MBN USA

October 04, 2021

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Lopez credits many first breaks for success

Gladys Lopez is global head of supplier diversity at The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., commonly known as BNY Mellon. She is responsible for supplier diversity, strategic planning, diversity sourcing and procurement, education and outreach. In this capacity, she is also the supplier-diversity liaison to the broader global financial services firm.

Before BNY Mellon, she led the supplier-diversity program at Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.

Lopez was recently named Supplier Diversity Professional of the Year by National Minority Supplier Development Council Inc. The honor recognizes a corporate supplier-diversity practitioner who represents a national corporate member with at least two years of experience in a corporate supplier-diversity role. According to NMSDC, the recipient demonstrates exceptional action, engagement and leadership in supplier diversity and in support of NMSDC’s mission.

Q: Can you tell us a little about your background? 

A: I began my career in the public sector and advanced steadily to lead private sector supplier-diversity programs with global Fortune 500 corporations. I have been a leader, innovator and major contributor to the cause of supplier diversity in the technology, financial and hospitality industries. 

During my career, I have had the opportunity to support unprecedented growth in diverse supplier spend and supplier development. Under my leadership, we have been able to continue advancing our policies, advocacy and growth in supplier diversity.

In addition to over a decade of supplier-diversity experience, I have a lifelong commitment and passion for supplier diversity. I am a staunch advocate for the advancement of supplier-diversity programs and collaborate with many advocacy organizations on supplier development and growth.

Q: What attracted you to the supplier diversity arena?

A: As a first-generation American born to immigrant parents, I know the challenges that come with representing an ethnic group. Diversity and inclusion have been my passion for many decades. I was first introduced to the concept of supplier diversity when my father was a diverse small-business owner. He had a general contracting business in the Washington, D.C., area. He was awarded his first government contract because he met the contract requirements and the diverse-owned business criteria.

My life experience and genuine passion for diversity and inclusion drive me to help serve others seeking to benefit from diverse supplier programs. As a supplier-diversity practitioner, I have the best platform to help diverse-owned firms get their first break with the company and to guide them through development and growth.

Q: What are you most proud of  about your company’s supplier diversity program?

A: I am most proud of our leadership’s commitment to supplier diversity and the support I have received to establish a supplier-diversity policy mandating inclusion of diverse suppliers in sourcing opportunities. In addition, we have deployed resources and tools to help advance supplier diversity across the enterprise. Our refreshed focus has centered on creating visibility into the sourcing pipeline to proactively increase diverse supplier participation for contract opportunities.

To help us achieve our goal, our category support and analytics team designed and deployed our own supplier-diversity dashboard. This dashboard tracks performance, helps my team in strategic planning and offers visual analytics and key performance indicators that support program recommendations, mitigate risk and inform senior leadership on top concerns related to supplier diversity.

Q: What advice do you have for MBEs interested in doing business with BNY Mellon?

A: The most critical piece of information MBEs must have to target the banking and financial services industry is to know the company’s business and stay away from the cookie-cutter approach. This [tactic] will help the supplier strategically demonstrate its value proposition to the target company. For example, to approach BNY Mellon like a retail bank would miss the mark and not offer a competitive edge. I always encourage MBEs to ask questions and to keep learning about the target companies. They should want to become experts in our business.

Q: What’s your vision for the future of minority business development and supply chain diversity?

A: My vision for the future of minority business development and supply-chain diversity is to continue to evolve and to become fully integrated into our day-to-day procurement practice. Today, as we raise awareness of racial inequality in the U.S., promoting a more inclusive approach to procurement should be a given.  

To learn more about BNY Mellon’s supplier diversity program, visit diversity411.com/diversity/supplier-diversity-portals/bank-of-new-york-mellon-corp-supplier-diversity-program.