Cox Moves Up in Diversity Rankings

DiversityInc, recently ranked Cox Communications (CCI) No. 11 on its “Top 50 Companies for Diversity.” CCI also ranked third for philanthropy, fifth for supplier diversity and No. 14 for Executive Diversity Councils. Since 2007, CCI has consistently earned a spot on the list.

“Building stronger connections with our employees, our suppliers and our customers gives us a competitive advantage, and I’m so proud of how diversity and inclusion has become the core of who we are at Cox,” said CCI President Pat Esser. “Earning a spot on the DiversityInc list reinforces the important work happening every day across our business.” 

Here are a few keys to CCI’s success: 

• Support from the top: Pat and EVP and Chief People Officer Karen Bennett serve as co-chairs of CCI’s National Diversity & Inclusion Council, which meets quarterly to discuss best practices and set company goals. Most of Pat’s leadership team also serves as Sr. Executive Sponsors to our Employee Resource Groups.  
• Strong regional connections: Cox Communications has seven Regional D&I Councils (RDIC), who focus on driving business results through our four pillars: People, Customers, Community and Suppliers. This is done in addition to coordinating community donations, hosting career fares and launching recruiting campaigns for diverse job candidates. 
• Diversity is woven into how we do business: CCI encourages the use of qualified business enterprises (minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-owned, etc.) in our companywide purchasing processes. In the past five years, we’ve increased total diverse supplier spend by more than $600 million.  
• Employees are our greatest resource: CCI has six Employee Resource Groups — and five market-based chapters — that provide professional development, community outreach and opportunities to directly impact our business. 

To see the full of “Top 50 Companies for Diversity,” click here.