Inspirational Black advisers who are leading the way
A role model
Shundrawn Thomas
President
Northern Trust Asset Management 2021 InvestmentNews Excellence in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award Lifetime Achievement winner
The 2021 winner of the InvestmentNews Excellence in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Lifetime Achievement Award is not the kind of person who seeks recognition for his success nor status as an African American in an industry where women and minorities in leadership are still rare. But Shundrawn Thomas appreciates and enthusiastically shoulders the opportunity to challenge the status quo, and to help make success stories like his more common.
That side of Thomas was on full display in the fall of 2020 when he penned what has been described as a letter to corporate America, reflecting on the state of race relations in the workplace, and in his heart.
In his classic style, the essay offers a direct message and call to action through masterful writing that is personal and informative, and simultaneously deadly serious and nonthreatening.
“Race, racism and racist ideas have impacted me in tangible ways through my life and career,” Thomas writes. “What is remarkable, however, is the current shift in the dialogue about race and the increased acknowledgement of the unique experience and experiences of Black people in America.”