COMPANIES FOR
DIVERSITY
BANK OF AMERICA
Kenneth D. Lewis,
Chairman and CEO
Geri Thomas,
Global Diversity and
Inclusion Executive
and Global Consumer
and Small-Business
Banking Staffing
Executive
No. 1
WHY IT’S ON THE TOP 50:
CEO Commitment to diversity
is paramount. Bank of America’s
chairman and CEO, Kenneth D.
Lewis, is personally responsible for
appointing members of the diversi-
ty council and meets regularly with
employee-resource groups. The
diversity commitment is very
strong across all the areas measured:
Human Capital, CEO
Commitment, Corporate
Communications and Supplier
Diversity. The company tracks
GLBT suppliers, which only 22
percent of Top 50 companies and
virtually no other companies do.
DESCRIPTION: Nation’s first coast-to-coast bank, with more than 5,800
locations in 30 states.
DIVERSITY STRENGTHS: Forty-four
percent of the company’s work force
is people of color, compared with
34 percent of the Top 50. Also, 55
percent of new hires are people of
color, compared with 42 percent for
the Top 50. But hiring is only the
beginning. More telling is the company’s unbiased retention. This is
evident when examining company
retention across its management
structure. Bank of America retains
90 percent of its white managers, 90
percent of black managers, 89 percent of Asian managers and 88 percent of Latino managers.
FROM CEO KENNETH D. LEWIS: “Our
commitment to diversity is a com-
Specialty Lists: No. 1 on the Top 10 Companies
for Recruitment & Retention, No. 1 on the
Top 10 Companies for Executive Women,
No. 3 on the Top 10 Companies for Latinos,
No. 6 on the Top 10 Companies for Supplier
Diversity, No. 8 on the Top 10 Companies for
Asian Americans, and No. 3 on the Top 10
Companies for GLBT Employees lists
Industry: Financial Services
Main Competitors: Citigroup, Wachovia,
Wells Fargo
U.S. Headquarters: Charlotte, N.C.
Number of U.S. Employees: 203,425
Annual Revenue: $74.2 billion
of Operations Outside U.S.:
10
Key Personnel: Kenneth D. Lewis, chairman
and CEO; Geri Thomas, global diversity and
inclusion executive and global consumer and
small-business banking staffing executive
mitment to individuals and to the
team. It’s about creating an environment in which all associates can fulfill their potential without barriers,
and in which the team is made
stronger by the diverse backgrounds,
experiences and perspectives of individuals. It’s about giving all of us—
individually and together—the best
possible chance to succeed.”
FROM GERI THOMAS, GLOBAL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION EXECUTIVE:
“I can’t emphasize enough just
how important—and real—
diversity is at Bank of America.
Everything we do in the company
supports one of our core values:
inclusive meritocracy.”
RECENT DIVERSITY SUCCESS: Elected
Monica Lozano, publisher of the
nation’s largest Spanish-language
newspaper, to the board of directors.
