Sponsorship

Challenge

A.T. Kearney's Global Sponsorship program was designed to provide support, advancement, development to propel the advancement of women and underrepresented minorities. Research shows that a similarity bias can hold back women and underrepresented minorities when it comes to advancement, because they do not enjoy the benefits of similarities with the dominant group.

Actions

Since 2013, A.T. Kearney's Sponsorship Program has connected strong contributors, on track to be future firm leaders, with senior partners, who invest time to understand and help to advocate on their behalf, supporting their advancement and development within the firm.

Sponsors provide insights, advice and perspectives, as well as actionable feedback on executive presence and consulting skills, and facilitate business and professional development opportunities in particular areas that help to expand the sponsees network. This relationship is mutually rewarding; sponsees deliver in exceptional ways and expand the sponsors' capacity to deliver high quality work.

Outcomes

Sponsorship has propelled the career growth and development of emerging leaders. Program participants have benefitted from faster advancement, with women (+15%) and other underrepresented minorities such as African Americans (+33%). Sponsorship has also helped to build the senior leaders' brand and create a culture of sponsorship and enhanced apprenticeship at the firm.

Sponsorship has become a cornerstone of the firm's commitment to diversity and inclusion and reaffirms A.T. Kearney's long-standing focus of empowering and developing its people.

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