Diversity Stars announces 2020’s TOP50 Most Influential D&I Stars

For the second year running, Diversity Stars has named the TOP50 Most Influential Diversity Stars of 2020. Honourees on this list have demonstrated that they are among the most influential Chiefs of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) of 2020. “These leaders are all bonafide trailblazers,” according to Diversity Stars’ Co-founder Christian Monk. “Their work has global relevance and has had a significant impact on the innovation and validation of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the enterprise across all industries and verticals.”

This year’s list welcomes 35 new Freshmen into the list. 2020’s Top 50 Freshman, Michael Lopez, VP & Chief Diversity Officer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. “Grateful to be recognised as a TOP50 Most Influential Diversity Stars of 2020,” stated Lopez. “Honoured to work with 60,000 team members at Hewlett Packard Enterprise who, like me, believe in ‘Yes We Can’.”

TESTING TIMES

Another new addition to the list is Amir Kabel, Global Head & Director of D&I at Burberry. “In these testing times across the world, it’s nice to get some good news for a change,” commented Kabel. ” I was completely surprised and grateful to have been recognised in the Top 50 Most Influential Diversity Star 2020. This recognition is for the people who have helped me in my journey so far. What these last few weeks have taught me is that we will get through these tough times as a collective, as a community, and as one unit.”

There are also 15 executives graduating to the sophomore class of the Top 50 Diversity Stars that have been honoured for a second consecutive year, including Ben-Saba Hasan, SVP, Chief Culture D&I Officer at Walmart, who last year, went on to be chosen as the “Most Influential Diversity Star of 2019” (as reported).

2020 TOP 50 DIVERSITY STARS

This year’s Top 50 Diversity Stars include:

• Ben Hasan, Senior Vice President & Chief Culture, D&I Officer, Walmart Inc.
• Nzinga “Zing” Shaw, Global Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer, Starbucks 
• Annie Wu, Chief Diversity Officer – Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity, H&M Group
• Lori George Billinsley, Global Chief D&I Officer, Coca Cola
• Latondra Newton, Senior VP and Chief Diversity Officer, The Walt Disney Company
• Wendy Lewis, Chief Global Diversity Officer & VP Community Engagement, McDonald’s
• Elizabeth Nieto, Head of Global D&I, Amazon
• Maxine Williams, Global Head of Diversity, Facebook.
• Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Chief Diversity Officer, Microsoft
• Jon Muñoz, VP of Global D&I,  Hilton
• Tia Silas, VP, Chief D&I Officer, IBM
• Sara Bowen, Vice President, Global D&I, Boeing
• Michelle Gadsden-Williams, Managing Director, Inclusion & Diversity Lead, Accenture
• Tamika Curry Smith, VP, Global D&I, Nike
• Wanda Hope, Chief D&I Officer, Johnson & Johnson Worldwide
• Ken Charles, Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer, American Airlines
• Caroline A Wanga, Chief Culture, D&I Officer, VY HR, Target
• Amir Kabel, Global Head/Director of D&I, Burberry
• Christie Smith, VP Inclusion & Diversity, Apple
• Orly Lynn, Head of Inclusion & Diversity, Commvault
• Kevin Clayton, VP Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement, Cleveland Cavalier Operating Company
• Mita Mallick, Head of Diversity & Cross Cultural Marketing, Unilever
• Lybra Clemons, Global Head of D&I, PayPal
• David King III, Head of Employee Experience, Diversity & Belonging, Shopify
• Damien Hooper-Campbell, VP, Chief Diversity Officer, eBay
• Suzanne  McGovern, Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Talent at Splunk
• Erika Irish Brown, Chief Diversity Officer, Goldman Sachs.
• Michele C. Meyer-Shipp, Principal and Chief D&I Officer, KPMG 
• Rosanna Durruthy, VP, Global Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, LinkedIn
• Lori Costew, Chief Diversity Officer and People Strategy at Ford Motor Company
• Dr Terri Cooper, Chief Inclusion Officer, Deloitte
• Melissa Thomas-Hunt, Head of Global Diversity & Belonging at Airbnb
• Angela Roseboro, Chief Diversity Officer and Talent Acquisition Lead at Riot Games
• Quita Highsmith, Vice-President and Chief Diversity Officer at Genentech
• Oona King is VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Snap
• Gerri Mason Hall, Sodexo’s SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, North America,
• Jiun Kimm, Global Head of D&I, Samsung NEXT
• Nadine Redd Blackburn, Head of Inclusion, Diversity & Corporate Social Responsibility at Electronic Arts
• Oris Stuart, Executive Vice President, Chief D&I Officer at the National Basketball Association 
• Lesley Slaton Brown, Chief Diversity Officer at HP Inc.
• Jonathan Mayes, Senior VP of External Affairs & Chief Diversity Officer at Albertsons
• Keyra Lynn Johnson,  Managing Director and Chief D&I Officer, Delta Air Lines
• James Heighington , Head of Diversity Strategy, Google
• Michael Lopez, Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Denise Reed Lamoreaux, Global Chief Diversity Officer, Atos
• John Lino, Chief Diversity Officer, Reed Smith LLP
• Trina Scott, Chief Diversity Officer, Quicken Loans
• Tyronne Stoudemire, Vice President Global D&I, Hyatt Corporation
• James Wright, Global Head of DE&I Business Partners, GBO, Google
• Sharawn Connors, VP, DE&I, Micron Technology

Click here for the full list and profiles. Diversity Stars will be hosting a Virtual Diversity Summit on May 13-15, 2020, at its Virtual DEI Campus to honour those on the list.

RETREAT FOR DIVERSITY

Diversity Stars has built the world’s first, always-on 3D immersive, collaborative event campus dedicated to fostering community engagement, togetherness and presence for DEI professionals. Each year the platform recognises the TOP50 Most Influential Diversity Stars, TOP50 CEOs Driving Diversity and the TOP100 Employers for Diversity (as reported). It also organises an annual Retreat for Diversity, as well as Virtual Diversity Summits.

Unfortunately, this year Diversity Stars’ annual event Retreat for Diversity has been postponed due to growing concerns stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak. Howver, it has been rescheduled for 6th-8^th October 2020 at the original venue, the Beverly Hills Marriott.

While most startup organisations have been forced to close their doors and lay off employees, Diversity Stars says it has taken a “gamble and invested in transforming the way we connect and engage thought leaders”. 

Adversity presents unique opportunities for leading brands to “differentiate themselves through empathetic leadership, organisational equity, and inclusion of the diverse needs of their workforce”, according to Diversity Stars’ Christian Monk. “The DE&I leaders in these organisations will take the stage as the front-line communicators and thought leaders, paving the way. These leaders will set new precedents for the future of work. We are honoured to take part in shaping the future of work in innovative new ways.”

Click here for more information about Diversity Star’s Virtual Campus and here for more about its next online event.