Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) Announces Newest Cohort of Industry Leading Employers That Will Pursue Pathbreaking MLT Black Equity at Work Certification

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, May 20, 2021—Today, Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) announced its newest cohort of twelve leading employers committed to becoming MLT Black Equity at Work Certified. Today’s announcement continues the growth and momentum from the October launch of MLT’s first-of-its-kind certification initiative. Today’s cohort includes leaders from the healthcare, media, banking, consulting, fitness, entertainment, hospitality, and technology sectors—including Abbott, Amalgamated Bank, Brunswick Group, CoStar Group, Ernst & Young LLP (EY US), FactSet, Harvard Business Publishing, Hyatt, NerdWallet, Peloton, Sony Music Group, and Vox Media—who have all committed to applying the necessary rigor to become MLT Black Equity at Work Certified. MLT Black Equity at Work Certification establishes a clear and comprehensive standard for employers and provides the necessary roadmap for them to take a rigorous, results-oriented approach toward achieving Black equity internally and driving Black equity in society. MLT Black Equity at Work Certification provides the clarity and guidance employers need to be confident that, no matter where they are now, they can make major progress toward Black equity. All it takes is real commitment.

“The level of participation by leading employers in just seven months has been incredible, and it clearly reflects a desire for continued progress and recognition by corporate executives that inaction and lack of follow through on commitments is not viable at a time when activists, consumers, employees, and investors expect comprehensive, rigorous, and sustained effort that leads to measurable Black equity progress,” said Indy Adenaw, Managing Director of MLT Black Equity at Work. “As important, several companies in our first two cohorts have submitted their rigorous three-year MLT Black Equity at Work plans for approval and we anticipate more inaugural companies to finalize their plans in the coming weeks.”

Becoming MLT Black Equity at Work Certified requires that employers apply the same approach to Black equity as they do to other core business priorities. The Certification, which was meticulously developed over several months and is applicable and impactful for all private for-profit and non-profit employers, regardless of industry, geography, size, or level of progress on the Black equity journey, focuses on three areas—People, Purchasing, and Philanthropy—and offers benchmarks, best practices, and insights on how to achieve Black equity in the workplace across five pillars:

1. Black representation at every level
2. Compensation equity
3. Inclusive, anti-racist work environment
4. Racially just business practices
5. Racial justice contributions and investments

“The thirty-five major employers that have committed to pursuing MLT Black Equity at Work Certification since the program was created seven months ago represent nearly every major sector and some of the country’s largest, most influential employers,” said John Rice, CEO of MLT. “These visionary companies recognize the only way to move the needle on our nation’s massive wealth and opportunity disparities is by removing barriers to economic and career mobility, and to their credit, they are accepting the responsibility and meeting this moment. MLT Black Equity at Work Certification provides companies with a standard for what good looks like and a roadmap and support to get there. Achieving Certification allows employers to shift from perpetuating inequity to propelling equity, both internally and in society, and to reap a range of benefits in the process. I want to strongly commend every employer in the growing MLT Black Equity at Work community for their leadership and invite other major employers that are committed to Black equity to join us.”

There are two steps to the MLT Black Equity at Work Certification process. In the first step, employers develop a comprehensive and rigorous three-year plan to meet goals they set in each of five Black equity pillars of the Certification framework. At this point, an employer becomes MLT Black Equity at Work Plan Approved and executes its plan with a range of support from the MLT Black Equity at Work team, including webinars with experts, resource guides, peer learning opportunities, regular Black equity progress check-ins, benchmarking, and vetted referrals. MLT Black Equity at Work Plan Approved employers have up to three years to achieve the minimum qualifying score to become MLT Black Equity at Work Certified. The Certification is conferred for one year and is renewable by maintaining a qualifying score, and employers are able to achieve higher tiers of Certification as they make greater overall progress.

STATEMENT FROM ABBOTT
“At Abbott our purpose is to help people live their fullest lives with better health. To accomplish this, we must embrace diversity in all its forms,” said Michael Johnson, Divisional Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion. “We’re committed to taking the steps needed to achieve MLT’s Black Equity at Work certification, which will help us create an even more diverse and inclusive workplace.”

STATEMENT FROM AMALGAMATED BANK
“Amalgamated Bank is proud to align with MLT in publicly affirming the valuable contributions Black employees make to our global economy,” said Tanisa Williams, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer. “MLT’s Black Equity at Work Certification will continue to reinforce Amalgamated’s commitment to create an equitable and more inclusive culture for Black employees.”

STATEMENT FROM BRUNSWICK GROUP
“Inequality is one of the most important challenges facing society today. As a critical issues firm, Brunswick is committed to reflecting the diversity of perspectives in the world and playing our part in confronting inequality,” said Neal Wolin, CEO. “The MLT Black Equity at Work Certification is an innovative and important initiative for companies serious about advancing Black equity. We look forward to continuing our close partnership with MLT to achieve our goals of supporting our Black employees in concert with our wider efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion for all.”

