Ep 185: A Specific Vision for Fostering Minority-owned Business Growth feat. James Lowry

Supplier diversity programs have gotten a lot of attention in recent years, but the values and vision that underpin them is hardly new. Some dedicated advocates have been working since the 1960s to create opportunities and develop capabilities at the same time. Our guest in this episode is one of those advocates.

In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes James Lowry. James is an Advisor at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and his past work experience includes time at McKinsey, Toyota, the Peace Corps and an ongoing academic advisory role at the Kellogg School of Management.

In this interview, James talks about why investing in the growth of minority-owned businesses is so critical and how we can make that growth possible:

• The role CEOs and executive boards play in making their supplier diversity programs successful - starting with knowing the CPO’s name
• Why growth - not participation - must be the success metric for minority-owned supplier programs
• Equity as the best way for minority-owned businesses to access funding and grow without losing their ownership identity

Links:

James Lowry on LinkedIn