Page 19 - BEQ Magazine Vol 4, Iss 4 (01032020 Final)_Active

RETHINKING SUPPLIER DIVERSITY PROFESSIONALS
Oswold was an outsider to the supplier diversity space when she accepted her current role, yet her three decades
of experience at UPS, learning the ins and outs of nearly every aspect of the business, is part of what gives her such
insight into what supplier diversity could be. This, she noted, is what the future of supplier diversity needs - people
who bring both a passion for diversity & inclusion and a keen understanding of the promise to the enterprise of the
strategic business value of diversity in the supply chain. We will realize inclusive sourcing by empowering both the
passion and the promise.
It’s time to take a closer look at the talent and skills mix of our supplier diversity team. It’s no longer sufficient to
consider supplier diversity as simply a diversity initiative; it’s a business strategy that requires operational expertise
and institutional knowledge to tap into the value of the diverse supplier community. The next generation of supplier
diversity professionals, Oswold predicts, will be equipped with people who understand the enterprise and how to
identify and truly leverage diverse suppliers for a competitive advantage.

BEQ PRIDE: What do you think supplier OSWOLD: I think that when we look at the diverse suppliers, people get it. I think you
diversity professionals need to do to prepare supplier diversity profession, it’s helpful to need people who are operationally savvy
for the next five or ten years? What skills do think of it differently than what I see many and understand how the enterprise func-
they need to hone? corporations doing, even historically at tions, how it goes to market and the stra-
UPS. We tend to put people in these roles tegic vision for where the organization is
who are very passionate about diversity & headed to truly understand its needs. Then
inclusion, often they are diverse themselves actively seeking out and cultivating diverse
in some respect, and they will be in these suppliers that fit the need.
roles for long periods of time: five, ten, Passion for D&I, you certainly need to
fifteen years. They’ll move from company have that, but that cannot be the driving
to company in these same roles. They’ve force. That alone I don’t think brings the
got this great knowledge of this network weight to the conversation that you need to
-- I’ve learned so much from those folks, it drive change, so looking at the skillset and
has helped me tremendously that I can sit the backgrounds and preparations and the
down with some of these people who have role of the supplier diversity leadership is
been doing this job for a long time and really important for organizations. We’ve
quickly get caught up on some key issues got to move beyond passion and knowledge
that I’m interested in -- but I do think about supplier diversity alone being how we
that to change, it’s healthy to have outside fill these positions in organizations.
perspectives and look at the resources that If we do that and broaden conversa-
we put into these types of roles differently. tions internally and externally, I think those
If I was trying to design the role of sup- things can help us move forward. I don’t
plier diversity professionals for the future, I know what the future holds for supplier di-
would want someone who is very well-con- versity, but I do know there is such opportu-
nected and credible throughout their orga- nity out there and we’re not going to find it
nization. Someone who can sit down and unless we do some things differently. 
have a conversation with people at any level
of leadership and have that business cred-  To read Kris Oswold’s article for Longitudes,
ibility so when we talk about the value of visit bit.ly/oswoldlongitudes

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