Top 10: Chief Diversity Officers
Diverse leadership is a key trait of companies that drive true environmental, social and governance. Moreover, it’s a moral obligation of employers, which, in history, has overlooked by employers.
It’s fantastic to see organisations take social justice into their own hands – and the employment of dedicated diversity leaders is a major step towards inclusivity within the workforce and equity among all nationalities, races, genders, and other defining characteristics of some of the great leaders we see today.
10. Tish Archie Oliver
Job: Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer
Company: Unilever
Tish Archie-Oliver is the Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer at Unilever, North America, where she drives equity in talent, branding, and supplier diversity. Previously, she was Second Vice President of Enterprise Diversity & Inclusion at Travelers Insurance, incorporating diversity strategies into business processes.
With over 20 years of experience, her background spans financial services, consumer goods, and luxury retail. Archie-Oliver holds an MBA and a Diversity and Inclusion certificate from Cornell University. She's also involved in leadership training, holds significant positions in various organisations, and is dedicated to empowering future leaders.
9. Renata Spada
Job: Group Vice President Talent Acquisition & Global Chief Diversity Equity Inclusion Officer
Company: ENGIE
Born in Brazil and holding three nationalities (Brazilian, French, Italian), Renata is fluent in four languages. She started at ENGIE in 2018 as the Group Talent Director, initiating programmes like ExpAND and Fifty-Fifty for gender parity by 2030. As of 2022, she manages Talent Acquisition, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and introduced Be.U@ENGIE for organisational inclusivity.
Renata's academic background includes a Law degree, LLM, dual MBAs, and certifications in Lean Management and coaching, with experience in the legal, financial, and audit fields.
8. Glenn Williams
Job: SVP, Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer
Company: HP
From NATO and the US Army to one of the world’s leading technology companies, the key themes of Glenn Williams’ roles throughout the years she has been focused on human resources and compliance. His background in law has proven invaluable at HP as the company aims to diversify its approach to talent acquisition and management.
Much of Williams’ role at the company is centred around strategic planning, organisational development, talent management, and speaking out on matters of diversity.
7. Ingrid U. Snelderwaard
Job: Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer
Companpy: AP Moller - Maersk
Ingrid Snelderwaard holds a pivotal position at AP Moller Maersk where she is tasked with three roeles: Chief Diversity, Equity and inclusion officer, and Head of People for both the financial and human resources functions.
She returned to Maersk in 2022 following a long stint at the company as its VP and Global Head of Equipment in 2019, which marked the end of her longest tenure of more than 19 years with the company. Snelderwaard fosters a personal growth mindset through her own attitude to the job.
6. Kathryn J. Coleman
Job: VP, Chief Talent and Diversity Officer
Company: 3M
Kathryn Coleman PhD has 13 years of experience under her 3M belt, taking on the challenge of SVP and Chief Talent and Diversity Officer in 2023. Prior to this role, she was in charge of global talent acquisition and management for the safety, healthcare, and consumer goods business, showcasing her knowledge from decades of work across roles in Supervalu, William Mitchell College of Law and the University of Minnesota.
This isn’t the first time Coleman held a diversity role, having previously served as the University of Minnesota’s Director of Director for its Carson School of Management.
5. Christina Schelling
Job: SVP and Chief Talent & Diversity Officer
Company: Verizon
A long-term professional of human resources and organisational strategy, Christina Schelling began analysing organisational structure and culture in the US Federal Government. Following this, she entered into a role in the private sector, working with IBM in 2004 as a management consultant focused on organisational strategy.
Working with other world-leading organisations over the years, including American Express, Prudential Financial, and The Estée Lauder Companies, Schelling has continuously developed her approach to organisational strategy while inputting these learnings into differing industries.
4. Karima A. Bryant
Job: Chief Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Officer
Company: Kyndryl
The Chief Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Officer at Kyndryl, Karima Bryant has been a proactive leader in the area of diversity and human capital within a number of leading organisations, including JP Morgan Chase, NYU SPS, and IBM Global.
As a result, Bryant gained significant expertise in leading and coaching organisations through change while focusing on people and culture as a staple for businesses moving forward. Within her role she incorporates her knowledge of design thinking, agile methodology, and training design and delivery.
3. Ana Maria Sencovici
Job: Chief Talent & Diversity Officer
Company: Royal Caribbean Group
Although her experience spans a variety of industries, Ana Maria Sencovici’s diversity position at Royal Caribbean Group is a personal first. Much of Sencovici’s prior work revolved around change management and organisational transformation, which incorporated employee professional development to company-wide leadership strategy.
Having worked with Genpact to carry out some of these tasks, Sencovici, since 2022, has been responsible for building the workforce of Royal Caribbean Group and creating an environment within the organisation for a diverse talent pool.
2. Hannah Perry
Job: Chief Diversity & Culture Officer
Company: Novartis
Not only a long-standing member of the Novartis team but a leader of global innovation aligned with diversity and inclusion, Hannah Perry is the champion of individuality for Novartis. She takes pride in leading a team of ‘DEI and Culture Champions’ at the company to make the workplace a prosperous place for everyone.
Perry challenges the norms of her organisation to ensure it moves with the times and fulfils moral requirements as a global employer—aligning leadership on transparency and equity within business processes.
She spent the majority of her career with Novartis and is now in a position to assess the growth of its DE&I strategy and showcase the company’s dedication to supporting differentiation among its employees, as well as client engagements.
1. Dr Johné Battle
Job: Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer
Company: Dollar General
Driven towards a career in education and talent management, Dr. Johné Battle, MBA, M.S.Ed, serves not just as a diversity leader, but as an advocate for Black and African American representation in leadership and society.
While achieving a number of professional accolades through the organisations he works with, Battle has also been featured in publications as a symbol of professionalism and leadership in the diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) conversation—namely Inclusion Magazine and Diversity Professional’s Winter 2022 edition.
Formerly the Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion for Dollar Central, Battle dedicates his career to professional development while also influencing a new generation of the workforce where no individual is left behind, especially among minorities with a growing presence in the corporate world.
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