Announcing the 2021 Top 10 Global Champions for Supplier Diversity & Inclusion

Announcing the 2021 Top 10 Global Champions for Supplier Diversity & Inclusion!

WEConnect International, with support from the National LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and Disability:IN, is proud to announce the 2021 Top 10 Global Champions for Supplier Diversity & Inclusion. This ranking, now in its third year, is the only one of its kind in which some of the world’s largest corporations are recognized for having demonstrated a commitment to global diversity and inclusion by sourcing from diverse suppliers including minority-, women-, LGBTQ- and disabled-owned businesses around the world.

Winners were announced in a 10-minute virtual “Top 10 in 10” live awards ceremony with Merck claiming the number one spot this year. The full rankings are here:

1. Merck

2. Kelly Services

3. IBM

4. Accenture

5. Johnson & Johnson

6. Procter and Gamble

7. Intel

8. Ford

9. Randstad

10. EY

To be considered by the team of WEConnect International judges, individual companies had to submit an application with supporting documentation this past March. Scoring was based on a variety of factors, including senior leadership support, scope, supplier development and, especially important, percent of global spend with diverse suppliers.

Merck demonstrated its continued leadership with global supplier diversity & inclusion (SD&I) efforts with regional champions engaging their teams around the world achieving one of the highest percentages of non-U.S. diverse spend among all survey participants. It has been doing so on a virtual, global scale since last year when it launched its Virtual Engagement Center

(VEC). The VEC allows for greater global access through two new initiatives: the Merck Monthly Educational Experience and the Virtual Business Exchange Opportunity.

Nine Noteworthy Companies were also given Honorable Mentions; in alphabetical order: Adient, AstraZeneca, The Boeing Company, CDW, Cummins, Eaton, General Mills, GSK and Marriott International.

Key findings gathered from the rankings process include:

· 80% of participants have a corporate policy that includes language on global inclusive sourcing

· 88% of participants include diverse suppliers with request for proposals (RFPs) in each market (a 36% increase from 2020)

· 96% of participants accept Third-party Certification as a requirement for diverse suppliers

· 76% of participants track diverse spend in each market in which they operate

· 92% of participants have an executive level supplier diversity champion

It’s clear that SD&I is a strategic business process aimed at providing companies owned by historically underserved diverse groups with an equal opportunity to become suppliers to major corporations and grow their business.

But increasingly companies see that by working with diverse suppliers they stand to benefit significantly in other ways, such as being better able to anticipate global consumer needs, attract top talent that cares about diversity, develop deeper market insights and increase innovative solutions. These companies are then generally able to capture cost savings and generate a greater return on investments than the typical business.

Our member buyers understand the value of intentionally reaching out to diverse suppliers as both a social issue and an economic opportunity. WEConnect International focuses specifically on bringing together buyers with qualified women-owned suppliers around the world. That’s why we launched #Rise2theChallenge campaign for our 122 global members. Organizations will have one year to publicly commit to a specific spend target and/or relevant project to advance opportunities around the world. Many are stepping up and taking their pledges beyond just women-owned to a broader, more diverse supplier community. Working together we can all accelerate these types of good business decisions and proactive steps sourcing from diverse suppliers including minority-, women-, LGBTQ- and disabled-owned businesses around the world.

Congratulations again to our 2021 Global Champions for Supplier Diversity & Inclusion, the inspiring companies committed to making a difference on a global scale.