38 Notable CEO Quotes On DEI
Here are 38 quotes from notable CEOs about DEI: some positive, some negative, some neutral.
👉 CEO Quotes On Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion 👈
Jon Moeller, Procter & Gamble
“Equality and inclusion is good for our business … this cannot and will not change,” Moeller said. “It’s critical to who we are and what we do, to our principles, values, and purpose, and most importantly to winning.”
- Date: 2/17/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase
“We’re going to continue to reach out to the Black community, the Hispanic community, the LGBT community, the veterans community,”
- Date: 2/10/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase
“A lot of companies did things I never would have done,” he said, adding that JPMorgan has also likely done some things that “became excessive” and wasted money. “I was never a firm believer in bias training,” Dimon said.
- Date: 2/13/2025
- Sentiment: Negative
- Source
Christian Sewing, Deutsche Bank
“Quite honestly, I know what diversity has brought us on the management board at the top reporting level. That’s why we are strong supporters of these programs,” he said.
- Date: 1/30/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
David Solomon, Goldman Sachs
David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs, said DEI policies are important to keep the bank in sync with the diversity of its client base. “We continue to stay focused on talking to our clients and doing the things we’ve always done.”
- Date: 2/12/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Bill Ready, Pinterest
“People on our platform come from all walks of life, from all different backgrounds, and so we’ve been very focused on how we drive inclusivity in our platform with things like inclusive AI and ‘diversity by default’ in our feed. We’re not changing anything, and the reason is we’ve seen it’s actually leading to better engagement, there’s consumer demand for it, and it’s good for our business.”
- Date: 1/24/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Chuck Robbins, Cisco Systems
“I think the pendulum swings a little wide in both directions. And for us, it’s about finding the equilibrium … You cannot argue with the fact that a diverse workforce is better. There’s too much business value.”
- Date: 1/22/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo
“The ultimate objective is to become a company that’s focused on equity and genuinely inclusive,”
- Date: 2/2/2024
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Roger Stokoe Goodell, National Football League
“Whether they’re women or men or people of color, we make ourselves stronger and when we make ourselves better when we have that,” Goodell said.
- Date: 2/7/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Kecia Steelman, Ulta Beauty
“Supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential to our business because we serve a broad and diverse community of beauty enthusiasts. Our goal is to meet the unique beauty needs of every individual while creating a space where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and comfortable shopping. It’s equally important for our associates, as fostering an inclusive culture is a core priority for our company—one that empowers our teams, reflects our values, and strengthens our connection to the communities we serve, ultimately driving our business forward.”
- Date: 2/4/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Artemis Patrick, Sephora
“Every single person in the organization has an objective tied to diversity, equity and inclusion, and that’s actually been in the ecosystem for years, she says. It’s just smart business, especially in what we do, it would make no sense to walk away from that.”
- Date: 7/19/2024
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Ron Vachris, Cotsco
“If these are the policies you see as offensive, I must tell you I am not prepared to change,” he wrote back to the concerned customer.
- Date: 1/15/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Tricia Griffith, Progressive
“Our commitment to DEI helps us create a value-driven workplace that puts the employee first and fosters the kind of fair, caring, and respectful culture that breeds confidence and creativity and ensures a successful future for ourselves and Progressive,”
- Date: 5/2/2024
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Julie Sweet, Accenture
“We are and always have been a meritocracy. We are committed to an inclusive, merit-based workplace free from bias and a culture in which all our people are respected, feel a sense of belonging, and have equal opportunity,” said Sweet.
- Date: 2/10/2025
- Sentiment: Neutral
- Source
Sundar Pichai, Google
“Our values are enduring, but we have to comply with legal directions depending on how they evolve,” Pichai said.
- Date: 2/12/2025
- Sentiment: Negative
- Source
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta (Facebook)
“We now have an opportunity to have a productive partnership with the United States government, and we’re going to take that,” said Zuckerberg.
- Date: 2/6/2025
- Sentiment: Negative
- Source
Chris Kempczinski, McDonald’s
“While we recently evolved our approach, McDonald’s commitment to inclusion is steadfast,” said Kempczinski.
- Date: 2/11/2025
- Sentiment: Neutral
- Source
Bob Jordan, Southwest Airlines
“On the DEI question—whether it’s today, five years ago, 10 years ago, or 20 years ago—I’ve been here 37 years. We’ve always worked hard to hire people who are just nice,” said Southwest CEO Bob Jordan during the airline’s fourth-quarter earnings call.
- Date: 1/31/2025
- Sentiment: Neutral
- Source
John Furner, Walmart
“Ensure every customer, every associate feels welcome and like they belong,” said John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S.
- Date: 11/26/2024
- Sentiment: Neutral
- Source
Scott Kirby, United Airlines
“At United, we have always hired based on merit, and we will continue to do so. But we are in the fortunate position of being a high-quality employer, which allows us to cast a wide net for talent. Last year, we received over 600,000 applications for fewer than 10,000 positions. Because of that, we can be incredibly selective, hiring the absolute best of the best while maintaining a naturally diverse workforce.”
