Arrow Chairman and CEO Bill Mitchell participated in a CEO roundtable at the 2008 World Diversity Leadership Summit. The summit, “A Symposium on Global Diversity and Gender Equality,” was held at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York City July 9-11.

The CEO roundtable discussion, which featured Mitchell and CEOs from Adecco, DLA Piper and Sovereign Bank, focused on the panel members’ views on global diversity and how it fits into the challenges, goals and strategies of their respective organizations. During the roundtable, Mitchell discussed Arrow’s view of diversity and inclusion, focusing on talent management and business return on investment.

“There are cultural differences of course – but there is a lot more that ties us together than drives us apart,” said Mitchell. “We all understand that diversity and inclusion makes as good business sense in the United States as it does in countries around the world. In each of these places, you need to use diversity to tap into the best and brightest talent across race, gender, ethnic and religious divides. That is smart business no matter where you are in the world”.

During the event, Mitchell was presented with an award on behalf of Arrow for its participation in the Global Partners Program, a new consortium approach to expanding diversity management initiatives around the globe.

Launched in 2004, the World Diversity Leadership Symposium is an important gathering of senior corporate, government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) officials, focused on the complex challenges and opportunities related to global diversity management. Hosted by the United Nations Global Compact, participants studied global diversity best practices and case studies, and gained an understanding of diversity legislative frameworks in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Participants also learned how organizations build and implement global diversity strategies, while networking with key diversity executives, leaders and experts from around the world.