Acommitment to local community and social responsibility, as well as busi- ness growth and innovation, continues to motivate large companies to expand
their diverse supplier base as an important aspect
of supply management. By purchasing more than
US$90 billion worth of goods and services from
minority-owned businesses, America’s largest
companies have helped make minority suppliers the
fastest growing segment of the business landscape.
What makes a supplier diversity program successful? Supply chain and diversity executives
in the life-sciences and healthcare sector point
to executive commitment, metrics accountability and total business ownership as
factors that help their supplier diversity
programs succeed. We’ve found that
firms that include diverse companies in
their supplier network are able to deliver
value, increase innovation and foster
unique business relationships that, in
turn, create stronger local communities.
Top-Down Commitment
Top-down commitment is a vital component of a successful supplier diversity
program.
Kaiser Permanente’s national supplier
diversity program was established more than 30
years ago, and it’s a cornerstone of the California-based company’s diversity and inclusion goals.
“We have very strong leadership commitment
to this program, and it starts right at the top with our
Chairman and CEO Bernard Tyson. He has been a
strong advocate for the program for many years, and
he played a key leadership role in mapping out our
strategy to achieve $1 billion of spend with diverse
DIVERSIT Y
Drives Value
By Cheryl D’Cruz-Young and Henry Miller
