Jim Murren
Chairman & CEO, MGM Resorts International
Headquarters: Las Vegas, Nevada
Website: www.mgmresorts.com
Primary Business: Entertainment and hospitality
Revenues: $7.9 billion
Employees: 62,000
First in Industry to Adopt Formal Diversity Policy
When I became chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International in 2008, I committed myself to do more than merely continuing the legacy of diversity our company has pioneered.
We take pride in being the first in the gaming industry to voluntarily adopt a formal diversity policy as an essential business paradigm for success in the modern global economy. However, we understand that diversity is much more than crosscultural etiquette and political correctness.
We work in one of the most competitive travel destinations in the world. The company that operates at the highest level, and achieves the greatest results, is the one whose teams are the most motivated, productive, innovative, and engaged with the customer and each other. In today’s economy, every employee and every team in our multicultural, pluralistic workplace must be operating at their full potential. This is why diversity and inclusion are so important to MGM Resorts and will remain an indelible part of our future.
We are a stronger company when we foster an inclusive environment that embraces our team members’ differences and provides opportunities for all of us to reach our full potential. Together, MGM Resorts is a diverse collection of people with an array experiences, perspectives, opinions, and ethnic backgrounds.
As we continue the expansion of our company to new locations around the globe, diversity is playing a larger role than ever, simply because a company cannot succeed on the global landscape today—forming partnerships and operating around the world—unless it embraces diversity.
We can either be a progressive company that seeks to leverage the immense possibilities that our diverse talents bring us for the advancement of our business, or become a dinosaur. I have no interest in our company becoming a relic buried in the ruins of failed corporations.
Education: BA, Trinity College
First Job: During the summer in college, I was an iron worker.
What I’m Reading: American Icon, by Bryce G. Hoffman
My Philosophy: Surround yourself with smart people, and empower them. I like to recruit people who have a diversity of background and experiences, and who will lead by example.
Best Advice: As Kirk Kerkorian says, always work to be consistent and clear.
Interests: People. We are a highly diverse organization. I’m interested in advancing people based on their abilities and qualifications and, in so doing, building a high performing and sustainable organization. I also love art, and art history (my area of major in college), as well as family, friends, and team sports.
