Last week, Dell was selected by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) as one of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises (WBEs) for 2008. This recognition is a great honor for us and we are proud to be selected for this award and recognized for our supplier diversity programs and results. The annual listing of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises is the only award honoring corporations for world-class programs that break down barriers that impede WBEs from gaining fair access to procurement opportunities. This is the first year we have been selected to the WBENC list, which has 19 organizations on it for 2008.
In Fiscal Year 2008, Dell’s spending with women, small and minority-owned suppliers reached over $2.4 billion— a significant increase over the past five years. This procurement spend with women, small and minority-owned suppliers gave us a seat at the prestigious Billion Dollar Roundtable – Dell far exceeded the $1 billion threshold for entry. Diverse supplier development is an important focus for Dell and it is supported by strong programs such as the Executive Mentor Program. Under this program CEOs of women suppliers are mentored by Dell executives in order to expand their capabilities and partnerships with Dell and other companies.
As our customers and workforce become more diverse, it makes smart business sense to grow our relationship with diverse supply chain partners. We have seen that diverse suppliers bring amazing assets and innovative ideas to our corporations.
For more information about Dell’s diversity efforts, click here.