Part of the ongoing national reckoning on race has seen companies large and small examining their efforts around making their workplace a more welcoming environment for traditionally underrepresented groups. For change and transformation consultancy North Highland, diversity and inclusion are being brought to the forefront of the firm's overall strategic focus.
To that end, North Highland has promoted Dianne Bernez to Associate Vice President to lead efforts on deploying a comprehensive diversity and inclusion strategy spanning multiple internal and external touchpoints.
In her new global role, Bernez will be responsible for ensuring North Highland achieves the diversity and inclusion goals it's set out to achieve, as well as providing guidance for how the firm approaches problem solving for clients through an inclusive lens.
This will include defining a formal approach to supplier diversity and the launch of a new initiative related to procurement and vendor spend. She will also lead North Highland's I&D Committee, and will provide guidance to its employee resource groups including Black Employee Network; Black, Asian and Minority (BAME) Network in the UK; Women in North Highland; Pride Alliance; and Veterans at North Highland.
Bernez will report to Alex Bombeck, Managing Director and Group President, who also serves as executive sponsor for North Highland's diversity and inclusion efforts.
"As a people-centered firm, we believe in creating a sense of belonging and an environment where everyone is welcomed and appreciated for their personal capabilities, characteristics, contributions and diversity of background, thought and expertise," says Bombeck. "Dianne brings a unique global perspective and strategic approach, including direct work on complex race relations matters, that is integral in accelerating our ongoing inclusion and diversity efforts to create lasting change."
Benez has a long career supporting projects in pursuit of racial equity initiatives. She co-lead a multi-year race relations issue for a publicly traded firm, and was a core team member of a race relations and policing unit in Ontario, Canada. She's also held a number of senior-level roles in corporate communications and has served on a number of non-profit boards and community organizations focused on education, the arts, women's rights, and the needs of low-income communities.
She will continue to manage North Highland's philanthropic mission around economic empowerment, which was launched in 2016 to disrupt the root causes of poverty. Her efforts there include overseeing teams providing pro-bono consulting to non-profits with a focus on driving self-sufficiency for marginalized communities.
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