AESC’s Valuable 500 Commitment:
AESC has a long history and commitment to diversity – this has been a part of our required professional standards. To accelerate progress, we launched the Diversity Pledge for our members in 2020 and we already have 110 member firms around the world who have signed this pledge. Our commitment includes all forms of diversity including disability (and accessibility for all). We prominently feature our Diversity Pledge and our actions on our website.
Our Valuable 500 Commitment will be to explicitly address the unique challenges and opportunities of putting disability on the business leadership agenda. And we will share thought leadership around this important area with our members – the best executive search and leadership consultants in the world. We understand the importance of Communication and Education. We will also seek to increase disability representation in our candidate database – BlueSteps – to help to facilitate placement of executives with disabilities in key leadership roles.
AESC Members operate at the highest standard in the executive search and leadership consulting profession worldwide. We believe in the power of diverse talent and inclusive cultures. We have members in over 70 countries and over 1200 offices around the world. Our members’ clients including public and private businesses, governments, non-profits and academic organizations. We are committed to strengthening leadership worldwide and we know that diversity and inclusion is critical to our success and that of our clients.
AESC Diversity Pledge
We share a commitment to combat racism, prejudice, and discrimination within our own organizations, with candidates and the clients we serve, and in our communities. We pledge to use our collective voices and actions to help create a world that is inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible for all.
ACCELERATE | EDUCATE | ADVANCE | ADVOCATE
ACCELERATE Each CEO who signs this pledge is committing to developing and deepening actions within their own firms. Our Guiding Principles will help inform firm-based actions which will accelerate a sustainable positive impact. Actions that accelerate progress for Black leaders and the Black community will be a critical priority.
EDUCATE We commit to listen, engage, and learn so that we can do better both as employers and as trusted advisors. We will understand and leverage best practices to greatly enhance attracting and developing diverse talent for ourselves and our clients. We will work with our clients to identify leaders and assess them for their ability to create inclusive cultures where diverse talent thrives.
ADVANCE We will develop stronger and more diverse slates of candidates through robust research, outreach, and alliances. We will use our expertise to mentor diverse talent to raise their visibility and their success and will identify partnerships that allow us to engage more people, and thus have a greater impact.
ADVOCATE We will advocate with clients to help them embrace best practices that further their diversity and inclusion efforts which, in turn, will enhance business results. We will contribute our time and our expertise to under-served communities to advance racial equity and economic empowerment and to fight for social justice.
