Ron Taylor, Managing Director and Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Mizuho Americas, a leading provider of a broad range of financial services, including corporate and investment banking, joined Louis Scenti’s Capstone Seminar class for a discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion. Ron, who leads the firm’s efforts in furthering a culture that benefits from diverse life experiences, viewpoints, and expertise, was joined by Mizuho Americas D&I associate, Tori Cherrington.
Ron shared the story of growing up in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, MA, where he was bussed to the suburbs for his entire primary and secondary education. Seeing inequity at an early age, he remembers openly asking educators “Why can’t I get my education closer to home?”
So he spent a number of years before college working with kids in residential treatment and in the social services space. Then, after earning a business management degree, he landed a coveted role as auditor for ‘Big Four’ accounting firm KPMG. But his passion was still in fighting for equity and the underrepresented, so after making manager and receiving his CPA, he transitioned full time as a diversity practitioner, remaining with KPMG for another 5 years.
From there, he went on to hold several diversity roles with various companies, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to serve as Diversity Officer prior to joining to Mizuho Americas as Head of Diversity and Inclusion.
At Mizuho, he works closely with the executive team to help align Mizuho’s growth strategy with a sustainable and successful philosophy of diversity and inclusion.
Ron shared valuable ideas for the student’s approach to their Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development Practice.
The students asked questions about how to measure the success of DEIA programs, navigate organizations with varying levels of commitment towards DEIA, and the leadership traits that point to the potential to be a proactive champion. After a very engaging discussion the students reflected on their key takeaways and insights and how to practically apply them to their Capstone project.
