the house on a Friday, brought a large group of family and extended family members with him to see it again on Saturday, and made an offer on Sunday. "The house was mine on Monday!" he recalls. "Then I wondered, oh my gosh, what have I done, because it was so large."
However, after spending the last year and a half there, Ernesti knows he made the right choice, pool and garden included. "It's a classic example of city boy comes to the country," he said with a smile. "It's so nice living in a neighborhood, with friendly neighbors and squirrels, racoons, rabbits, deer, turkeys, and possums in my backyard. It feels like a nature preserve."
One role that Ernesti has at Citi is the North America Head of Diversity Equity and Inclusion for Citi's Securities Services division. In addition to being responsible for structuring programs to ensure leadership, engagement, and visibility across DE&I, Ernesti is an active speaker at industry events and a visible champion for LGBT+ within Citi and beyond.
While Ernesti says he's "not an oracle -- I don't have all the answers," Citi employees benefitted from the "Ask Away, No Offence Taken" webinar that he moderated during Pride Month last June.
This was an internal session featuring a panel representing various members of the LGBT+ community -- including a transgender who works in Thailand, a woman who defines herself as a lesbian, who is employed in London, and a non-binary individual in Sydney, Australia.
This interactive discussion covered a variety of LGBTQ+-related topics, with the panelists sharing their own personal journeys.
There has been a lot of discussion lately about preferred pronouns. "You may see someone with female characteristics who prefers the 'he/him' pronouns because they don't want to be associated with either a masculine or a feminine identity," Ernesti explained. "We don't want to make assumptions, so it's better to ask someone what their preferred pronouns are and to try to understand where they are coming from."
His work day starts at 3:30 or 4 a.m. because most of his clients are in Europe, but that's something he has gotten used to over the years.
Ernesti is considered to be a "very out and open" positive role model in his work with Citi. "It's important to keep an open mind," he said.
Back to his new hometown, Ernesti would like to become more involved in the Hingham community, especially with regard to "all things" LGBT+. "It's important to talk through the issues," he said.
In the meantime, he is enjoying getting to know his neighbors. "I like having them swim in my pool with their kids and sharing dinner at each other's homes," Ernesti said. "I enjoy entertaining. A house needs people in it, and mine has become a place to welcome friends and for my family to congregate, just as my parents' house was."