STATEMENT FROM COSTAR GROUP
“The MLT Black Equity at Work Certification program underscores the importance of all of us in the business community coming together to enact change and make meaningful progress towards a more just and equitable society,” said Andy Florance, Founder and CEO. “CoStar Group remains committed to championing the MLT mission to provide opportunities for individuals from underrepresented communities at the corporate level. Through the development of a formal internship program that exposes MLT alumni and fellows to CoStar and the world of commercial real estate, participation in MLT’s Career Advancement Program for eligible CoStar employees, and now this first-of-its-kind certification program, we look forward to continuing our partnership and doing the necessary work to make change happen now.”

STATEMENT FROM EY US
“We are deeply committed to taking meaningful action and using our platform of influence to eradicate systemic racism and discrimination, and pursue a more just and equitable world,” said Kelly Grier, EY US Chair and Managing Partner and Americas Managing Partner. “We are proud to take this commitment to the next level through pursuing the MLT Black Equity at Work Certification, which will enable us to hold ourselves more accountable for driving strategic and enduring change within our organization and in the communities where we work and live.”

STATEMENT FROM FACTSET
“At FactSet, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Vinay Kapoor, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer. “We are thrilled to embark on the journey of becoming MLT Black Equity at Work Certified and consider it an outstanding way to enact change and hold ourselves accountable to progress, as we aspire to measurably improve inclusion of Black Americans among our workforce.”

STATEMENT FROM HARVARD BUSINESS PUBLISHING
“At Harvard Business Publishing, we are committed to embracing—and promoting—diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said David Wan, President & CEO. “We pledge to address systemic racism within our own organization by working with MLT and committing to the Black Equity at Work Certification We continue to work towards an equitable workplace where everyone is welcome, valued, respected, and feels they belong.  Beyond the business benefits, we are doing what is right and just for our people, our global community, and society.”

STATEMENT FROM HYATT
“At Hyatt, diversity, equity and inclusion are at the core of our purpose to care for people so they can be their best, and we strive to foster inclusive and welcoming environments for all,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Malaika Myers. “Pursuing MLT Black Equity at Work Certification is a critical step in our DE&I journey and serves as an extension of our Change Starts Here commitments, which focus on driving greater equity in our workforce and our communities. We look forward to coming together with MLT and other leading employers to ideate, share best practices and move toward closing existing gaps in the hospitality industry and beyond.”

STATEMENT FROM PELOTON
“Over the past year Peloton has been hard at work re-evaluating our processes, systems, and partnerships to make sure we’re living up to our commitment to be an inclusive and anti-racist organization,” said Peloton’s SVP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Dr. Christal Morris. “Partnering with MLT to achieve the Black Equity at Work Certification is our latest step to make sure all of our team members can bring their true, authentic selves to work. We’re excited to raise the bar and be part of a larger movement investing in Black equity.”

STATEMENT FROM SONY MUSIC GROUP
“At Sony Music Group, we believe diversity across all identities drives innovation, and we are committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive and empowering,” said Tiffany R. Warren, Executive Vice President, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Sony Music Group. “We are thrilled to partner with MLT on the Black Equity at Work Certification program to advance equity across the music industry and build an organization that is as diverse and global as the stories we help our artists and songwriters tell.”

STATEMENT FROM VOX MEDIA
“We worked with MLT in 2019 to develop a company-wide DE&I plan and we are excited to partner with them again with a focus on Black equity, aligned with our ongoing and internal efforts,” said Chris Clermont, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Vox Media. “A thoughtful partner, like MLT, brings an important external perspective and holds us accountable. The Black Equity at Work certification is another step, but never an end goal as we continuously renew and strengthen our company culture so that Black employees, and those across other identities, always have the experience they deserve working at Vox Media.”

MEDIA CONTACTS

Management Leadership for Tomorrow
Simone Manee
SManee@mlt.org

Brunswick Group
Anthony Applewhaite
mltcore@brunswickgroup.com

About MLT Black Equity at Work Certification
In 2020, MLT launched the MLT Black Equity at Work Certification, calling on corporate America to take a stand on the right side of racial equity. As a first-of-its-kind clear and comprehensive standard for employers committed to achieving Black equity, the Certification provides the roadmap, support, and recognition necessary to enable and encourage employers across America to pursue Black equity with the same rigor and results applied to other key business priorities. The companies that have committed to becoming certified Black equity workplaces include: Abbott, Amalgamated Bank, Amazon, Ameren, Ares Management, Arnold & Porter, Bain Capital, BlackRock, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Brunswick Group, Capital Group, Cargill, CoStar Group, DaVita, Deloitte, EIS Group, EY US, FactSet, Gibson Dunn, Harvard Business Publishing, Hyatt, kyu Collective, Moody’s, NerdWallet, Nike, Peloton, PNC, State Street, Sony Music Group, VF Corporation, ViacomCBS, Vox Media, Walker & Dunlop, WarnerMedia, and Workday. Funding for the initiative was provided by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Ballmer Group, and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Learn more at www.mltblackequityatwork.org.

About Management Leadership for Tomorrow
Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) is a national nonprofit working to transform our country’s leadership pipelines and increase access to the American Dream. MLT provides Black, Latinx, and Native American talent with the coaching, playbook, and networks they need in order to excel in high-trajectory careers, secure economic mobility for their families, and become high-impact senior leaders equipped to advocate for vulnerable communities. MLT also provides a comprehensive solution for institutions, which combines best-in-class recruitment, retention, and diversity strategy offerings. Learn more at www.mlt.org.