“Supplier diversity is a non-competitive space.” – Monette Knapik

Monette Knapik is the Director of Operations at CVS, the country’s leading health solutions company. In this role, Monette is responsible for day-to-day strategy execution, network expansion, strengthening of internal working relationships, and innovation and growth opportunities. She has over ten years of experience working in the supplier diversity space and feels honored and accomplished to be recognized by advocacy groups.

Monette joins us to describe how CVS conducts its supplier diversity program with intentionality. She outlines how supplier diversity leaders should ask for support from company leaders. She explains the difficulties small businesses may encounter when working with large corporations like CVS and ways small businesses can make themselves stand out, especially when meeting for the first time. Monette also shares how being part of the supplier diversity program changed her perspective of what the program is and its goals.

Topics discussed in this episode of Breaking Barriers, Building Hire Ground:

  • The impact CVS is making in the supplier diversity space
  • Monette’s role at CVS and how leadership drives CVS’s initiatives
  • How to improve a company’s support on their supplier diversity programs
  • Adding intentionality into your supplier diversity programs
  • How small businesses can set themselves apart from the more prominent brands
  • Monette’s advice to suppliers interested in being included in their company’s list of businesses
  • What it means for suppliers to be in CVS’s online databases
  • CVS’s executive leadership programs
  • Real stories of suppliers who became crucial merchants in times of need
  • Indemnification and why business with large corporations is difficult
  • How Monette’s experience with CVS affected her views on supplier diversity and critical takeaways

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This podcast is brought to you by Hire Ground.

Hire Ground is a technology company whose mission is to bridge the wealth gap through access to procurement opportunities. Hire Ground is making the enterprise ecosystem more viable, profitable, and competitive by clearing the path for minority-led, women-led, LGBT-led, and veteran-led small businesses to contribute to the global economy as suppliers to enterprise organizations.

For more information on getting started please visit us @ hireground.io today!

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