“Diversity and inclusion is now a business imperative, across the industry,” says Tracey Flaherty, global head of diversity and inclusion, at Natixis Investment Managers. “It’s being integrated into strategy from the front office to the back office at firms like ours.”
While Flaherty’s title is relatively new at Natixis, the firm’s efforts at D&I are not. The company has had employee resource groups in place for five years, and so when the Black Lives Matter movement gained wide support this year, leadership at Natixis turned to the steering committee for immediate action plans. The plans provided a way for staff to get to know their own colleagues a little deeper, Flaherty said, noting that, in one instance, a 15-year employee shared the history of their name with the group for the first time. “Most people don’t try to be biased but being a better listener and more engaged is important for us as a global company,” she added.
Natixis also takes active part in the Boston community, working for many years with The Partnership, helping mentor and place Black talent in Boston in an effort to make the finance industry more available and more attractive to the community.
Contact Crystal Sullivan, director of public relations, at crystal.sullivan@natixis.com to learn more about the firm’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.
— George B. Moriarty