We are excited to announce that John Rogers, Founder, Chairman, and Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, will discuss leadership diversity, governance, and ESG from the perspective of a business leader and value investor at our May 31–June 2 CHRO Summit in Chicago.
Rogers founded Ariel Investments in 1983 to focus on patient value investing, and he serves as the Chief Investment Officer of the firm’s Ariel Fund. He has been recognized alongside leading value investors, including Warren Buffett, Sir John Templeton and Ben Graham. He serves on the Boards of McDonald’s, NIKE, The New York Times Company, and Ryan Specialty Group holdings. He believes in giving back, serving as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at the University of Chicago, and receiving Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson Award, presented annually to an alumnus who embodies a commitment to national service.
An outspoken voice on leadership diversity: Rogers has been an articulate voice for diversity within the financial service industry and corporate America. When asked for his advice on best practices on inclusion and diversity, he replied “If you have one or two or three people at the top of the organization that are African American, Latino, dynamic women, they become Pied Pipers for talent because people see them as role models.” He continued, “People want to go and work in an organization where there are senior diverse people in these leadership roles and that makes all the difference.”
The focus on ESG investing is because customers and employees care: Rogers has taken a different approach on environmental, social, and governance investing than Warren Buffett, who keeps those issues separate from financial investments. The reason? Rogers believes that customers and employees will continue to focus on those issues, and companies that focus on ESG will enhance their brand reputation if done thoughtfully.
To register for the 2022 CHRO Summit, please click here.