Lear Corp., a leading global supplier of automotive seating and electrical systems, was recently inducted into the Billion Dollar Roundtable Inc. (BDR), a top-level corporate advocacy organization that promotes supply chain diversity excellence.
“We have significantly increased our focus on diversity in recent years both in terms of minority sourcing and our organization. Valuing diversity makes Lear a stronger and better company. I am pleased that we have reached this very important milestone with women and minority suppliers by exceeding $1 billion in sourcing with them. While we have more work to do, we have been making steady progress in all elements of diversity. I am gratified that the Billion Dollar Roundtable, our key customers and others have recognized our efforts,” said Matt Simoncini, president and CEO.
The Billion Dollar Roundtable honored Lear Corp. at a formal induction ceremony earlier this week during its Summit in Atlanta. BDR summits bring together thought leaders, procurement executives and other stakeholders to offer critical reviews of current approaches to supplier diversity and devise solutions to foster new opportunities. The theme of the Atlanta summit was “Leading Breakthroughs in the Supply Chain: Trends, Economic Impact & Innovation.”
“Lear’s induction offers an exciting addition into the Billion Dollar Roundtable. Lear operates a robust supplier diversity program and also is a major Tier I supplier to major automotive companies, including other BDR members. Lear joins 21 other U.S.-based corporations in an exclusive group of companies that have attained $1 billion or more in annual Tier I supply-chain diversity spend, including its two largest customers General Motors and Ford in the organization. We will welcome Lear’s unique contributions at the BDR table,” said BDR Chairman Rick Hughes.
“Lear joins the BDR at a time when our recent annual summits have examined topics that include how global supply chains are being impacted by innovation and emerging technologies. These changes are redefining the roles of diverse suppliers within corporate supply chains. Lear is a model for advancing new approaches within its business and industry, and the BDR looks forward to Lear’s ideas and thought leadership on these and other current topics in supplier diversity,” added Sharon Patterson, BDR co-founder, president and CEO.
In addition to Lear, other BDR member companies include: AT&T Inc., Avis Budget Group, Bank of America, The Boeing Co., Comcast NBC Universal, Cummins Inc., Fiat Chrysler, Dell Inc., Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Honda North America, IBM Corp., Johnson Controls Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Kaiser-Permanente, The Kroger Co., Microsoft Corp., Procter & Gamble Co., Toyota Motor North America Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
