George Barrett on diversity and inclusion
From CEO Forum Building a More Civil and Just Society with George Barrett and Rebecca Ray · · The Conference Board
“I use multiple lenses in thinking about this and I think people often do. You can think of this from a moral and a fairness aspect, you can think of this in terms of the legal obligations that we have to have diversity in our organizations, certainly with government contracts. You can think of this as a market phenomenon which is as an organization wouldn't we want to in a sense represent the markets that we serve and to look like the markets we serve. I think there is another aspect which was the power of human capital which is I want the most talent we could possibly get and I know that if everyone looks alike, sounds alike, thinks alike, the likelihood that we're going to get that kind of positive tension that's necessary for innovation is less likely.”
On , George Barrett, Former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Cardinal Health, spoke about diversity and inclusion during CEO Forum Building a More Civil and Just Society with George Barrett and Rebecca Ray on The Conference Board.
About George Barrett
In May 2020, George Barrett participated in a musical performance for the Offstage LIVE series, playing bass alongside musicians Byron Stripling, Bobby Floyd, and Andy Woodson. During the event, he stated that he had been doing board work and policy work focused on patient safety, and that he was trying to stay involved in healthcare while wishing everyone health and safety. In a 2015 interview with the Financial Times, Barrett discussed the healthcare sector's merger and acquisition activity, describing it as a byproduct of companies repositioning for industry changes. He noted that Cardinal Health had expanded its position in generics and the specialty pharmaceutical area, and acquired Cordis to address changes in the medical device world. Barrett stated that spending 18-20% of GDP on healthcare is "probably an unsustainable model" and that there would be pressures to manage costs more effectively. He expressed the view that the Affordable Care Act was likely to remain in its basic form, saying repeal would be difficult politically and that many Americans were benefiting from reduced uninsured rates. In a 2016 acceptance speech for the Peter G. Peterson Business Statesmanship Award, Barrett said he thought of statesmanship as having two definitions: one related to government operations and the other to thinking about the public good. He remarked that while healthcare undergoes changes, it is important to keep in mind that behind the scenes is a "father, a mother, or brother or sister, a cousin, a friend."