October 5, 2020
Dimensions of Diversity - Passion for Helping People Turns to PRIDE

Christin Anniannis, Trane Technologies Health & Safety leader, shares her dimensions of diversity
Christin Anniannis is passionate about helping people. As Director of
Health & Safety at Trane Technologies, she was part of the team
who spearheading the efforts to keep our people safe amid the
Coronavirus pandemic. And for 10 years before that, she’d been working
to make sure team members in our manufacturing plants return home
safely each day.
Her passion for helping people also
includes creating an inclusive culture at work—so people feel safe to
show up with their whole, authentic selves. For Christin, that
required some courage and the decision to step outside her comfort
zone. It started when she was approached to join the steering
committee of PRIDE, our Employee Resource Group (ERG) for people who
identify as LGBTQ and their allies.
“I came up through
other manufacturing companies and experienced the struggle of feeling
like I couldn’t be my authentic self at work,” Christin said. “I spent
those early years worrying that, if I openly identified as a lesbian,
the work I did to promote safety and well-being would get lost.
“Identifying as LGBTQ is just a small part of who we are, yet
some of us fear that’s the only part people will identify with. I
don’t want people to struggle with this like I did early in my
career—and at Trane Technologies, I’m proud to say that they don’t
have to.”
A great journey
In case you’re still wondering, Christin did join the
PRIDE ERG steering committee, and in 2017 she became co-chair.
And what has it been like?
“I’ve found that the
more you share your authentic self, the more comfortable you get and
the more open you can be,” she said. “Things just start to
flow.”
Dimensions of Diversity
Christin is a daughter, sister, mother, wife and aunt,
and celebrates her Italian heritage by passing down traditions and
recipes. She’s also a self-proclaimed sports nut: She played college
basketball at West Virginia University, where she met Tonia, who
played soccer there.
“Sports and exercise are still part
of my life,” Christin said. “I think a life filled with sports has
made me very competitive, a team player, able to learn lessons from
winning and losing, and able to relate to others. The lessons I’ve
learned in sports have translated to the professional world,
too.”
This Dimensions of Diversity series draws on the theme of our 2020 CEO Day of Understanding event, a dynamic conversation that empowered our people to examine what makes them diverse. We’re showcasing the people in our company who are propelling us toward our 2030 goals, living out our collective commitment to challenge what’s possible, and leading by example.
“I’ve found that the more you share your authentic self, the more comfortable you get and the more open you can be. Things just start to flow.”

Careers
