Supplier Diversity and Sustainable Procurement Synergies

Supplier Diversity is a critical opportunity for any robust sustainable procurement program, yet many organizations still manage and administer its function independent of addressing other environmental, social, and economic sustainability issues of purchasing, potentially missing opportunities to drive greater positive impact through a system-level approach.   

But, that is rapidly changing! Many organizations are recognizing synergies and capturing scale by bringing these activities together – increasing the diversity of their suppliers while at the same time performing capacity building on environmental issues such as climate change and growing local economies.

In this webinar, we will share case studies from two such journeys, providing lessons learned and best practices obtained through the organizational merging of supplier diversity and sustainability programs. Join us for this deep-dive into programs specifically designed to advance multiple sustainability initiatives in harmony with one another.

Presenters: 

Andrew Baer, Head of Procurement Sustainability at S&P Global

Andrew Baer was named S&P Global’s first ever Head of Procurement Sustainability.  His position puts him in charge of Procurement Sustainability and Supplier Diversity.  Under his leadership S&P Global has increased its diverse supplier spend by 2% and expects to increase another 2% or more by the end of 2025. Andrew has been a Procurement leader for 20+ mostly in banking, developing Sourcing and Vendor Management functions at Washington Mutual, T-Mobile, Nordstrom Bank and S&P. He was tapped to lead Procurement Sustainability because of his program development expertise.
 
Andrew is a Board Member at SPLC and a member of SPP’s Transformation Panel. He has an undergrad degree from American University in Washington, DC and a Master’s in Public Policy from University of Washington. He also is a graduate of SPLC’s initial Climate Foundations cohort and received his Certificate for Business & Climate Change from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
 
A SPLC Board Member referred to Andrew as a “force in the Procurement Sustainability world” who seeks good ideas and collaboration to solve diversity and sustainability challenges. Andrew strongly believes that Supplier Diversity is a necessary program to ensure a robust marketplace.

Kenyatta Z. Lewis, Executive Director, Supplier Inclusion, Sustainable Procurement & Training – Supply Chain at MGM Resorts International

Kenyatta Lewis is responsible for defining innovative strategies for supplier inclusion and sustainable procurement at MGM Resorts. She has designed, implemented, and expanded the company’s award winning, supplier diversity program which has spent over $4 billion with certified diverse owned businesses since 2000, with the goal of at least 15% total spend with diverse firms by 2025. In 2016, she developed the Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, which pairs diverse suppliers with MGM Resorts executives and provides critical business coaching to elevate corporate readiness. More than 100 businesses have been positively impacted by this program. Additionally, she is responsible for implementing the company’s responsible supply chain framework and strategy aimed to address environmental, social and economic impacts throughout the supply chain.

For more than two decades, Kenyatta has been recognized nationally as a subject matter expert. Most recently she was named a 2024 Top 25 Woman of Power Impacting Diversity by Diversity Plus Magazine and 2022 Women of Distinction in Hospitality, Retail & Conventions by NAWBO -Southern Nevada. She leads MGM Resorts’ executive Supplier Inclusion Task Force and their Responsible Supply Chain Governance forums and is a member of the Institute for Supply Management’s Sustainability Committee.

Kenyatta earned a degree in Business Management and served eight years in the United States Army Reserves.