[ by Melanie Gretchen ]

Goldman Sachs was the sole recipient of the Diversity Achievement, one of Traders Magazine's 2012 Wall Street Women Awards.  The publication bestows its award on the firm that demonstrates focused efforts and quantitative and qualitative results in the area of achieving gender diversity in the executive ranks.

The firm's success is rooted in its ability to attract the best talent, regardless of sex, religion, orientation or age.  To this end, the New York-based firm has developed 3 tenets:

• it first must be able to function wholly as a group and draw from a global workforce
• as part of a global and diverse workforce, employees themselves must feel they operate in an environment that supports differences and brings out the best in all
• most importantly, it must be able to provide its clients with exemplary service that is global and diverse.

That's the Goldman way, said Carol Pledger, managing director in human capital management.  From recruitment, the firm's inclusion continues through an employee's career developments toward promotion.  To this end, the firm uses a 3-pronged approach to diversity, including:

• employees are required to complete a minimum of two hours of diversity training per year
• managers must complete workshops and programs that focus on building diverse teams
• Goldman sponsors ongoing education programs designed to develop and accelerate diverse employees' careers

On an individual level, employees can learn about the benefits of diversity and how to tap into the resources a multifaceted workforce can provide.  All told, 52 different training programs include (i) Women Leadership Camps and Summits and (ii) MBA and Undergraduate Camps for Black and Hispanic and Native American Studies.

"One of the firm's strategic goals is to have a diverse workforce.  Senior management is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in all our talent processes." -- Ms. Pledger.

For further details, go to [Traders Magazine, 12/3/12].