Jessica Gemmell is the Supplier Diversity Program Lead/Global Procurement for Becton, Dickinson and Company. Her philosophy is that developing a successful supplier diversity program lies with both the connections made and the collaborative efforts. She focuses on developing connections with stakeholders and keeping them engaged in various ways to leverage their value. Collaborative efforts with stakeholders are possible on steering committees, advisory boards, consultative panels and special projects. Gemmell believes that engaging stakeholders in this way clearly communicates the value a supplier diversity program places on inclusion, and also empowers everyone involved to take ownership of the strategies they help define.
“Doing well by doing good” underlies Gemmell’s drive to grow supplier diversity. She believes there is sound business logic to being socially and ethically responsible. Operating on these principles, Gemmell drives inclusive practices in a corporate procurement organization to create tangible, sustainable, positive change at a community level, such as increasing health care access and unemployment reductions. Gemmell is driven by the awareness that she works every day to help make a positive impact on people’s lives.