Kristin Malek, Director of Business Diversity for CDW, names top-down leadership, measurement, and accountability as the three critical elements of a successful supplier diversity program. She believes diversity professionals must be invested in, trained, and mentored for the always-evolving role, and need access to tangible resources to grow the supplier diversity program. Malek’s team partners with industry organizations and advocacy groups to identify diverse suppliers and learn best practices. Under her leadership, CDW was inducted into the Billion Dollar Roundtable and named a Supplier Diversity Excellence Champion by Gartner.
To stay ahead of rapid changes in the tech and social changes in diverse supplier communications, Kristin and her team members attend conferences, network with other professionals, and partner with diverse suppliers and advocacy organizations. She fosters innovation in the supplier community by providing resources, mentoring, and support. Kristin firmly believes that top management support is critical to the success of the supplier diversity program. CDW’s management publicly supports the diversity program, encourages active employee participation, allocates resources, and holds leaders accountable. Kristin tracks supplier metrics and monitors progress to ensure supplier diversity remains a priority.