MSDUK will work with pladis’ procurement teams to provide guidance on supplier engagement and ensure a greater representation of ethnic minority businesses.
The not-for-profit organisation – which was founded in 2006 – has already worked with over 125 global brands to connect them with its network of over 2,000 ethnic minority businesses. More than £800m worth of business has been generated through this interaction to date.
“Promoting inclusion and diversity, and guarding against any form of discrimination are of key importance to us at pladis,” said Salman Amin, CEO of pladis.
“I believe that diversity transcends the individual and makes people, businesses and countries stronger and better. Diversity of perspectives and opinions, and diversity of experiences, leads to better informed thinking and ideas.
“We are on a journey at pladis to improve our own inclusion and diversity practises and to make meaningful and impactful change. But I know that to have real impact, it takes an entire community standing and working shoulder-to-shoulder. That is why we must not only look within our business but also consider our relationships and partnerships across all of our operations to ensure true diversity in our supply chain.
“We are delighted to be joining MSDUK who we believe are the right partner to guide and support us on this journey”.
According to Mayank Shah, CEO and founder of MSDUK, diversity and inclusion of people and ideas are critical drivers for further growth.
“As pladis continues to look at inclusion and diversity practises, ensuring a greater representation of ethnic minority suppliers will help to unlock further innovation and drive greater success. We look forward to supporting pladis to create genuine and effective change as part of this,” he said.