Greater Diversity & Inclusion in the Fortune 500
Staff Writer
2012-10-16
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The Executive Leadership Council (ELC), comprised of current and former African-American CEOs and senior executives at Fortune 500 and equivalent companies, will issue a "call to action" to corporate America during its 2012 Recognition Gala on Thursday, October 18, 2012, at the Gaylord National Hotel in National Harbor, MD outside of Washington, DC.
"Diversity of thought is critical to ongoing innovation and success of global business," said Bernard J. Tyson , ELC Board Chair and President and Chief Operating Officer of Kaiser Permanente. "It's no secret that diverse teams increase shareholder value by bringing unique perspectives and diverse solutions to deliver bottom-line value. Our role as ELC members is to realize the important role we have as corporate executives to help CEOs and other leaders understand that African-American and other diverse leaders help build an environment of inclusion, where every perspective is value-add to the organization."
The ELC is taking the lead on elevating the issue of diversity and inclusion in corporate America because recent statistics have raised concerns about minority representation, specifically for African- Americans, at the senior levels in corporate America. In fact, of the more than 35,000 senior executive positions at the CEO level or those one and two levels below CEO within most Fortune 500 companies, it is estimated that only 3.2 percent – or fewer than 800 – are African-American. This trend not only negatively impacts the advancement of African-Americans in the Fortune 500, but the future of American business.