50 Best Companies For Diversity

Meet the corporations that have committed to take action so that African American stakeholders can reap the benefits of inclusion

- Lisa Fraser

Hundreds of business leaders and senior executives gathered at the hot-ticket corporate event in early October: The 2018 Executive Leadership Council Recognition Gala. At the black-tie affair, the leading organization for black global senior executives celebrated, as its president & CEO Otha “Skip” Spriggs III stated, “the exceptional work of executives and companies that are champions of inclusion.”

That night, the spotlight shone brightly on JPMorgan Chase & Co., recipient of this year’s ELC Corporate Award. “JPMorgan Chase has long believed in the power of diversity and inclusion. We know that the diversity of our people makes us stronger and better as a company and as individuals,” Valerie Rainford, head of Advancing Black Leaders & Diversity Advancement Strategies, told attendees in accepting the honor on behalf of her company. “More than knowing it, JPMorgan Chase is taking intentional action to embed diversity in every level of our organization. We’re doing this by implementing a targeted strategy focused on attracting, hiring, retaining, and advancing black talent firm wide. Critical to the success of any bold strategy of this kind is the commitment and support of JPMorgan Chase’s leadership team. But no one has been more committed to increasing black representation at JPMorgan Chase than our Chairman & CEO Jamie Dimon.”