THE EQUIPMENT FINANCE ECOSYSTEM’S JOURNEY TOWARD INCLUSION  

BY RITA E. GARWOOD

Monitor sits down with the leaders of eight companies in the equipment finance ecosystem to learn more about their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. These leaders outline strategies for creating an inclusive workplace, hiring and retaining diverse talent, and creating internal programs and community partnerships that engage employees in DE&I initiatives.

BEGIN WHERE YOU ARE

“ When businesses can focus on not only ensuring that their culture encourages diversity, but also that everybody has the opportunity for success and no one is left behind, I think that’s when companies will see a lot of barriers to their growth fall to the wayside.” ~ David Cramer

For Amur Equipment Finance and Odessa, both minority-owned companies, diversity and inclusion were embedded into the fabric of the organizations from the start. “Diversity and inclusion are really fundamental to who we are,” Mathew Abraham, COO of Odessa, says. “It starts at the top.” “Our focus really began with our CEO, Mostafiz ShahMohammed,” David Cramer, IT systems administrator and member of the ELFA Equality Committee, says. “As an immigrant from Bangladesh, [ShahMohammed] started right there at the ground level.” ...

Amur employees created a DE&I leadership committee, which Cramer says is comprised of volunteers from each department who are passionate about making the company’s culture and opportunities inclusive for all.

Read Monitor's full article at https://bit.ly/3677mKZ