NEW CEO: Diversity efforts need leadership support

NEW CEO: Diversity efforts need leadership support | Rebecca Minkoff touts fearlessness, improvisation | Victoria's Secret rebrands to focus on women Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( June 24, 2021 CONNECT WITH NEW  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( €‰ [NEW SmartBrief]( [NEW SmartBrief]( Gender equality news for retail, CPG, financial services and tech [SIGN UP]( â‹… [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT Top of the week [] [NEW CEO: Diversity efforts need leadership support]( No matter the size of the company, any initiatives to bolster diversity, equity and inclusion are most effective when supported and modeled by the "top of leadership ladder," writes Sarah Alter, president and CEO of the Network of Executive Women. Alter writes that leaders who speak out for and help foster diversity are "rewarded with a happier workplace, improved retention, and the trust and confidence of [their] employees and customers." Full Story: [Progressive Grocer]( (6/21) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Acosta announces foodservice expansion Integrated sales and marketing services company, Acosta, united with The CORE Group to form CORE Foodservice. The new business will be a centerpiece in the Acosta family of companies and provide clients with powerful suite of progressive brand-building solutions. For more information, [click here.]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] Today's leadership [] [Rebecca Minkoff touts fearlessness, improvisation]( Rebecca Minkoff touts fearlessness, improvisation Minkoff (Clint Spaulding/Getty Images) Fashion entrepreneur Rebecca Minkoff says she's still scared before each big launch, despite reaching $100 million in sales. She tells entrepreneurs to be fearless even in the face of impossibility, to follow their gut and to embrace improvisation. Full Story: [Inc. (tiered subscription model)]( (6/16) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Victoria's Secret rebrands to focus on women]( Victoria's Secret is replacing its Angels with a group called the VS Collective, which includes soccer star Megan Rapinoe, actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas and GirlGaze founder Amanda de Cadenet, as part of a turnaround effort to be more inclusive. "The whole notion of this collective is women defining for themselves who they are and what they want to be, versus having that defined for them," says board chairwoman Donna James. Full Story: [Columbus CEO (Ohio)]( (6/21), [Retail Dive]( (6/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Unilever unveils 3 mission-minded marketing goals]( Unilever is basing its new marketing mission on three ideals, including a "Get real" approach that aims to "solve real problems for real people," said Aline Santos, chief brand officer and chief diversity and inclusion officer. Unilever is also prioritizing the principles of "Do good" by using brands as vehicles for "positive change" and "Be unmissable" with outreach that makes Unilever brands "first to mind" with consumers, said Santos. Full Story: [Adweek]( (6/21) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Spinoff planned for Saks Off 5th's online operations]( [Spinoff planned for Saks Off 5th's online operations]( (Tim Boyle/Getty Images) Hudson's Bay Co. will spin off the e-commerce division of off-price chain Saks Off 5th into a standalone company valued at about $1 billion, the company said Monday. HBC, which announced a similar spin-off of Saks Fifth Avenue's e-commerce arm earlier this year, will retain control of Saks Off 5th's brick-and-mortar stores, and Saks Off 5th President Paige Thomas will be CEO of the e-commerce company. Full Story: [Financial Post (Canada)]( (6/21), [BNN Bloomberg (Canada)]( (6/21) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( New eBook: Advanced Analytics in R&D As digital transformation accelerates, one big opportunity for food & beverage manufacturers is applying advanced analytics to R&D. [This eBook is your guide.]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] SmartBrief Originals [] - [Restaurants roll back restrictions as more people get vaccinated, but most stop short of requiring proof]( SmartBrief/Food & Travel (6/23) [] - [Grocers continue to make e-commerce moves]( SmartBrief/Food & Travel (6/21) [] - [How restaurants can encourage and empower employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19]( SmartBrief/Food & Travel (6/14) Food is too good to be wasted Learn more about how Unilever is providing good, honest food without worry or waste. [Learn more.]( ADVERTISEMENT: Sponsored content from The Wall Street Journal Free to read exclusively for SmartBrief readers - [The Economic Recovery Is Here. It’s Unlike Anything You’ve Seen.]( - [Schitt’s Creek, but in Real Life: Owner Tries Selling California Desert Town]( - [The Biggest Summer Travel Headaches and How to Avoid Them]( - [The Safe, High-Return Trade Hiding in Plain Sight]( - [The Post-Covid-19 Rules of Tipping]( [] Diversity & Inclusion Trends [] [How companies honored Juneteenth]( Citi honored the new federal holiday Juneteenth by bringing in Thurgood Marshall College Fund students to take over an Instagram account, while General Motors sponsored Juneteenth Foundation's Freedom Festival and hosted conversations about Juneteenth, and Best Buy made Juneteenth an official company holiday. "In many ways, we have engaged in these issues for years -- but now we're being bold about our commitments to hold ourselves accountable for this work we've promised to do," said Best Buy CEO Corie Barry. Full Story: [USA Today]( (6/20), [Insider]( (6/18), [CNN]( (6/20) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Learning cultures do better with diversity, study says]( The flexibility of learning-oriented cultures can help companies manage the complex journey toward diversity, equity and inclusion, write researchers J. Yo-Jud Cheng and Boris Groysberg, who surveyed more than 19,000 readers of Harvard Business Review. "The power of culture lies in its alignment with strategy, and therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all formula," they write. Full Story: [Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model)]( (6/18) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [False perceptions hinder Asian Americans' career growth]( Many Asian Americans have been treated unfairly in the workforce because of stereotypes and myths, a problem that's extending to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. "A lot of different organizations are hiring their first diversity officer ever, and we have been told by clients, 'We want someone Black or brown only,' " says Debbie Tang, a partner at executive search firm Bridge Partners. Full Story: [Society for Human Resource Management (tiered subscription model)]( (6/19) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [] I'm going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that's accepting, that's compassionate. 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