Aug 17, 2021
Kris Oswold is the Vice President of Global Supplier Diversity at UPS, a global leader in logistics recognized for their innovations to the world of packages and delivery. As the Vice President of UPS’s Global Supplier Diversity program, Kris expands opportunities for diverse suppliers to transact and work with UPS. She is tasked with identifying where the company falls short of its targets and remedies them by redesigning various processes and metrics.
Kris joins us to share how UPS handles its supplier diversity program and what it’s like to be one of its leaders. She describes her career at UPS and how she came to be part of the supplier diversity program. She discusses what companies can do if their program is failing or not generating their desired impact. She explains the qualities a supplier diversity manager must have and her primary responsibilities. Kris also shares her thoughts on the current state of supplier diversity in the country and what industries need to do to progress faster.
"There are decisions organizations and corporations need to make about how we move forward in engaging diverse suppliers." - Kris Oswold
This week on Breaking Barriers:
- Kris's experience in UPS and her contributions to supplier diversity
- What stands out when talking to people about supplier diversity
- Why individual businesses standout when it comes to supplier diversity
- Ways for suppliers to connect with corporations if they don't go to conferences
- Why encouraging supplier diversity is like peeling an onion
- What works when a supplier diversity program becomes stagnant
- Kris's advice to other supplier diversity managers in promoting their programs
- The accountability and credibility needed as a supplier diversity manager
- The common mistakes suppliers make and their correct alternatives
- Why vendors should always fill their RFPs completely
- The difficulty of finding diverse suppliers from the viewpoint of UPS
- What Kris thinks is the current state of supplier diversity in the USA
Connect With Kris Oswold:
This podcast is brought to you by Hire Ground
Hire Ground is a technology company whose mission is to bridge the wealth gap through access to procurement opportunities. Hire Ground is making the enterprise ecosystem more viable, profitable, and competitive by clearing the path for minority-led, women-led, LGBT-led, and veteran-led small businesses to contribute to the global economy as suppliers to enterprise organizations.
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