Reuters
- American International Group has lost four Black executives in recent weeks, including Vievette Henry, who was head of global inclusion, Bloomberg reported.
- Walter Hurdle, who ran diversity efforts and was in charge of early-career recruiting, told Bloomberg he was “informed that my role was eliminated, and that’s all I have to say.”
- The departures come months after AIG pledged to improve diversity in the company following the killing of George Floyd.
- Only 1.5% of AIG’s senior leaders were Black in 2018, and more than 85% were white.
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Four Black executives have reportedly left the insurance giant American International Group (AIG) in recent weeks, including two that were responsible for improving diversity within the firm.
Global inclusion head Vievette Henry is leaving the insurer along with Walter Hurdle, who ran diversity efforts and was in charge of early-career recruiting, people familiar with the departures told Bloomberg.
Christina Lucas, AIG’s senior vice president, and former marketing and communications chief Ed Dandridge both left AIG in early September, the report said. Dandridge became chief communications officer at Boeing, while Lucas confirmed her departure in a LinkedIn post, but did not mention where she would work next.
AIG didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a phone call with Bloomberg, Hurdle said he was “informed that my role was eliminated, and that’s all I have to say.” The three other former executives declined to comment or didn’t respond to Bloomberg when contacted.
The departures come months after AIG promised to improve the diversity of its leadership teams following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. CEO Brian Duperreault said in a letter to AIG employees in June that the insurance company has "made strides at AIG to build a diverse and inclusive global team of professionals, but we know there is still much work to be done."
A 2018 report showed that only 1.5% of AIG's senior officials and executives were Black, while more than 85% were white.
Bloomberg reported that when top executive positions in AIG opened, Dandridge and Henry were not able to land the roles. Henry is being replaced by Ronald Reeves, who has worked at AIG for over 20 years and is also Black, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg.