Creating a diverse workplace where everyone has a sense of belonging and is empowered to achieve their full potential is central to BlackRock's culture. That’s not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because time and again research shows it leads to better business returns—which means delivering greater value for BlackRock’s clients, shareholders and communities. The commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion extends to everything BlackRock does, from the suppliers and vendors it chooses to the organizations it partners with to the impact it has on local communities around the globe.
As BlackRock established its Atlanta Innovation Hub and became more deeply involved in the community, its leadership discovered Agnes Scott College and our commitment to empowering diverse, inclusive women leaders of every identity. Soon, they became an IMPACT partner, collaborating with Agnes Scott by sharing time, talent, resources and ideas.
BlackRock knows the best business results come from diverse perspectives, and that includes having women at the decision-making table. In 2021, 31% percent of the company’s senior leadership identified as female, while 47% percent of all global hires identified as female. BlackRock has committed to growing its women senior leaders to 32.5% by 2024.
By partnering with Agnes Scott, BlackRock believes it is investing in the next generation of female business leaders and entrepreneurs. If BlackRock and other community partners don’t invest in their potential and talent now, the world will miss out on the next great business solution or innovation that these gifted young women of every identity are destined to bring to the table.
“As a female executive, it is incredibly impactful to make that investment because I think about all the people who made that investment in me and exposed me to the possibilities of what I could achieve. We are looking to expose Agnes Scott students to more of those possibilities,” said Chanel Frazier, Managing Director, Head of Business Strategy for the Portfolio Management Group and Head of BlackRock Atlanta Innovation Hub, and Agnes Scott Board of Visitors member.
Chanel Frazier
Trevor Neumann
BlackRock is proud of the number of ways it engages with Agnes Scott to invest in the future talent of both BlackRock and Atlanta, including serving on the Board of Visitors, exchanging ideas with President Zak and other Agnes Scott leaders about the future of metro Atlanta, and hosting students for Agnes Scott’s SCALE (Sophomore Class Atlanta Leadership Experience) program. And for the second year in a row in 2022, BlackRock sponsored Agnes Scott’s Women’s Global Leadership Conference.
Partnering with Agnes Scott as a SCALE host is a unique way for BlackRock to invest in local talent while introducing students to the company’s culture and purpose of helping more and more people experience financial well-being.
The Agnes Scott participants came away from the experience with new ideas about what their future could hold—and for some, that included the determination to work at BlackRock post-graduation. The BlackRock hosts felt fulfilled and energized by meeting the students, answering their inspiring questions, and soaking in their fresh perspective and energy.
One of the biggest reasons BlackRock selected Atlanta as the location for its Innovation Hub was the breadth, diversity and skillsets of the local talent base. By investing in the local community and especially Agnes Scott, they are helping to ensure Atlanta remains a hub that attracts and retains the best talent in the world.
“Agnes Scott College is truly a hidden gem,” said Frazier. “When you see its ranking as the most innovative liberal arts school in the U.S., that’s something that should be shouted from the mountaintops—the fact that a college in Decatur is producing some of the best, most innovative female leaders in our country. Investing in that is in the best interest of Atlanta and its business and innovation communities.”