Keya Grant, Global Supplier Inclusion Director at WestRock, uses innovative approaches to develop a more expansive and inclusive supplier diversity program. Changing people's perspectives is often difficult, so Keya uses a subtle approach to convince people to trust recommendations for diverse suppliers. In one situation, a colleague would only consider suppliers he already knew. Keya invited him to join a MWBE mentoring session, quarterly business reviews where supplier diversity program successes were highlighted, and other diversity events. The successful approach led to inclusion of more diverse suppliers.
As an initiator, Keya has many success stories. One she is proud of is WestRock’s participation in the Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection, a year-long mentoring program that matches a large corporation with a small business. WestRock's Protégé was Six Consulting Corporation. The small business met with the WestRock’s C-suite, key stakeholders in sales, information technology and communication team leaders. Six Consulting Corporation also gained knowledge on how to negotiate contracts and maximize their time and presence at trade shows and business opportunity fairs. Before the year was over, Six Consulting Corporation was awarded two WestRock RFPs. Under Keya’s leadership over the past 3 years, WestRock has been recognized with 10 awards of distinction by customers and regional diversity councils.