The Daily - February 20, 2020 - 8

Pulse
S N O W

THE

H E A D L I N E S

P O R T R A I T S

The Inclusivity
Imperative

O P I N I O N

S H O W

2 0 1 9

M A R K E T I N G

Blair Taylor shares
his wisdom.

AT CAMBER OUTDOORS' 2020

Thought Leader Keynote Breakfast on Day 3 of the Show, Emily
Newman, the organization's new
executive director, underscored
the importance of one of the
hottest topics at the Show: inclusion, equity, and diversity from a
global perspective.
"There is work to be done to
create workplaces for everyone in
this industry and beyond, as the
working population becomes more
diverse," Newman said.
"The corporate sector lags behind in representation, particularly
at the executive level. She pointed
out that the number of women
CEOs at Fortune 500 companies
sits at 4.8%.
"We all have a role in the positive change of building an inclusive culture in our workplaces,
where everyone feels they belong
at the table," she said, giving attendees ideas on how to navigate
a path forward. "We can examine
our practices with an equity lens,
and when that work is accomplished, diverse talent is attracted
and retained."

Blair Taylor, a partner at PwC
Consulting and the event's keynote speaker, shared some of the
lessons he's learned during his 25
years of working on organizational
leadership initiatives in the public,
private, and nonprofit sectors.
Before his time at PwC, Taylor
was the CEO of President Obama's
My Brother's Keeper Alliance
and the chief community officer
for Starbucks, where he led the
company's diversity and inclusion
and corporate social responsibility
task forces.
At the breakfast, Taylor talked
about the transformational era
that we are living in now: "We're
living through what may be the
most defining era in the history of
our nation. That should be something that is both daunting and
exciting for all of us," he said. "The
truth is the nation will not get to
where it needs to be if people in
rooms like this are not willing to
be engaged."
Taylor insisted that including
diversity, inclusion, and equity
work into a company's philosophy
is no longer simply a nice thing to

/ OUTDOOR + SNOW SHOW 2020

do-it is imperative to a brand's
survival. The low unemployment
rate means companies must compete for talent, and that, coupled
with the demands of the millennial workforce and population
and demographic shifts, means
brands must change the way they
present themselves and the types
of opportunities they offer.
"Vital topics such as economic
equity, access to the American dream, the survival of our
natural environment, even our
political system and government are now up for grabs in

many ways," Taylor said. "Add
the emergence of globalism, the
incredible advancements around
AI and quantum computing,
and the rapid ascent of nations
and new markets, and you have
a very serious set of issues-and
opportunities." Taylor went on to
say that how companies handle these issues will determine
whether or not the U.S. will
survive and thrive in the 21st
century. He believes that these
social and political challenges
are areas where corporations
can and should engage.

NIKKI SMITH

At the Camber Outdoors breakfast, speakers
urged brands to engage and adapt in order to
thrive in the 21st century. By Latria Graham

The Daily - February 20, 2020

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