Video: The State of Supplier Diversity in the U.S.
In September 2022, i4cp conducted a survey for the Wall Street Journal and partnered with members of our Chief Diversity Officer Board to explore the state of corporate supplier diversity in the United States. In total, we collected data from 63 US-based companies (90% of which have more than 100 employees).
A high-level breakdown of that data from organizations with at least 100 employees follows:
- 64% have supplier diversity programs and another 11% anticipate adding one within the next 12 months
- Most companies have had supplier diversity programs in place for several years: 54% have had them in place for at least four years (many of which have had them in place for more than 10 years), while 46% have had them in place for less than four years.
- The May 2020 murder of George Floyd sparked enormous public outrage related to racial injustice. While none of the companies in our survey indicated they started their supplier diversity program as a direct result of that incident, nearly one-half (49%) told us it galvanized their companies to either somewhat or significantly expand their supplier diversity programs.
- A strong majority (71%) of these companies with supplier diversity programs indicated they have specific supplier diversity goals, yet only 30% publish those goals and only 20% also publish their progress on those goals.
As pressures continue to mount on companies to emphasize and make progress on ESG (environmental, social, governance—in particular, the ‘S’ in that equation), as companies seek to localize and diversify their supply chains to mitigate risks, and as population demographics continue to shift, making supply chain diversity part of an organization’s overall sustainability strategy makes a whole lot of sense.
Kevin Martin is the chief research officer at the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp); the leading research firm focused on discovering the people practices that drive high-performance.
In addition to guiding i4cp’s research agenda and deliverables, Kevin also advises corporate and human resources leadership teams on best- and next-practices in a broad range of topics that range from talent risk management and corporate culture, to human capital strategy and organizational agility. He also serves as executive sponsor of i4cp's distinguished Chief HR Officer Board.
Prior to i4cp, Kevin worked for several years at research firm Aberdeen Group where he built one of the industry’s leading human capital management (HCM) research practices and then held a variety of roles of increasing responsibility which included SVP of Research Operations with general management oversight of the company's 17 research practices, and SVP of International Operations where he led the firm’s expansion efforts in to Europe.
A highly sought-after international keynote speaker on all aspects of human resources and talent management, Kevin has been recognized as a “Top 100 HR Influencer” by HR Examiner. His and his team’s research have been cited in leading business media, including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, Bloomberg, the Financial Times, CFO Magazine, CIO Applications, and on CNBC.
He is also an occasional contributor for the Financial Times.
Kevin currently serves on the advisory councils for the University of Dayton's school of business administration and school of engineering. He also serves on the board of advisors for Bullseye Engagement. From 2005 to 2014, Kevin served on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Massachusetts, which included a two-year term as board chairman (2009-2011). In 2006, Kevin was awarded the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's "Big Brother of the Year".
Kevin earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Boston University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of Dayton. He resides in the Massachusetts with his wife (Laura) and their three sons.