COMPANIES FOR
DIVERSITY
AT&T
No. 3
Edward E. Whitacre Jr.,
Chairman and CEO
Belinda
Grant-Anderson,
Vice President,
Leadership
Development
and Diversity
WHY IT’S ON THE TOP 50:
The telecom industry long has been
a national leader in Supplier
Diversity, and this company also
excels at its Human Capital demographics and its Corporate
Communications, especially its
diversity training, which is mandatory for the entire work force. AT&T
has merged four companies, three of
which have been Top 50 mainstays—SBC Communications,
BellSouth and Cingular Wireless.
DESCRIPTION: Largest telecom in the
United States, with more than 66.5
million access lines in service.
DIVERSITY STRENGTHS: Fifty percent
of its new hires are people of color,
compared with 42 percent for the
Top 50. The U.S. work force has 29
percent people of color. Of its female
workers, 46 percent are women of
color, compared with 38 percent for
the Top 50. In management, the
demographics for women and people
of color also are strong. For example,
42 percent of women in management received promotions, compared
with 34 percent for the Top 50. For
Supplier Diversity, AT&T provides
financial assistance to its diverse suppliers (only 57 percent of the Top 50
do this) and mentors them as well
( 84 percent of the Top 50 do this).
FROM CHAIRMAN AND CEO EDWARD
E. WHITACRE JR.: “AT&T is dedicated to having a diverse and
inclusive work force and to work-
Specialty Lists: No. 1 on the Top 10 Companies
for African Americans and No. 3 on the Top 10
Companies for Recruitment & Retention lists
Industry: Telecommunications
Main Competitors: Verizon, Sprint Nextel,
Cox Communications, Comcast,
Time Warner Cable
U.S. Headquarters: San Antonio, Texas
Number of U.S. Employees: 300,237
Annual Revenue: $117.3 billion
of Operations Outside U.S.: Not available
Key Personnel: Edward E. Whitacre Jr.,
chairman and CEO; Belinda Grant-Anderson,
vice president, leadership development
and diversity
ing with diverse suppliers to serve
our customers. Diversity makes
AT&T a better company. It helps
make us an employer of choice, a
preferred business partner and an
important contributor to the communities we serve.”
FROM BELINDA GRANT-ANDERSON,
VICE PRESIDENT, LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSITY: “At
AT&T, diversity is more than the
right thing to do—it’s a ‘must do’
if we are to be successful in the
marketplace. We include diversity
in all aspects of our business and
focus on fostering an inclusive
environment for all employees. We
know this strategy gives AT&T a
competitive edge.”
RECENT DIVERSITY SUCCESS: In
2005, AT&T’s tuition program
assisted more than 3,500 candidates, 58 percent of whom were
women and 37 percent of whom
were people of color.
