Boston – Aug. 26, 2020 – Bain & Company announced today the creation of a broad ecosystem and infrastructure aimed at further promoting racial and social equity, both within the firm and its broader communities, as well as three newly appointed leaders to oversee these efforts.

This news follows a statement from Mr. Maceda earlier this year, which included seven commitments the firm will take to promote racial equity and social justice.

“These leadership appointments are an early step in what will be Bain’s ongoing journey in pursuit of a more just and equitable world,” said Mr. Maceda. “We’ve spent the past few months engaging in candid, and at times difficult, conversations with many of our employees and clients. There have been some bright spots, including our dedicated day of learning and reflection on Juneteenth. And we’ve uncovered opportunities to raise the bar for our business, our clients and our communities. Maria, Julie and Jon bring the right mix of passion and expertise to guide our teams in achieving these bold ambitions.”

Maria Gordian named head of Bain’s Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council

Maria Gordian, M.D., a partner in Bain’s New York office, will head the firm’s new Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Council. Along with Bain’s board, the council will steer the firm toward its three-part ambition: 1) raise its game as an employer and business; 2) support its clients’ prioritization of DEI within their corporate agendas; and 3) drive change at the community level with a focus on eliminating systemic racism and oppression in all forms.

In her new role, Dr. Gordian will lead a passionate, change-oriented group of internal leaders and external partners, focused on setting the global and regional strategy for DEI at Bain and embedding it within the broader firm strategy.

Dr. Gordian, a 10-year veteran at Bain, has spent two decades advising healthcare leaders on their biggest challenges. She has extensive experience creating growth strategies and identifying operational improvements, and she is an active member of Bain’s Healthcare Private Equity practice. Dr. Gordian has led two important affinity groups for Bain employees, Blacks at Bain (BABs) and Latinos at Bain (LATBA). She will continue to lead BABs and hand over the reins for LATBA to Saber Sherrard, a Partner from the Dallas office. 

Julie Coffman is the founding leader of Bain’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practice area

Mr. Maceda has tapped Julie Coffman, a partner in Bain’s Chicago office, to be the founding leader of the firm’s new DEI practice. This new practice will underpin Bain’s ambition of supporting its clients in prioritizing DEI within their corporate agendas. Ms. Coffman will lead the practice in developing a comprehensive set of offerings and an ecosystem of partnerships to provide unique support to Bain’s clients in progressing on their own DEI journeys. The practice team will also work to incorporate DEI into Bain’s existing industry and capability practice areas, ensuring a consistent DEI lens throughout the business.

In addition to this client-focused initiative, Ms. Coffman will lead the firm’s newly formed Transformation Office, along with Darren Jackson, a partner in Los Angeles, and Emily Frasier, an associate partner in Atlanta. The goal of the Transformation Office is to engage, educate and mobilize every Bain employee to embed racial and social equity into the fabric of the company—ultimately raising Bain’s game as both an employer and a business. This group will create frequent engagement opportunities for interested stakeholders to contribute ideas and feedback.

Ms. Coffman, whose tenure at Bain spans three decades, currently leads the firm’s global Organization practice. She is also a leader in the firm’s Healthcare practice and the founding chair of Bain’s Global Women’s Leadership Council, which is focused on increasing the number of women in Bain's leadership ranks. She has published several whitepapers on the topic of gender parity in business, and she was recognized as one of the 2011 Women Leaders in Consulting by Consulting magazine.

Jon Barfield will head Bain’s Racial Equity & Social Justice pillar within the Social Impact practice

Jon Barfield, a partner in Bain’s New York office, will lead the firm’s efforts to drive change in local communities with a focus on supporting organizations that seek to eliminate systemic racism and oppression in all forms.

Earlier this year, Bain formally established Racial Equity & Social Justice (RE&SJ) as the fourth pillar of its Social Impact practice, which it will support with a $100 million investment in pro bono work for organizations focused on RE&SJ causes. It will also match up to $1 million in employee donations to relevant organizations.

As a part of this work, Mr. Barfield and his team will collaborate with Bain’s sister organization Bridgespan to identify opportunities to apply Bain’s capabilities in service of leaders and organizations focused on racial equity.

Bain’s first official RE&SJ client is the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Restoration), which partners with residents and business to improve the quality of life in Central Brooklyn neighborhoods, such as Bedford Stuyvesant—where 70 percent of residents identify as black or brown. Bain’s work with Restoration focuses on closing the racial wealth gap and increasing the number of black and brown entrepreneurs in Central Brooklyn.

The RE&SJ pillar will complement Bain’s other three social impact pillars, focused on Education, Economic Development and Environment.

Mr. Barfield, who joined the firm nearly a decade ago, is a leader in Bain’s Healthcare and Private Equity practices. He is also a leader within the BABs affinity group.

As an additional part of Bain’s seven commitments to promoting racial and social equity, the firm’s Americas offices closed on Friday, June 19, in honor of Juneteenth. Employees engaged in a day of mandatory learning and reflection and discussed the historical plight of African Americans, the impacts of racism in modern day America, and the importance of allyship and anti-racism.

Editor’s Note: To schedule an interview with. Dr. Gordian, Ms. Coffman or Mr. Barfield, please contact Katie Ware at katie.ware@bain.com or +1 646-562-8107.

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