Over 300 corporate supplier diversity professionals came together recently at the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) Business Diversity Leadership Summit (BDLS) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This membership benefit for NMSDC corporate members reflects NMSDC’s shift in focus from supplier diversity to business diversity. The 2024 BDLS programming was designed by a committee of NMSDC’s top corporate leaders and focused on the following topics:
- Best practices in supplier diversity and how to shift to a business diversity strategy.
- Content focus on innovation, career development and learning solutions to meet supplier/business diversity professionals where they are.
- Soft skill development in executive presence, board development, career acceleration, technical skills, business case creation, supply chain management and available certifications that help support career goals.
BDLS kicked off with an in-depth technical workshop hosted by Dupont’s Luis Concepcion and ISM’s Jim Fleming covering the topics of strategic sourcing, negotiation, legal and contractual management, supplier relationship management and supplier diversity.
Following a brief break for lunch, NMSDC hosted an opening plenary featuring a robust discussion of AI’s implications for businesses, the current state of DEI in America and a sneak preview of the supplier diversity documentary, 51%: The Certification of Our Blackness, A Supplier Diversity Documentary.
On day two of the summit, attendees were able to choose from two different training tracks: one for those just getting started in supplier diversity, and another for those looking for more advanced training. The former included sessions with insights from companies like Toyota, Right Sourcing by Magnit, Fortive, Volvo Group NA, Bristol Meyers Squibb and American Water. Meanwhile, the advanced tracked included in-depth learning opportunities from companies like VistraCorp, Atrium Health, Ford Motor Company, ExxonMobil, UPMC and Skanska.
On the final day of BDLS, attendees came back together for a closing plenary that featured a fireside chat with Bristol Meyer’s Squibb’s Tarrance Frierson, Tasmin Davidds of the Dr. Yasmin Davidds Leadership Institute and Global LeaderSHYFT’s Steven Jones. Before leaving Pittsburgh, attendees were treated to a demo of NMSDC’s new MBE search experience—a key feature of NMSDC’s efforts to provide a more modernized and streamlined experience for its corporate members.
This year’s Business Diversity Leadership Summit provided corporate members the essential training they need to help NMSDC reach its shared goal of $1 trillion in NMSDC-certified MBE revenue. We look forward to continuing the conversation and discussing how corporate America can assist in defining new norms at the 2024 NMSDC Annual Conference & Exchange taking place in Atlanta, Georgia on Oct. 20-23. Learn how you can join at nmsdcconference.org/2024.
Interested in becoming a NMSDC corporate member? Learn more atnmsdc.org/join/become-a-corporate-member.
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