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InnerCircle 2022: Nike’s Chief Diversity Officer issues call to action on corporate responsibility and diversity


Employers 07.15.2022 2 MIN

Corporate values have become critical to attracting and retaining top talent, particularly for Millennials and Gen Z. While speaking at InnerCircle 2022, Jarvis Sam, Nike’s Chief Diversity Officer, and Asahi Pompey, Goldman Sachs’ Global Head of Corporate Engagement, discussed how taking action to carry out corporate values can improve the employee experience, deliver corporate success and make a real difference for community stakeholders.


How you tell your story of impact must be unique to your company and industry.” 

—Jarvis Sam


 

From June 8–10, HR leaders from across Corporate America gathered at the InnerCircle conference to discuss key strategies for maximizing potential at their companies. In a fireside chat, Jarvis Sam, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Nike, and Asahi Pompey Global Head of Corporate Engagement, Goldman Sachs, discussed a call to action for companies in the areas of corporate responsibility and diversity. 

Jarvis provided an in-depth look at how Nike’s unique approach to culture allows each employee to feel seen and heard—a driving force behind the company’s ability to attract and retain diverse talent. 

 

Key Takeaways

  • There’s a rich intersection between equity, inclusion and culture. Companies need to find an approach that aligns with the cultural identifiers that make them and their stakeholders unique.
  • The people in charge of developing and sustaining a company's culture should be the same people who are in charge of DEI—but that’s often not the case.
  • Communities must stop seeing diverse communities as monoliths. There is so much diversity down to the individual level, that this approach is a disservice.  
  • When it comes to recruiting, open the aperture of talent sources. If leading companies are going to the same places as everyone else for diverse talent, competition will be fierce and any individuals who don’t fall into this narrow scope will be missed. At Goldman Sachs, we’re tapping into a strong potential talent source, discussed in our Leveraging non-traditional talent sources: The Goldman Sachs Returnship® program session.
  • The work of equity and inclusion will and should be around in perpetuity. The groups may change, but the work will still be needed.

 


We have to tear down the walls of competition in [the DEI] space…We have to do this work as a collective to change the face of the game.” 

—Jarvis Sam


 

Companies must crack the code on creating supportive and inclusive environments for employees if they hope to remain competitive in the battle for top talent.

Find more insights and takeaways for your company’s culture strategy at InnerCircle website. If you have questions or want to learn more about how Goldman Sachs Ayco can help, contact us.