In her role as Director of Business Diversity at CDW, Kristin Malek addresses issues of injustice and equal opportunity to bring positive change. She sought to develop a cutting-edge supplier diversity strategy that reflected CDW’s basic beliefs. She guarantees CDW’s continuing commitment in diversity, equality, and inclusion across their enterprises as the architect of CDW’s diversified supply chain, which includes over 1340 suppliers. Offering expansion possibilities to diversely owned businesses has a multiplier effect, resulting in more jobs and higher earnings, as well as boosting local economies.

Kristin is in charge of the organization’s overall spending with various partners, which she is happy to note has hit $3.4 billion this year. Under her leadership, CDW was inducted into the renowned Billion Dollar Roundtable, and Gartner recognized her as a Supplier Diversity Excellence Champion. She thinks that helping small and diverse businesses flourish allows for change in society and business by allowing employees, suppliers, and communities to benefit, while also allowing for innovation. She thinks, and has witnessed firsthand, that DEI and ESG can generate meaningful change at scale, and so become engrained in how people live and conduct business.

CDW’s objective is to create outstanding technological solutions that enable clients & customers  to succeed in an ever-changing world. The company and their coworkers recognize that they have a critical role to play in creating a more fair society right now. It established a supplier diversity initiative in 2007, long before it became fashionable. Diversity has always been a long-term business strategy for CDW. Because it collaborates with a vast network of the most creative, inventive, and competitive suppliers to create the finest solutions and experiences for consumers, supplier diversity isn’t about spending objectives or giveaways. In 2021, alone, the company spent $3.4 billion with diverse suppliers, leading to a total economic value of $5.7 billion by generating almost 30,000 new jobs and delivering wage payments of around $1.7 billion.

Kristin serves as Vice Chair of the Chicago Minority Supplier Diversity Council and is a member of the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC). She is also an advisory board member for Chicago Blend. She is a member of the National Women’s Business Enterprise Council, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and the National Veteran-Owned Business Association, among others (NaVOBA). She is an executive board member for SheTek, a non-profit in New York City focused on women and young girls participating in STEM, and she is active with Tech Scale, an advocacy group promoting diversity in the supply chain within technology. She is an executive board member at The Center for Enriched Living, which aligns with her own interests in fighting for the disability community.

 “Change Cannot be Achieved Alone”

Kristin is a Cornell alumna, a single mother of two small daughters, and a lifelong learner. She worked in sales before joining CDW and was preoccupied with surpassing sales targets. She had a lot of fun chasing EBITA. She loved it so much that she wanted EBITA on her license plate, but shockingly, the particular plate is in great demand, and she is still on the Chicago DMV’s waiting list. However, 13 years ago, her life was turned upside down when her daughter Katelynn was born with Down syndrome. She was eternally a part of the disability community after that day.

Kristin’s obsession with EBITA faded when she realized that, although being a significant portion of the population, the disability community lacks the power and influence it deserves. The demands of the disabled community are still classified as “special,” and urgent and unpleasant issues persist. To that end, Kristin decided a few years ago that there are two ways to live life: “you can either be present or participate,” and Kristin wanted to be a part of the change she desired.

 “Celebrate Your Success”

Kristin defines failure as failing to fulfill others’ as well as her own standards. When she is caught off guard as a leader, she deems it a failure. She tries to stay on top of what’s going on with her team, their jobs, and the program she’s in charge of. It’s difficult for her to say how she overcomes obstacles because she is still a work in progress in that regard. “I take on challenging assignments, projects, and opportunities with great enthusiasm, but I can be highly self-critical of myself when things don’t go as planned, which is something I want to role model differently for my girls and peer women leaders,” said Kristin. The tools she leans into when she is overwhelmed, disappointed or being self-critical are hot yoga, reading, putting in her air pods and listening to Lauren Daigle.

“Success in business means something different to everyone,” says Kristin. She believes it is critical to have goals, a vision, and a strategy that may grow over time. That has been especially true over the last three years, when the globe has altered so dramatically. She claims that in the face of uncertainty, one must continuously redefine success. She likes the concept of taking that large vision of success and breaking it down into smaller goals that keep her and the rest of the team motivated to keep pushing forward. She goes on to say that you should celebrate every time you reach a new level of achievement.

Commitment to diversity with Global Scale Solutions

According to Kristin, the work that the CDW team conducts to assist a variety of suppliers is based on the same principles that CDW holds dear. The team is dedicated to cultivating a sense of belonging among its members, allowing them to bring their whole selves to work. First and foremost, this allows us to build a business where everyone can succeed. Beyond that, it promotes cooperation, sparks creativity, and improves corporate outcomes. Kristin states, “To cultivate this culture, we focus on embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion across all our operations – from who we are and how we operate to the way we recruit and develop talent.” She further adds, “We’re also working hard to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion across all our business practices, backing that up with measurable targets and clear lines of accountability.” The company’s DEI progress is a long-term trend, because the commitment to diversity is an intentional business solution with top-down support.

One of the most difficult business issues, especially in today’s society, is anticipating the future. It is possible to develop plans, forecasts, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. We all get fortunate now and then, but Kristin feels that having a thorough grasp of how your business develops and thrives is critical to a successful career there. She also believes that you must create trust in your team, be decisive, be aware of your blind spots and what your competitors are doing, and maintain ties and connections with a diverse group of individuals both inside and outside your sector. Her network is a constant source of inspiration and guidance, which she appreciates. She also believes that you must be willing to take certain risks, and that knowing your business through and through puts you in a better position to forecast success. Kristin is an enthusiastic  person who chooses to see the bright side of things, which may seem clichéd, but it has helped her lead teams through some of the most difficult moments in her career.

Notions on Leadership

As Kristin sees it, deciding what kind of leader one wants to be is an important component of one’s leadership growth. Leadership mentoring, she discovers, isn’t simply for the benefit of people; it may also assist the organization meet its objectives.

According to Kristin, one should work on being an empathic leader and view everyone as a full person, as well as diversified. It establishes a performance culture and an atmosphere in which people strive to meet company objectives. She goes on to say that creating such a culture requires a combination of elements. Great leaders should empower and engage their teams, as well as provide them with the tools, resources, and skills they need to make excellent decisions, which will lead to continuing development. She claims that a diverse and performing culture requires honesty, integrity, an inventive attitude, a desire to cooperate, and ambition.

Her advice to future female leaders is to embrace change since it generates needs, which in turn produce opportunity. She asserts, “Believe in yourself and the full potential you can bring to an organization compete with yourself, and most importantly, lift up the next generation of female leaders behind you. Mentor them, learn from them, listen to them, and set them up for success.”

Websites: https://www.cdw.com/