Close filter
Functions

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Two criteria are critical for organizations to win in today’s competitive, fast-moving environment: First, build agile, high-performing teams; and second, create a culture of innovation in which these teams can operate.  

We believe that both goals require diverse corporate cultures. Innovation happens by bringing together individuals who share a common purpose but who have diverse outlooks and approaches. When employees feel their contributions are valued, they feel confident presenting their ideas, no matter how radical.

At Egon Zehnder, our Diversity and Inclusion Practice works with clients across industries and regions to build diverse leadership teams in inclusive cultures by addressing recruitment, integration, and development practices for diverse talent. We believe inclusive organizations with diverse leadership at the top get more out of their talent and therefore deliver better performance. 

  • Recruitment: We help clients consider what types of diverse talent would add to their cultures. We help them map diverse talent, create bespoke strategic introduction programs, and build diverse candidate slates. 

  • Integration: Our accelerated integration and team effectiveness tools are uniquely helpful when integrating diverse talent into a new organization or a new role. Investing time identifying and working through gaps between a new leader’s approach and that of the team or culture she joins is critical to help ensure successful onboarding for both the leader and the team.  

  • Development: Our proprietary Potential Model helps identify diverse talent with the essential attributes needed to advance into leadership roles of greater scope and complexity. We help our clients build succession plans that are inclusive of diverse candidates using Potential Assessments as well as leadership development plans and talent management systems.
     


As leadership advisors, we take our role in helping guide and craft diverse, inclusive cultures with our clients very seriously, and we have made bold and public commitments to that end. Our Leaders and Daughters Initiative is an annual global forum inviting today’s leaders to create a more inclusive environment for the next generation of female leaders — their daughters and mentees. Our 25 by 25 Initiative partners with clients and candidates to reach the goal of 25 female CEOs of FTSE 100 companies by 2025. We have established partnerships with diversity and inclusion practitioners around the globe — Catalyst, Paradigm for Parity, the 30% Club, and the Executive Leadership Council, to name a few. Together with our clients and our partners, we are changing the face of global corporate leadership — for the better. You can view Egon Zehnder's commitment to diversity and diversity initiatives here.
 

 

Feature
LGBTQ+ Diversity and Inclusion: Our Commitment and Responsbility
Egon Zehnder committed to be more focused on and supportive of driving LGBTQ+ diversity and representation across the leadership spectrum, partnering with our clients to create more diverse candidate slates, opening up their understanding of LGBTQ+ diversity and experience and advising them on building and fostering inclusive cultures and psychological safety.
Learn more

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultants

Cynthia Soledad

Cynthia Soledad

Chicago

Global Lead

Cynthia Soledad, based in Chicago, coleads Egon Zehnder’s Diversity and Inclusion Practice and is an active member of the firm’s Consumer and Chief… Read more

Dede Orraca-Cecil

Dede Orraca-Cecil

Boston

US Lead

Dede Orraca-Cecil, based in Boston, is a member of Egon Zehnder’s Consumer Practice where serves clients in the Media, Entertainment, and lifestyle… Read more

Andrea Kilpatrick

Andrea Kilpatrick

New York

Andrea is a leader in Egon Zehnder’s Media, Entertainment and Sports Practice where she leads the firm’s work with “creators”. Partnering with the… Read more

Bhawana Malhotra

Bhawana Malhotra

New York

Bhawana Malhotra, based in New York, is a core leader in our Global Healthcare Practice and also leads Egon Zehnder’s Global Culture Practice. Read more

Kenna Baudin

Kenna Baudin

New York

Based in New York, Kenna Wyllie Baudin serves as Global Head of Private Capital. She focuses on senior-level executives at private capital funds… Read more

Calvin Yee

Calvin Yee

New York, Los Angeles

Calvin Yee, based in New York and Los Angeles, is the Head, Global Media, & Entertainment, a leader in the Sports & Digital Practice and serves… Read more

Charles Gray

Charles Gray

New York

Charles “Chuck” Gray, based in New York, co-leads Egon Zehnder's newly formed US CEO and Board Practice. Read more

Manuel Waenke

Manuel Waenke

New York

Based in New York City, Manuel Waenke advises companies and organizations on key leadership challenges and executive recruitment. Read more

Irina Wolpert

Irina Wolpert

New York

Based in New York, Irina Wolpert is a sought-after member of Egon Zehnder’s Technology & Communications, Financial Services, and FinTech practices. Read more

