DiversityInc interviewed 10 CEOs from this
year’s Top 50 companies. The following is a compilation of their thought-provoking responses:
DIVERSITYINC: WHAT HAPPENED
IN YOUR LIFE THAT MADE DIVERSITY
AN ISSUE YOU FELT YOU NEEDED
TO ADDRESS?
Alex Gorsky,
CEO, Novartis
Pharmaceutical
Corp., head of
Pharma North
America, and a West
Point graduate: The
Army prides itself
on being a reflection
of the nation. I met
the sons and daughters of America, who
arrived from New
York, California and
all points in
between, from all
different back-
grounds. More importantly, I learned how to
live with, work with, and serve with very
diverse teams and individuals. I quickly discovered no one had a lock on the right answers.
Alex Gorsky, CEO, Novartis
Pharmaceutical Corp.
Richard Kovacevich, chairman, president and CEO, Wells Fargo & Co.: My grandparents came to this country from Eastern
Europe as immigrants in the early 1900s to
pursue their hopes and their dreams … Their
experience gave me insight into the importance of diversity before it even became a
workplace term. Over the course of my
career, I’ve grown to understand and appreciate the power of diversity and how, when
managed effectively, diversity among team
members improves commitment, performance, creativity and innovation, all of which
lead to improved bottom-line results.
Tim Solso, chairman and CEO, Cummins: I
have a fundamental belief regarding the value
of diversity to our society. This and other
ideals were nurtured at DePauw University, the
small Midwestern college I attended. In
THE PARTICIPANTS
RICHARD MACEDONIA, president and CEO
Sodexho
No. 13 on the Top 50
ALEX GORSKY, CEO
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
No. 16 on the Top 50
WILLIAM C. WELDON, chairman and CEO
Johnson & Johnson
No. 17 on the Top 50
RICHARD T. CLARK, chairman,
president and CEO
Merck & Co.
No. 18 on the Top 50
BARRY SALZBERG, CEO
Deloitte & Touche USA
No. 19 on the Top 50
RICHARD KOVACEVICH, chairman and CEO
Wells Fargo & Co.
No. 20 on the Top 50
TIM SOLSO, chairman and CEO
Cummins
No. 38 on the Top 50
J. TERRENCE LANNI, chairman and CEO
MGM MIRAGE
No. 39 on the Top 50
THOMAS WILSON, president and CEO
Allstate
No. 40 on the Top 50
BRIAN ROBERTS, chairman and CEO
Comcast
No. 48 on the Top 50
Cummins, I found a company that shared my
values, as well as a mentor in J. Irwin Miller,
the former Cummins chairman and CEO,
who embraced diversity and encouraged us to
act with integrity in everything we do …
Bringing together people of different races,
genders, education, language, viewpoint and
experience achieves richness in ideas.
Barry Salzberg, CEO, Deloitte & Touche
USA: My Brooklyn roots made it a bit of a
