Rakesh Nigam, CEO, Imagineers Group
Imagineers Group provides the firm with project management consultants for key global initiatives.
What main challenges do diverse companies often face?
Diverse companies can face challenges in recruiting and retaining diverse talent, addressing unconscious bias, building a diverse supplier network, and managing stakeholder expectations. It's important for companies to create inclusive recruitment practices, foster a welcoming workplace environment, actively address unconscious bias, seek out and do business with diverse suppliers, and be transparent about diversity and inclusion efforts to effectively navigate these challenges.
How have the resources provided by Goldman Sachs enabled you to achieve your mission, maximize inclusive impact and/or grow your business?
The opportunity to partner with Goldman Sachs has been transformational. As an organization, we have been able to activate a series of diverse networks and have been successful in recruiting and retaining the talent. The consultants have been excited to work on projects for Goldman Sachs and the experiences will only help create a stronger foundation for each of them. Imagineers has also been able to strengthen its diverse partnerships, seeking out like-minded businesses and organizations to help deliver value back to Goldman Sachs.
Overall, embracing diversity and inclusion as core values, and taking concrete steps to recruit, retain, and empower diverse employees, has helped us achieve our mission, maximize our inclusive impact, and grow together.
What’s next on your journey as a business and what resources will be critical?
There are several steps we will take to continue growing our business and expand our impact. These include building strong relationships with customers, expanding our network, investing in marketing, and branding, and building capacity and expertise.
Receiving unparalleled support from iconic brands such as Goldman Sachs only serve to accelerate these goals and ambitions.
To continue to take positive steps toward a more diverse and inclusive world, what do more brands need to do?
More diverse and inclusive world, more brands need to commit to these values, taking action to address biases and inequalities, diversifying their talent pool, collaborating with diverse partners, and using their platform to promote diversity and inclusion.
The work Goldman Sachs has done (and continues to do) is an example to the industry. Being prepared to track, measure and report against these activities demonstrates a true commitment. Meeting the 2025 goal in 2023 is an outstanding achievement by all involved.
Overall, taking concrete steps to promote diversity and inclusion is critical for brands to create a more equitable and inclusive world. By committing to these values, taking action to address biases and inequalities, and engaging with diverse communities, brands can create a positive impact and help drive meaningful change.
What's one thing you wish others knew about the power of a diverse supply chain and the impact it can have on underrepresented communities more broadly?
One thing I wish others knew about the power of a diverse supply chain and the impact it can have on underrepresented communities is that it can create a ripple effect of positive change. When businesses partner with diverse suppliers, they not only support these suppliers directly, but also create opportunities for these businesses to grow and thrive.
As these diverse suppliers succeed, they in turn can create jobs, invest in their communities, and support other businesses within their networks. This can help create a virtuous cycle of economic growth and development that benefits not just the individual businesses involved, but also the broader community.
By supporting diverse suppliers, businesses can help create more equitable opportunities for underrepresented communities and help break down the barriers that have traditionally limited access to economic success.