Theresa Harrison, Global Director, ESG & Enablement Services Leader for EY, follows four key business principles in building and growing the supplier diversity program. First, she developed a business case by performing a gap analysis to gauge the supplier diversity program against leading competitors. Second, Theresa integrated processes by implementing a supplier diversity policy that applies to all business units and categories of spend, and developed a robust reporting mechanism. Third, she deployed robust P2P technology that captures and reports on supplier diversity capabilities. Fourth, Theresa aligns people within the organization to shift the company’s strategic focus and embed diverse suppliers that meet or exceed business expectations.
Theresa’s focus has shifted from supplier diversity spend to impact, measuring true ROI from the supplier diversity program and its initiatives. Focus areas include promoting innovation through productive relationships with diverse suppliers, establishing mentorship frameworks, and measuring the economic impact of diverse suppliers. The Entrepreneurs Access Network annual report outlines the impact EY is driving in the diverse business community, including funding support and the headcount increase.