Forbes - USA (2019-12-31)

1 | DIVERSITY

PROMOTION

In October The Executive Leadership

Council (The ELC) held its 2019 Annual

Recognition Gala in Washington, D.C. A

capacity crowd of 2,300 corporate, entre-

preneurial, political, media and academic

luminaries lit up the Marriott Marquis Ball-

room to honor Robert F. Smith, founder,

chair and CEO of Vista Equity Partners,

as he accepted the 2019 Achievement

Award, and UPS received the 2019 Cor-

porate Award. UPS CEO David Abney

accepted the award in person.

The ELC comprises more than 800 senior

black corporate executives, all within two

reports of their companies’ CEOs, and a

new cadre of very successful black entre-

preneurs. The newly formed ELC purpose

statement, rooted in the organization’s

renewed commitment to philanthropy,

now guides The ELC “to open channels of

opportunity...for impact on business and

our communities.” Reports The ELC’s new

interim president and CEO Crystal E. Ashby,

former executive vice president, Govern-

ment and Public Affairs, BP America, “Our

purpose shines a light on the enduring

excellence of our valued members, as they

share their gifts to shape the world. We are

committed to making an impact on cor-

porations, on corporate boards and in the

advocacy space through education and

research. The ultimate result is to make a

difference for the black community in areas

where we and our families work and live.”

The longtime ELC goal is increas-

ing black representation on corporate

boards and in the CEO offices, and

the past decade has seen changes.

“But when the data is disaggregated,”

observes Skip Spriggs, the former

president and CEO whose term ended

on December 31, 2019, “there’s one

underrepresented group that’s barely

moving at all, and that’s black – men

and women.”

Now The ELC is going directly to

CEOs to press its specific case: inclu-

sion for black executives across the

talent pipeline. On the day of the Gala,

The ELC hosted more than 40 CEOs and

their ELC members at its inaugural CEO

GameChanger Conference.

Groundbreaking research from Korn

Ferry identifying the skills and competen-

cies of black corporate C-suite executives

framed the discussion. It’s no surprise that

black executives share the same skills,

competencies and experiences as their

white counterparts. Attendees explored

that research and applied it in a deep

and open discussion around black talent

in the workplace, from recruiting to suc-

cession planning.

A second forum for direct appeals

to corporate leadership is The ELC’s

partnership with the African American

Directors Forum (AADF). The ELC’s Cor-

porate Board Initiative has been for some

years creating a supply of board-ready

members. Now, with AADF, The ELC is

creating demand through intentional

networking with decision makers, urging

them to create a more inclusive leader-

ship pipeline to the boardroom.

The pilot event was held in November

2019 in Atlanta. Atlanta-area CEOs, lead

directors and other board members met

with a select group of nearly 50 board-

ready ELC members. They received a

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“We don’t know anybody” is no longer

Leading With Purpose

INSIDE CORPORATE AMERICA AND BEYOND

Former ELC CEO Skip Spriggs and Board Chair

Tonie Leatherberry, a principal at Deloitte & Touche

LLP and president of the Deloitte Foundation,

present the 2019 Achievement Award to Robert

F. Smith, founder, chair and CEO of Vista Equity

Partners, along with Kevin Frazier, Gala host.

JLL Americas CEO Greg O’Brien; JLL Americas

Vice Chair Herman Bulls, an ELC member; Lowe’s

CEO and ELC member Marvin Ellison; and JLL

Global CEO Christian Ulbrich at the 2019 CEO

GameChanger Conference, where The ELC

presented research about black executives with

CEO-ready experience.

Best Buy Board Director and ELC member Cindy

Kent facilitated the discussion at The ELC’s CEO

GameChanger Conference in Washington, D.C.

ELC Interim President and CEO Crystal E. Ashby

(r.) joined ELC member Tracey Gray-Walker and

ELC Institute alumna Juliette Mayers to share their

career experiences with mid-level managers.