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Is Diversity and Recognition of Hispanics in the Private Sector Growing?

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Jose Mas

According to Carlos Orta, President and CEO of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), Corporate America may need to put a little more work in.  A recent interview with Carlos Orta by Politic365 highlighted the group’s first and newly released documentary The Insider Game.  The documentary, officially released during the National Society of Hispanic MBAs Accelerating Hispanic Business Talent Conference in mid-October, is shedding some light on an important and frequently overlooked issue – that is, the lack of Hispanic representation on corporate boards.

Mr. Orta, recognized as one of the 101 Most Influential Leaders in the Latino community, is the man behind this documentary, which chronicles both the potential for and obstacles in promoting Hispanic representation in important sectors, career fields, and executive and board positions.

During the interview, Mr. Orta discussed the importance of making the business case for diversity.  According to Orta, companies – especially Fortune 100 and 500 firms – do not base their hiring decisions on diversity.  Rather, companies opt for candidates that will strengthen their organization.  However, evidence shows that the business world is strengthened through diversity, and adding qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds creates a better business atmosphere – a win-win for everyone.

A diverse workforce helps strengthen a company’s image and resonates powerfully with the Hispanic community in particular.  For this reason, it’s important for businesses to understand that qualified Hispanic candidates can not only be a major asset both in terms of skills, experience, and diverse perspectives, but these candidates can also strengthen a company’s outreach and confidence with the Hispanic community – a growing consumer market.

In response to a question regarding the proposed AT&T and T-Mobile merger and its ability to create greater opportunities for workforce diversity, Orta stated that AT&T is a company which has excelled at giving Hispanic candidates a chance at success.  Mr. Orta indicated that there is significant potential for Hispanics and other minorities as a result of the merger.   On virtually all accounts and every ranking, AT&T is leading Fortune 100 companies in workplace diversity.  Not only do their rankings show workplace diversity, they also have a record of successful Hispanic executives.

Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO of AT&T’s Mobility and Consumer Market’s division, was noted as a prime example of a Hispanic making great strides in the private sector as the man behind AT&T’s iPhone and an Executive that is helping to lead the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger.

Ultimately, there are many more opportunities for creating greater diversity in the private sector and The Insider Game documentary should serve as an eye opener for Corporate America, particularly for those industries in which Hispanics are underrepresented, such as the sciences.  As a CEO of an infrastructure company that services a range of sectors, including the communications and energy sectors, I see a great value in ensuring that more Hispanics are becoming experts in these fields and more importantly, being recognized and tapped as a resource and partner within the private sector, including corporate board inclusion.

View The Insider Game Documentary here

View Polit365’s complete Interview with Carlos Orta here

 

 

 

This entry was posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and tagged AT&T, Carlos Orta, diversity, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, National Society of Hispanic MBAs, The Insider Game. Bookmark the permalink. ← New Report Highlights Hispanic Social Media Usage Globally New Data Shows Diversity Is Declining in Silicon Valley →