Christine A. Leahy

“Number one, I think supplier diversity is the right thing to do. And at CDW, we're starting to call this business diversity, not just supplier diversity, because it's really business partnerships. 40% of the businesses that go through our supplier diversity channel are servicing businesses. So thinking about it in a broader context has become important for us as we think about the future… Number two, it creates economic opportunity and impact in our communities at scale. It enhances the inclusive economic growth, and that's very important in today's world. Number three, it undeniably generates business value for CDW and all of our stakeholders. And number four, it helps us to build, attract and retain talent, which is getting more and more difficult in today's environment.”

“So technology is thriving and what that means is we at CDW and others have an opportunity to use our position, our scale and our reach to help generate good jobs, a strong and sustainable economy, innovation and a healthy environment and economic opportunity for all. So it's the right thing to do. Secondly, on the creation of economic opportunity and enhancing inclusive economic growth, obviously what we do fosters jobs and economic activity in underrepresented and underserved segments of the community. And the practices provide opportunities for diverse businesses and that in turn provides greater representation, employment and economic advantage for minority women, veterans, LGBTQ communities, disabled communities and the economic impact of spending with a supplier is greater than the direct purchases because of the economic ripple effect.”