The nation’s oldest and largest private bank, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., is showing their commitment to boosting diversity with the hiring of its first diversity officer.

On Dec. 16, the company announced the appointment of Chris Michel to Head of Diversity and Inclusion for the bank. In this position, Michel will build upon the company’s inclusive culture and help BBH to attract and retain diverse talent.

“Chris’ appointment underscores BBH’s long-standing commitment to embracing the value of diverse perspectives and the kind of open dialogue that drives innovation and solutions and is critical to our business strategy,” said Kathryn George, who serves as partner at the bank. “We are pleased to welcome Chris to BBH and we are confident his wealth of experience will catapult us forward in our efforts to ensure an inclusive culture that is stronger as a result of our differences.”

Michel comes to the BBH family with a long history of working as an executive in the diversity space. Most recently, he worked at American International Group (AIG) as Senior Director of Diversity & Inclusion for the U.S. as well as Europe, the Middle East and Africa, helping to build a global diversity and inclusion program there. Before AIG, he worked at the United States Tennis Association as Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and prior to his time at USTA, Michel was responsible for supplier diversity initiatives at Merrill Lynch & Co.

“I’m extremely pleased to be named the first diversity officer in the long history of this great firm,” said Michel in a statement. “BBH has recognized that in the rapidly changing global marketplace in which we operate, leveraging diversity and inclusion is a critical business strategy that will positively impact future success on many different levels.”

Source: Black Enterprise