For decades, corporations have partnered with minority-owned businesses through supplier diversity programs. Now that we’ve developed a foundation for these minority supplier programs, companies are expanding their reach with LGBT inclusion.
In a tele-learning session hosted by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, supplier diversity representatives from Merck & Co., American Airlines and Morgan Stanley provided valuable insight on how companies can build a business case for LGBT supplier diversity. Based on this teleconference, executive buy-in and continued connections with the marketing and employee resource group are essential.
In 2011, the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index will begin scoring companies’ external engagement efforts, including supplier diversity. Recognizing this priority, companies have begun to establish an LGBT-inclusive supplier diversity initiative. For Merck & Co, LGBT suppliers add more competitive bids, help the company address specific LGBT medical needs and positions Merck on a leadership platform Merck.
If you want more information, NGLCC is hosting another tele-learning supplier diversity call tomorrow, Tuesday, September 15 at 2 p.m. ET. Contact corporaterelations@nglcc.org if you’d like to attend. The teleconference will be moderated by NGLCC Procurement Council Chairman Irwin Drucker, who is the program director of GLBT and International Programs for IBM's global procurement.
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