Erin Maier

Erin Maier

New York

Erin Maier, based in New York, is an active member of Egon Zehnder’s Digital and FinTech practices while also covering media and technology. Read more

Ashley Ma

Ashley Ma

New York

Based in New York, Ashley Ma is a core member of Egon Zehnder’s Financial Services and Technology and Communications Practices. Read more

Tim McNicholas

Tim McNicholas

Boston Office Leader

Tim McNicholas is the Managing Partner of Egon Zehnder’s Boston office and leads our Human Resource practice in the United States. Read more

Julie Kalt

Julie Kalt

Boston

Julie Kalt, based in Boston, is a leader in Egon Zehnder’s Leadership Advisory Practice. Julie partners with clients on leadership assessment… Read more

Martha Williams

Martha Williams

Boston

Martha Williams, based in Boston, advises companies in the retail and consumer sectors. She is a valued partner to leading national and global clients… Read more

Kristen Burke

Kristen Burke

Atlanta

Kristen Burke, based in Atlanta, leads in the firm’s Human Resource Officer practice at the intersection of Consumer and Technology… Read more

Karl Alleman

Karl Alleman

Chicago

Karl Alleman has a long track record of helping large multinationals, family-owned enterprises, and private equity firms solve their most important… Read more


Thought Leadership | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Read more insights
DEI Isn’t Divisive—It’s Unifying

DEI Isn’t Divisive—It’s Unifying

Serious criticisms about organizational diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have been leveled periodically over the last 3.5 years in response to the increased focus… Read more

Search 2.0: The Future of Leadership Appointments

Search 2.0: The Future of Leadership Appointments

Search 2.0 is a revolutionary approach designed for organizations on their DE&I journey. It’s not a diversity-focused template, but for all future leadership appointments. Read more

2022/23 Global Board Diversity Tracker: Who's Really on Board?

2022/23 Global Board Diversity Tracker: Who's Really on Board?

For over 18 years, Egon Zehnder has been tracking boardroom diversity around the world. The 2022–2023 Global Board Diversity Tracker captures the progress that… Read more

Reversing the “She-cession”: Retaining and Empowering Female Leaders

Reversing the “She-cession”: Retaining and Empowering Female Leaders

Globally, women lost jobs due to the pandemic at a rate 1.8 times greater than men. Egon Zehnder conducted a survey with 300 C-Suite… Read more

Get On Board: The Latino Impact

Get On Board: The Latino Impact

To showcase top Latina and Latino talent in the U.S., LCDA and Egon Zehnder launched a video series featuring nine distinguished Latino and Latina… Read more

Blazing a Trail: Women in Leadership | International Women's Day

Blazing a Trail: Women in Leadership | International Women's Day

Celebrating women in leadership this International Women’s Day, we bring the highlights from our conversations with exceptionally accomplished female leaders from versatile industries and… Read more

How Technology Can Reduce Burnout Among Women in STEM

How Technology Can Reduce Burnout Among Women in STEM

SpiceWorks discusses how women in STEM can feel more supported, citing Egon Zehnder research that reveals higher rates of burnout among women, attributing it… Read more

Leveraging Female Leadership

Leveraging Female Leadership

Explore the evolving landscape of gender diversity in Danish corporate leadership with Female Force 2025's second report. Read more

Unraveling Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Metrics in the Financial Sector

Unraveling Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Metrics in the Financial Sector

The financial sector grapples with stark disparities, with only 9% of global Investment Committee members being women and Black professionals comprising just 7% of… Read more

How Leaders' Personal Preferences Affect Shareholder Value

How Leaders' Personal Preferences Affect Shareholder Value

Our work with leaders worldwide has identified several leading practices for uncovering and preventing behaviors that lead to culture destruction. Read more

CEO Insights — Volume 41: Reaffirming the Business Case for DEI in a Post-Affirmative Action World

CEO Insights — Volume 41: Reaffirming the Business Case for DEI in a Post-Affirmative Action World

The commitment to inclusion, equity and diversity in businesses can – and should – stay on course. Read more

Blazing a Trail: Women in Leadership | Radhika Gupta

Blazing a Trail: Women in Leadership | Radhika Gupta

Radhika Gupta, CEO of Edelweiss Asset Management, delves into the experiences that have shaped her as a leader. Read more

Changing language
Close icon

You are switching to an alternate language version of the Egon Zehnder website. The page you are currently on does not have a translated version. If you continue, you will be taken to the alternate language home page.

Continue to the website

Back to top