Page 116 - Forbes - USA (October 2019)

PROMOTION
members are active donors and also SUHVLGHQW DQG FKLHI RSHUDWLQJ RIŻFHU ZKR
serve on HBCU boards and advisory had a long career in both corporate and
committees. Names of ELC members public service before joining The ELC,
who are interested in serving as HBCU has been overwhelmed with the mem-
trustees are shared with HBCU presi- bership’s potential for contributing to the
dents as well as CBC members. greater good. “I’ve been here less than a
year, and I’ve met black leaders in posi-
PHILANTHROPY WITH tions of great authority and power. When
COMMUNITY AT THE CENTER I tell teenagers that the CEO of Carnival
After 33 years of a largely inward-facing Corporation is black, they are astonished.
focus—developing black leadership for I want all young people to know these
corporate America—The ELC is continu- people exist. It gives them inspiration to
ing its shift to a more outward-facing keep going, to know you can actually
focus: to be a more effective voice on accomplish incredible success.”
longer-term issues facing the black Leatherberry believes deeply in the
community. “We members are making promise of this philanthropy pivot: “As
changes in the companies where we leaders, we have great impact when we
lead,” says Ashby, “but we live in a sphere act collectively and with intention.”
that is much broader than the corporate, The first focus in what Leatherberry
entrepreneurial or thought leader space. predicts will be “an umbrella of philan-
We are not just experts at our jobs; we thropic programs and activities” is her
are experts at being black there, about Chair’s Initiative to increase the number
being black in America. We have to of black men with college degrees and
share that with our community.” to see them pursuing viable careers. Wil-
Kelly Veney Darnell, ELC executive vice lie Deese, chair of The ELC Board’s new
AIG’s Commitment to
Diversity & Inclusion
The diversity of our workforce is one
of AIG’s greatest assets and brings
us great pride.
Our colleagues show us how to
better understand our clients,
incre ase innova t ion and
reduce risk. That’s why, as
part of our journey to build
the AIG of the future, we
are focused on foster-
ing a culture of inclusion
that is designed to attract,
d e v e l o p a n d r e t a i n
diverse talent.
AIG has built a coordi-
nated portfolio of Human
Capital initiatives in our
goal to be the most-valued
insurer for our stakehold-
ers. Our Diversity & Inclusion
programs include the active
participation of more than 10,000
members of more than 130 Employee
Resource Groups (ERGs) around the
26 | DIVERSITY
Philanthropic Advisory Committee, relays
these statistics: “As of 2016, at all levels
of HBCU degree-granting institutions,
virtually two-thirds of associate, bache-
lor, master and doctorate degrees were
awarded to female students.”
Leatherberry warns, “If we don’t start
correcting that imbalance now, in 30
years we’ll be facing the same set of
challenges. This is not something that
can change overnight.”
“HBCUs still overproduce black doc-
tors, lawyers, engineers and Ph.D.s as a
percentage of their student body,” says
Granger, “so they are the appropriate
focus for the Chair’s Initiative. We know
which HBCUs have marketing, business
or science programs, which ones are
open to partnerships. Now it’s just about
aligning the resources.”
A second philanthropic path already
underway is addressing the persis-
tent and growing wealth gap between
blacks and whites in America, the focus
of the Black Economic Forum (BEF),
world. The ERGs represent areas
of focus that matter to our employ-
ees and our clients, such as gender
equality and identity, sexual orienta-
tion, race, ethnicity, diverse abilities,
generational differences and military
experience.
In 2019, AIG was recognized for
the second consecutive year as
one of DiversityInc’s Top 50 Com-
panies for Diversity, thanks to our
commitment to talent pipeline and
development, leadership account-
ability and supplier diversity.
AIG’s Executive Leadership Team
and Board make diversity and inclu-
sion a priority and receive regular
briefings on our progress. Increasing
diversity remains an important part
of the company’s fabric and culture.
We will continue to come up with new
ways to ensure a diverse workforce
and a welcoming environment for all.