As a straight, white, male, Bob Rivers is far from an underrepresented individual. But that doesn't mean he's not aware of his privilege. Taking on the role of CEO at Eastern Bank 15 years ago, Bob has made it his life's purpose to ensure that the next generation of corporate America looks nothing like him.
In this episode of The American Dream, Elias highlights a represented individual making a difference. He and Bob talk through how Eastern Bank's board reached a 50% diversity metric, why that matters, and where Bob thinks the city of Boston still needs to improve in the race towards equality.
If there's one thing to take away from this episode, it's that having diverse companies is not only the right thing to do but the smart thing to do.
Key Moments:
- (2:00) Why a straight white male fights for Latino representation in the workplace
- (6:00) Why and how Bob turned thought into action
- (12:40) Why diversity in the tech sector needs to get better
- (15:33) How Bob makes a diverse board at Eastern Bank happen
- (24:42) One of the biggest mistakes Bostonians make
- (30:19) The progress Boston has made towards embracing diversity, and where it still needs to improve
- (36:24) The way to make progress is through conversations
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