On December 10, Hilton Supply Management hosted the second annual Supplier Diversity Summit to bring together Hilton leadership, industry experts and our diverse supplier community. To kick off the event, HSM President and Global Head, Anu Saxena, highlighted the fact that underneath all of the major disruptions of 2020 – the global pandemic, natural disasters, social and political unrest – there have been opportunities for growth concerning diversity. This is also most certainly true within the supply chain.

In today’s business, a corporate commitment to diversity is essential if we want our supply chains to reflect those who live and work in the communities we serve, especially within the hospitality industry. The purpose of the Supplier Diversity Summit is to bring together those who are already a part of our diverse supplier community and those who are committed to furthering the important work of moving supplier diversity forward. This included engaging sessions, panels and breakouts with CEOs, senior vice presidents, founders and general managers from across the industry. HSM was also fortunate to partner with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) to bring the summit to life, as well as the WBE Pacific Northwest Cookie Company who provided sweet treats that accommodated multiple dietary restrictions.

Hosting events like the Supplier Diversity Summit underscores HSM’s commitment to engaging, supporting and creating business opportunities in the local and global communities where we work and travel. HSM’s Supplier Diversity program is a large part of this priority. In the past 10 years, we have cultivated relationships with more than 3,000 women-, minority-, veteran- and LGBTQ-owned businesses, and our supplier spend with these types of businesses has reached more than $593 million. Our Supplier Diversity program has evolved into its own unique brand under HSM, not only buying from diverse suppliers, but also guiding, mentoring and empowering them. In 2020, these initiatives led to Hilton being ranked #1 for Supplier Diversity by DiversityInc.

It is not only important to us that we’ve been successful so far, but we want to continue, to evolve and to strengthen the work we are doing towards increasing supplier diversity. To do this, we will continue to innovate and work closely with our suppliers to identify how we can best serve and empower them. The CleanStay initiative was Hilton’s response to cleanliness and safety concerns that had to be addressed for guests to feel comfortable returning to hotels. The program, from inception to launch, relied heavily on the innovation, flexibility and partnership of suppliers.

While numerous big events from the past year have caused severe disruptions within the supply chain, they have also forced us to innovate and rely on important relationships within our networks of suppliers. These events have also presented us with opportunities for strengthening these networks to be more representative of the local and global communities we serve. HSM is committed to furthering supplier diversity through building strategic partnerships, empowering diverse suppliers and hosting meaningful events, like the Supplier Diversity Summit. It is our fundamental belief that by working in partnership, making connections and building community, together we can make a difference.