Historically Cisco pursued supplier diversity as an initiative only in the United States, but during the last few years Cisco’s Global Supplier Diversity Business Development initiative has expanded this effort to other countries. Supplier diversity reinforces Cisco’s competitive advantage by strengthening our relationships with our partners and with the communities where we operate. It also helps foster economic growth and vitality, and it bolsters our ability to meet the requirements of our customers.
Supplier development is central to the process of growing Cisco’s diverse businesses and gives us an opportunity to collaborate with leaders from a variety of businesses. Cisco has provided supplier-diversity solutions for our company as well as for our direct and indirect supply chain. This year we focused on creating a Diverse Specialty Distributor Pilot project aimed at introducing more diversity into the supply chain while continuing to meet customer requirements. This solution is targeted to become a full-fledged program in the United States during FY09.
In FY08, we developed, enhanced, and implemented several supplier development programs:
- Suppliers were invited to participate in the UCLA Management Development for Entrepreneurs Academy. This program at the University of California at Los Angeles helps entrepreneurs develop management expertise and strengthens their ability to build effective and profitable organizations. Participants also have access to UCLA Anderson School of Management professors and the alumni network.
- Suppliers participated in business missions to countries such as Canada, China, South Africa, and the U.K., forming partnerships with globally diverse suppliers and exploring potential business opportunities.
- Cisco established the Executive Mentor Protégé Program, an initiative in which six Cisco executives mentor six diversity-supplier CEOs and help them navigate Cisco’s diversity supplier process.
Cisco sponsors a range of organizations that promote supplier diversity at events and conferences globally. They include:
- National Minority Supplier Development Council
- Women Business Enterprise National Council
- Industry Council for Small-Business Development
- University of California, Los Angeles, Management Development for Entrepreneurs Program
- Black Enterprise
- U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- U.S. Pacific Asian American Chamber of Commerce
- National Association of Women Business Owners of Silicon Valley
- Reservation Economic Summit
- Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council
- Minority Supplier Development UK
- WEConnect International (women-owned businesses)
- WEConnect UK
- Quantum Leaps (women-owned businesses)
- Minority Supplier Development China (proposed)
- Australian Indigenous Minority Supplier Council (proposed)
For the past five years, Cisco has been recognized for our supplier diversity efforts by DiversityBusiness.com. Cisco ranks as one of the top 50 U.S. companies providing multicultural business opportunities, based on feedback received from more than 350,000 women- and minority-owned businesses.
