Black/African American Initiative

The Black/African American Initiative operates both on campuses and externally and within BCG. In conjunction with black student organizations, initiative members coordinate career and interviewing workshops. Within BCG, initiative members hold annual retreats and organize development committees for consulting staff to address the challenges and opportunities for Black/African American professionals in the consulting industry.

Simply stated, the Black/African American Initiative seeks to:

  • Recruit, develop, build affiliation among, and retain a mix of consultants and associates to make the BCG work force representative of the pools from which we recruit

  • Find and create opportunities to build on the strengths and uniqueness of black professionals through client service

  • Contribute to the black community through pro bono work that uses skills developed at BCG

This initiative was launched in 1999 under the direction of Larry Shulman, BCG senior partner and managing director. The following year, James H. Lowry, a distinguished leader in diversity efforts and a pioneer consultant on the topic of minority business and ethnic marketing, joined BCG; he has since become intimately involved in the support of this initiative. The initiative is currently led, in conjunction with the Hispanic/Latino Initiative, by Reggie Gilyard, BCG Partner & Managing Director.

BCG is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of administering all employment decisions and personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
Jim Lowry, Senior Advisor

lowry_jim_thumb_smWhat does diversity mean to you?
Diversity has always been a part of my life and an integral component of my personal philosophical beliefs. I strongly believe that all individuals are unique and their skills and experiences should be used uniquely.

Why is this initiative so important to BCG?
Leveraging my experiences, products, and services with BCG's outstanding cadre of consultants, I felt we can effect societal change.

Bruce Holley, Senior Partner & Managing Director, New York

holley_bruce_thumb_smWhy is this initiative so important to BCG?
On a professional level, diversity creates the greatest opportunity to generate original insight for our clients by providing multiple perspectives to understand, define, and ultimately solve a problem. As a result, BCG's goal of seeking out and fostering diversity is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing as well.

What does diversity mean to you?
For me, diversity in the workplace is the coexistence of differing capabilities, cognitive styles, backgrounds, and experiences, sometimes in harmony, sometimes not. Diversity creates an environment I can thrive in. It pushes me constantly to challenge existing notions of how things are and how they can be made better. Simply put, diversity draws the best out of me and is a core part of my values.

Reggie Gilyard, Partner & Managing Director, Los Angeles

gilyard_reggie_thumb_smWhy did you decide to be a leader in this initiative?
It was clear to me that the leadership and the culture of BCG would support this effort. BCG is exemplary as a firm that supports those who are willing to take the time to pursue what is important to them and valuable to the company.

Why is this initiative so important to BCG?
BCG's heritage and competitive advantage are steeped in innovation and creativity. A diverse work force—our primary asset—is the most promising mechanism for advancing that advantage, given the broad range of perspectives that a diverse work force brings.

What does diversity mean to you?
For me, diversity is a mix of races, cultures, genders, and sexual preferences. A "diverse company" values such a mix in the makeup of its internal work force and external relationships with its community, suppliers, affiliates, and others.

Nneka Rimmer, Partner & Managing Director, Chicago

rimmer_nneka_thumb_smWhy is this initiative so important to BCG?
Success at BCG is two-fold; it's about making ourselves and our clients better. By recognizing the importance of a diverse workforce and truly appreciating diversity in all of its forms, we are more able to develop, reward, and maintain the best possible BCG teams. That, in turn, enables us to create better insights for our clients.

What does diversity mean to you?
I consider diversity to be the inclusion of different people, experiences, ideas, and outlooks in the process of developing a solution. At BCG, that means different races, genders, cultures, attitudes, experiences—I could go on and on. Any variety in perspectives can, and will, contribute to making a diverse working environment. However, what I think is even more important, and what makes BCG unique, is that here diversity is more than the inclusion of different perspectives-it's the appreciation of them.

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