BCG’s North America Center for Inclusion and Equity partners with organizations to help build inclusive cultures, deliver social impact, create business value, and drive systemic change.
When companies launch initiatives around inclusion and equity, they tend to focus on two primary goals: building an inclusive internal culture and investing in philanthropic initiatives. Although these goals are critically important, we encourage organizations to take an even more holistic approach. Inclusion and equity, when embedded in an organization’s strategy, can create extraordinary business value and societal impact.
The North America Center for Inclusion and Equity is committed to driving measurable change for various racial, ethnic, and cultural groups, including Black and Indigenous people, people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, military service members and veterans, and people with disabilities.
To drive more inclusive and equitable practices, organizations must look at all of their core strategies, processes, and products—everything that requires deep industry and functional expertise. For example, creating more equitable financial products may call for more robust data capabilities or a new approach to risk management. The North America Center for Inclusion and Equity (CIE) brings together more than 250 diversity, equity, and inclusion experts covering the full range of industries—across all core business functions—to ensure that our clients’ business strategy, practices, and partners embed inclusion and equity, support inclusive teaming and culture, and provide resources for social impact. We help companies eliminate systemic bias, spark broader social change, and create competitive advantage.
The CIE focuses on three key goals:
The North America CIE partners with leading organizations within the business community to deliver systemic change and advance inclusion and equity in society. Selected partnerships include:
The Southern Communities Initiative (SCI), founded by PayPal, Vista Equity Partners, and Boston Consulting Group. SCI is a consortium of companies tackling various endemic problems facing communities of color in the South, where almost 60% of all Black Americans live. The initiative focuses on multiple urgent challenges, including insufficient education and workforce development opportunities, substandard housing, health inequities, the gap in access to digital tools, and limited access to capital.
MLT Black Equity at Work Certification Program. We partnered with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) to develop a systematic, measurable, broad-based certification program for companies that want to achieve Black inclusion and equity. Certification under the program requires Black representation at every level, compensation equity, an inclusive antiracist work environment, racially just business practices, and racial justice contributions and investments.
Office of the Mayor of Los Angeles. We led efforts with the mayor’s office to develop the Racial Equity and Newly Empowered Workplaces (RENEW) pledge, which commits companies to open more doors to Black and Latinx workers and to improve the diversity, equity, and inclusivity of their operations and processes with respect to the communities they serve.
Business Roundtable on Racial Equity and Justice. We collaborate with 200 CEOs to increase corporate diversity, provide greater transparency on diversity metrics, and create opportunities for people of all backgrounds across America.
CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellowship. As a member of CEO Action for Racial Equity, we help identify, develop, and promote scalable and sustainable policies and corporate best practices to address systemic racism and social injustice, and to improve societal well-being.
Chicago Civic Committee. We partnered with a coalition of senior executives from Chicago's leading corporations to support wealth creation in Chicago's minority-owned business community. This partnership has generated approximately $20 million in procurement contracts for minority-owned businesses, initiated multiple business diversity programs, and created a $90 million opportunity for cluster companies.
Grameen America. We engaged with Grameen America, a microloan provider, to enhance access to capital for low-income Black female entrepreneurs across the United States. We analyzed drivers of performance for Black female entrepreneurs and delivered a growth strategy to better serve their needs. So far, the organization has invested over $1.9 billion in more than 136,000 low-income Black women entrepreneurs since January 2008.
City of Atlanta. We worked with the City of Atlanta to examine police policy on use of force and to identify new ways to support public safety. In addition to reviewing police policies on use of force, we engaged the community in solutions and ultimately reformed the community's use of force policies through more than 15 new administrative orders.
We’re also proud to have been recognized with numerous awards, including earning a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign’s “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality” for 14 consecutive years.
To create inclusive workforces and inclusive products, companies must treat inclusion as a business innovation, explains Kedra Newsom Reeves, colead of BCG’s North America Center for Inclusion and Equity. Bridging the racial wealth gap requires committed resources and responsibilities.
In this moment of national reckoning, how can business leaders best show their support and advance racial equity in the workplace? By revitalizing their corporate purpose.
White families in the United States have a median wealth nearly 10 times greater than that of Black families. BCG Managing Director & Partner Kedra Newsom Reeves explores this racial wealth inequality, and outlines how financial institutions can support Black Americans.
Companies can’t capture the real value of a diverse workforce until they create an organizational culture that welcomes everyone—truly everyone—to participate.
Concerns about Black hesitancy during the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine have distracted health officials from the real issue: equitable access.
Despite efforts to promote equity, many employees say companies haven’t done enough. Creating an equitable environment goes beyond hiring a diverse team—and benefits the entire company.
The North America Center for Inclusion and Equity recognizes our alumni working to advance DEI. Winners have each been awarded $10,000, which they are donating to eligible organizations of their choosing.
