Melinda (Mindy) Holden is the Senior Vice-President, Procurement and Real Estate for the Adecco Group. Mindy has more than 20 years of experience designing, leading, and implementing a broad range of corporate initiatives, and is using her experience to amplify the company’s supplier diversity practices. Prior to joining the Adecco Group, Mindy initiated a supplier diversity program where none existed. After presenting the business case and ROI of the program to top leaders, she proved the importance of the program to business sustainability. Though they supported the philosophy of diversity, Mindy had to provide a strong business case in order to obtain the staff and other resources needed.
The steps Mindy took to build a successful diversity program included hiring a supplier diversity leader and an analyst. She then focused on educating internal stakeholders, including the procurement team. Mindy and her staff also attended conferences to meet diverse suppliers, a process that steadily grew the diverse supplier base. Today, she describes herself as a curious leader because there is always something to learn by asking questions and truly listening.