- Date: 1/23/2025
- Sentiment: Neutral
- Source
Kelly Ortberg , Boeing
“Behind every DE&I effort, there has been a person—an unheard voice, an idea waiting to bloom. The people make the company what it is, and it’s the people who will restore it to a state of trusted excellence,” Bowen said in a LinkedIn post announcing her departure.
- Date: 11/5/2024
- Sentiment: Neutral
- Source
Eli Capilouto, University of Kentucky
“As the University of Kentucky’s president, let me be clear: I am opposed to the legislation regarding both DEI and tenure,” Capilouto said in a statement to the university community.
- Date: 2/14/2024
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Elon Musk, Tesla
“I think DEI is starting to fade. First of all, DEI is actually illegal because it discriminates on the basis of race, sex, sexual preference, and all sorts of other things,” Musk said.
- Date: 2/2/2024
- Sentiment: Negative
- Source
David Solomon, Goldman Sachs
“What could be better? I spent time with clients and women—two of my top priorities,” he said to the crowd.
- Date: 1/29/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Bob Iger, Disney
“Creators lost sight of what their No. 1 objective needed to be,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger. “We have to entertain first. It’s not about messages.”
- Date: 2/11/2025
- Sentiment: Negative
- Source
Adena Friedman, Nasdaq
“For Nasdaq, we really continue to look at everything we do in building the right culture. We believe that a place where people can be themselves, operate at their highest potential, and have diversity of views and backgrounds actually makes us a better company and helps us perform better. So we’re going to continue to operate in that way. At the end of the day, these things come and go with different political cycles, but I believe there’s an undercurrent that continues to be supportive.”
- Date: 1/24/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Robert Smith, Vista Equity Partners
“I think that diversity is a great thing in business. How do I know? Because I look at the data, I look at the facts. When we have diverse teams, our teams are more productive. We have lower risk. We’re actually able to out-produce those who don’t have diverse teams.”
- Date: 1/24/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Alexandr Wang, Scale AI
“We operate in an incredibly competitive and fast-moving industry in AI, and I don’t have any option but to hire the best, most brilliant, and most capable people for every single job inside my company. So as a result, we have no option but to be meritocratic. And in the process, we achieve diversity.”
- Date: 1/24/2025
- Sentiment: Neutral
- Source
Tarang Amin, e.l.f. Beauty
“Our diversity is a key competitive advantage in terms of our results. Our mission is to make the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip, and face. One of the best ways we know how to live that mission is to have an employee base that reflects the community that we serve,” Amin said.
- Date: 2/4/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Chris Nassetta, Hilton
“It is ultimately a business imperative,” said Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta, referring to how the hotel industry serves about a quarter billion people annually.
- Date: 1/30/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Elie Maalouf, IHG Hotels & Resorts
“Our inclusion culture started before the events of 2020. I was fundamental to establishing it when I was running the Americas, and it will continue beyond trends and fads. We’re in over 100 countries, with hundreds of cultures, and people from all over the world. There’s no way we can be successful as a company unless we’re attractive as an employer to the broadest set of people, regardless of their origin, religion, height, etc. We’re also a meritocracy,” said Elie Maalouf, CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts.
- Date: 1/30/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Wade Hinton, Hinton & Company
“DEI, on its face, is not illegal. It really is about trying to create a level playing field for everyone,” he said.
- Date: 2/3/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Chris Nicholas, Sam’s Club
“If you’re willing to come here and work hard on behalf of our members and form relationships that allow you to develop as a human being and as a leader, there’s nothing you can’t do at Sam’s Club. I think that’s true also of Walmart,” he told Business Insider.
- Date: 2/5/2025
- Sentiment: Neutral
- Source
Paula Kerger, PBS
“We were committed to telling the stories of all Americans before we had an office and will continue to do it afterward,” said PBS CEO Paula Kerger on Tuesday, despite eliminating the DEI effort.
- Date: 2/12/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Elise Smith, Praxis Labs
“Regardless of what you think about the term DEI, this work will continue because, fundamentally, it does drive better business outcomes,” says Smith, 34.
- Date: 2/6/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Jim Boyle, Medine
“Making healthcare run more effectively takes diversity of thought and experience. Our commitment at Medline and to the healthcare industry is to continue our progress toward a truly diverse and inclusive workplace. I am proud of all that we have accomplished and look forward to more achievements as we move forward.”
- Date: 3/25/2024
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Brennan Nevada Johnson, Brennan Nevada, Inc
“Brands that aren’t backing away from DEI need to speak up and own their positioning. This is the time to communicate why you are standing firm on your values, culture, and obligations.”
- Date: 2/6/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
Nikki Festa O’Brien, Greenough Communications
“There are mountains of data to support the idea that inclusive and environmentally responsible companies are more profitable. But you don’t need data to understand that a diverse, mindful, and collaborative environment is a breeding ground for dedication, focus, and creativity. I can’t imagine instilling and honoring these values in the workplace and it not benefiting any business in ways you can and can’t quantify.”
- Date: 2/6/2025
- Sentiment: Positive
- Source
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