In Case You Missed SOA 2021: CEO Coalition for Change

During the 2021, State of Automobility virtual presentation, Glenn Stevens Jr., executive director of MICHauto, and Cheryl Thompson, chief executive officer and founder of the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion, and Advancement (CADIA) sat down with Lisa Lunsford, chief executive officer and founder of Global Strategic Supply Solutions (GS3) and chair of the MICHauto Board of Directors for a conversation about the newly formed CEO Coalition for Change.

CADIA, in partnership with Stevens and the MICHauto team, Lunsford, and CEOs from 10 automotive companies developed the CEO Coalition for Change to address the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the automotive industry.

The Coalition, which started as a group of 12, launched in January and has since gained the attention of six more CEOs.

“The leadership of these organizations together is a difference-maker,” said Stevens. “Twelve founding members, now expanding, they’re the ones leading it.”

CADIA which was founded in 2018, initially focused on diverse talent on an individual-by-individual basis, but in 2019, started working with people who were championing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the industry.

“I just see us expanding, you know, all sectors within automotive. So right now, it’s very heavily focused on manufacturers. But I really would love to see us get into other sectors within automotive. The retail side – they’re closest to the customer,” said Thompson. “The beauty is the CEOs, you are the people with the levers, and you can influence change, and systemic change, that’s really, really important.”

Adds Lunsford, “One of the things I see in five years is being where we are not having this conversation, where it becomes more innate. I want to make sure what I feel inside becomes a part of the fabric of GS3.”