Category: CEO in Action

Michael J. Williams Chief Executive Officer, Fannie Mae Headquarters: Washington, D.C. Website: www.FannieMae.com Primary Business: Mortgage finance Employees: 7,000 Women in Technology, Minority Top Talent Help Foster Development Diversity and inclusion are more than words at Fannie Mae. The diversity of people and perspectives that drives our culture and business strategy is key to our… Read the full article

Mark L. Wagar President & CEO, Empire BlueCross BlueShield, and Senior Vice President of parent company WellPoint, Inc. Headquarters: New York City Website: www.EmpireBlue.com Primary Business: Health insurance Revenues: $6.8 billion Employees: 4,000 Tailoring Health Services to Cultural Dictates I have had the good fortune to live and work in several states. At every stop,… Read the full article

Joel Voran Chief Executive Officer, Lathrop & Gage LLP Headquarters: Kansas City, Missouri Website: www.lathropgage.com Primary Business: Law firm Revenues: $122.5 million Employees: 666 Developing a Meaningful Diversity Program In my first address to our partners after becoming CEO of Lathrop & Gage LLP a little more than four years ago, I listed developing a… Read the full article

Hugh Verrier Chairman, White & Case LLP Headquarters: New York City Website: www.whitecase.com Primary Business: Law Revenues: $1.3 billion Employees: 4,800 Awareness of Diversity and Our Need for It Diversity has a special meaning in a global law firm. Our people come from all over the globe, and our strength depends on our ability to… Read the full article

Paul Varga Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Brown-Forman Corporation Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky Website: www.brown-forman.com Primary Business: Alcoholic beverages Revenues: $3.4 billion Employees: 3,900 The Day I Met Diversity When our Chief Diversity Officer Ralph de Chabert told me that I would be included in this special issue discussing my personal commitment to diversity and inclusion, I… Read the full article

John B. Veihmeyer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, KPMG LLP Headquarters: New York City Website: www.kpmg.com/us Primary Business: Audit, tax, and advisory services Employees: 21,000 Prioritizing Diversity Goals for 2012 I truly believe diversity is a strategic business imperative for KPMG. In addition to improving our ability to attract, retain, and advance a more innovative… Read the full article

Gregory T. Swienton Chairman and CEO, Ryder System, Inc. Headquarters: Miami, Florida Website: www.ryder.com Primary Business: Transportation and logistics solutions Revenues: $5.1 billion Employees: 25,900 Diversity Helps Capture Market Opportunities We embrace diversity and inclusion at Ryder not only because it enriches our life experience, but also because in a very real sense, it keeps… Read the full article

William H. Swanson Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Raytheon Company Headquarters: Waltham, Massachusetts Website: www.raytheon.com Primary Business: Aerospace and defense Revenues: $25 billion Employees: 71,000 Business Leaders Need to Act as Role Models We have long recognized that diversity of talent and diversity of thought are important parts of a foundation for innovation. We rely… Read the full article

Mark S. Stewart Chair, Ballard Spahr LLP Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Website: www.ballardspahr.com Primary Business: Law firm Revenues: $273.5 million Employees: 1,107 Progress Toward True Diversity We will know we have made meaningful progress toward true diversity when written statements of support for diversity, like this one, are superfluous; when the movement of minority lawyers from… Read the full article

James A. Spitz, Jr. CEO, Harris Beach PLLC Headquarters: Rochester, New York Website: www.harrisbeach.com Primary Business: Legal services Employees: 450 Collective Mixture Characterized by Differences Achieving a diverse workplace begins with establishing diversity values. Those values include respect (acknowledging differences and respecting differing points of view), inclusion (valuing everyone’s contribution), teamwork (encouraging diverse perspectives to… Read the full article