Supplier diversity programs have been part of procurement’s purview for decades, and they have changed a lot during that time. The categories of supplier ownership have expanded and become better defined, success metrics have narrowed, and initiatives like ESG have altered how companies relate to the program as a whole.
Today, the most notable change to supplier diversity is… the silence.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes back Lamont Robinson. Lamont is a leading voice on supplier diversity, but that doesn’t mean he’s hesitant to reexamine and reimagine everything about the practice.
Highlights
Lamont envisions supplier diversity programs that are both business-driven and legally defensible for long term impact:
- Why an over-reliance on spend as a performance metric has skewed the impact of supplier diversity programs and even held them back
- Whether the many categories of ‘diverse’ suppliers can (or should) be managed in the same way or whether they require a more varied approach
- Practical advice for diversity-minded procurement professionals, whether they own their company’s program or not
- Why he feels optimistic for the future of supplier diversity
