In November 2012, Ernst & Young LLP hosted its annual Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum in Palm Springs, CA, an event that convenes more than 2,000 C-suite entrepreneurs and executives from high-growth companies across the US to forge connections and offer insights on leading business issues. At this year’s forum, Karyn Twaronite, Ernst & Young’s Americas Inclusiveness Officer, moderated a panel called “Diversity means business,” on the topic of strategic partnerships with women- and minority-owned businesses.
The panel featured several successful diversity-led relationships: Javara Perrilliat, Vice President, Global Supply Management for Owens & Minor, with William “Joe” Reubel, President/Chief Executive Officer, Kerma Medical Products, Inc.; and Keith Connolly, Vice President Consumer Supply Chain, AT&T Services, Inc., with Jessica Firestone, President & CEO, Tempest Telecom Solutions LLC. Sam Johnson, Ernst & Young LLP’s Northeast Sub-Area Accounts & Business Development Managing Partner, also joined the panel to give his viewpoint on the global organization Ernst & Young’s relationship with Mitchell & Titus, LLP.
Twaronite kicked off the discussion saying, “I really have a front-row seat in seeing how critically important diversity is to our business, but also to our customers.” She shared supporting information from a Fair360, formerly DiversityInc benchmarking study, noting it found a direct link between high spend with underrepresented communities and higher recruitment, retention, engagement and customer loyalty.
