Commitment to Diverse, Inclusive Workplace and Philanthropic Culture Help Make Aflac a Top 50 Civic-Minded Company in the United States for Fourth Consecutive Year

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Jun 18, 2021, 08:05 ET

COLUMBUS, Ga., June 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, a leading provider of supplemental insurance products in the United States, is recognized as a 2021 Civic 50 honoree by Points of Light, the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. For the fourth consecutive year, the insurer was named to the coveted list as one of the 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in America for its leadership and community focus through a year marked by social change and a pandemic-exacerbated environment. Points of Light announced the 2021 list during a digital celebration earlier this week.

"Aflac's mission is to care for our policyholders, employees and stakeholders so they can take care of what matters most to them. So we are proud of the culture of compassion we have created, particularly through an extremely challenging year in 2020," said Aflac U.S. President Teresa White. "It is an exceptional honor to be recognized among the top civic-minded companies in the nation, as it's a testament to our philosophy that doing good is good business – from growing our philanthropic impact with innovations like My Special Aflac Duck^® to continuing our long-standing commitment to implementing sustainable practices and prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace."

Aflac's bedrock of good corporate responsibility proved more important than ever in 2020, as the pandemic and social unrest in the U.S. compelled business leaders to activate business continuity protocols and exposed corporate culture and its corporate social responsibility footprint under a microscope. A leader in the fight for social justice for more than 65 years, the insurer boasts nearly 50% minority and 65% women in its workforce. In fact, in a recent company survey, 91% of employees stated that Aflac has created an environment where people with diverse backgrounds can succeed. The company also had a 15-point spike in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2021 Corporate Equality Index score with its support of the Georgia Hate Crimes Bill and the Business Roundtable. Additionally, Aflac's board of directors is 64% ethnic minorities/women, which includes African American representation on the board since the 1990s.

The company's legacy of doing the right thing extends beyond its corporate walls or boardroom. This year, Aflac Global Investments, the asset management subsidiary of Aflac Incorporated, partnered with Sound Point Capital Management, LP, to fund an initial $1.5 billion real estate loan portfolio with $500 million aimed at accelerating development for communities in need and supporting economic empowerment.

In 2020, 50% of Aflac's philanthropic expenditures were earmarked toward minority causes, including $1.5 million to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center's sickle cell disease program and a $25 million investment in the Black Economic Development Fund. In addition, the company spent approximately $39 million with diverse suppliers, a 58% increase from the previous year.

Aflac also donated more than $11 million to organizations that provide PPEs and other safety equipment to first responders battling the COVID-19 crisis as well as to organizations that focus on mental and emotional health issues for those on the front lines.

Lastly, in 2020, Aflac employees volunteered nearly 18,000 hours and gave $400,000 to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, including Aflac's independent sales agents, who donated nearly $6.7 million from commission checks. Since 1995, Aflac has contributed more than $152 million to the Aflac Cancer Center, with $6 million of this amount designated to its sickle cell disease program – annually caring for nearly 2,500 children with cancer and more than 4,800 children with sickle cell disease, hemophilia and other blood disorders in the U.S.

"Points of Light believes that corporate leadership and commitment to civic engagement are critical to strengthening communities," said Points of Light President and CEO Natalye Paquin. "We thank Aflac for their investment in the communities where they live and work and look forward to supporting them in leveraging their time, talent and assets to make transformational change."

The Civic 50 was launched in 2012, providing a roadmap for good corporate citizenship and showcasing how committed companies are moving social impact, civic engagement and community to the center of their business. The Civic 50 survey is administered by True Impact, a company specializing in helping organizations maximize and measure social and business value. The survey instrument consists of quantitative and multiple-choice questions that inform the Civic 50 scoring process. According to Points of Light, the Civic 50 is the only survey and ranking system that exclusively measures corporate involvement in communities.

To learn more about the Civic 50 survey and the 2021 honorees, please visit www.Civic50.org.

Visit esg.aflac.com for more information about Aflac's commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts.

About Aflac Incorporated
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is a Fortune 500 company helping provide protection to more than 50 million people through its subsidiaries in Japan and the U.S., where it is a leading supplemental insurer, by paying cash fast when policyholders get sick or injured. For more than six decades, insurance policies of Aflac Incorporated's subsidiaries have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. Aflac Life Insurance Japan is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance in Japan, where it insures 1 in 4 households. For 15 consecutive years, Aflac Incorporated has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2021, Fortune included Aflac Incorporated on its list of World's Most Admired Companies for the 20th time, and Bloomberg added Aflac Incorporated to its Gender-Equality Index, which tracks the financial performance of public companies committed to supporting gender equality through policy development, representation and transparency, for the second consecutive year. To find out how to get help with expenses health insurance doesn't cover, get to know us at Aflac.com or Aflac.com/Espanol.

About Points of Light
Points of Light is a global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. We envision a world in which every individual discovers the power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies. Through affiliates in 250 cities across 37 countries, and in partnership with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 5 million volunteers in 14 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it's needed most. For more information, visit: www.pointsoflight.org.

Media contact – Jon A. Sullivan, 706.763.4813 or [email protected]

Analyst and investor contact – David A. Young, 706.596.3264, 800.235.2667 or [email protected]

SOURCE Aflac Incorporated