Gladys Lopez is the Global Head of Supplier Diversity at BNY Mellon where she is responsible for supplier diversity, strategic planning, diversity sourcing, and procurement, education, and outreach. She established the first mentoring program aimed at increasing diverse suppliers’ capabilities through guidance and feedback from BNY Mellon mentors. The first cohort consisted of five suppliers (mentees) paired with BNY Mellon employees (mentors) in a structured program that runs approximately 12 months. Gladys also established the Supplier Development Committee, which consists of seven BNY Mellon employees representing various Lines of Business/Functional Units. The Committee promotes an environment of learning and empowerment through open dialogue, provides support for supplier growth within the supply chain, and assesses potential partnerships to provide unbiased insights to stakeholders.
To establish a foundation for the Supplier Diversity program, Gladys instituted a unique Supplier Diversity policy. The policy led to the enlistment of 15 Supplier Diversity Advocates from category management teams and augmented the influence, scope, and credibility of the Supplier Diversity program. Contingent workforce spend with diverse suppliers is one of the many success stories.