The Leverage Network, (TLN) a non-profit US organisation dedicated to helping Black talent gain senior positions in the healthcare sector is getting backing from major multinationals.
The organisation that aims to get more Black individuals into governance and board roles in the healthcare industry now counts consulting firm Deloitte, digital solutions innovator GE Healthcare, and executive search leader Spencer Stuart as sponsoring partners of its ‘Emerging Leaders Program’, an initiative that helps c-suite executives gain “more advanced executive leadership roles” within healthcare firms.
The programme itself consists of a “6-month curriculum” including webinars, executive coaching sessions, and “one-on-one conversations with leading industry executives” as well as networking events. Topics that will be covered include “positioning for promotion,” and “cracking the c-suite code”; Twenty-five executives will be expected to participate in this year’s programme.
The goal of the programme is to “diversify healthcare leadership” in order to solve existing healthcare inequalities that were highlighted by COVID-19.
TLN’s supporters believe this can be solved by “adding leaders with differing life experiences” who can “influence priorities around equality of access to quality care.” However according to TLN’s own research, out of the 41 largest healthcare organisations across the industry, only 8.5% of CEOs were Black, and none were Black women, which shows there’s a lot of work to do to diversify senior leadership in healthcare.
Antoinette Hardy-Waller, Founder and CEO, The Leverage Network said: “We are thrilled to have Deloitte, GE Healthcare and Spencer Stuart join TLN as sponsoring partners for our Emerging Leaders Program. Collaborating with such prominent sponsoring partners is a major step in cementing TLN’s status as the preeminent national organisation for the advancement of Blacks in healthcare leadership.”
Alexis Stiles, Global Healthcare Practice Leader at Spencer Stuart added: “Spencer Stuart is proud to partner with TLN for the Emerging Leaders Program. As a firm, we are dedicated to promoting diversity and the advancement of Black executives in the healthcare space. This exciting collaboration to support the development and advancement of Black leaders into c-suite roles will help healthcare organisations better serve their communities.
Everett Cunningham, President and CEO at GE Healthcare, U.S. & Canada added: “Action must be taken to begin closing the diversity gap in healthcare and we are honoured to sponsor TLN’s Emerging Leaders Program. At GE Healthcare, we believe in the value of unique identities, backgrounds, and experiences. We believe the Emerging Leaders Program will develop the future pipeline of Black executives in the healthcare industry.”
To find out more about The Leverage Network, click here.
