DHR International Recruits Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for Unisys

Executive recruiter Christopher Knipp spearheaded the search that placed Wendy Reynolds-Dobbs in this key role for the information technology company. “Through her efforts, we will be able to listen more closely to the diverse perspectives of people both inside and outside of our company and create new opportunities for equity and inclusion in our workplace,” said Unisys CHRO Katie Ebrahimi. Let’s take a closer look.

April 8, 2021 – Chief diversity, equity and inclusion officers have emerged as key leaders during this enormous period of transition for workers and the workplace. With a global workforce shifting in complexity, there is a growing need for diversity experts who can shape the vision, culture and very face of organizations. At issue: Too few women and people of color are serving in too few senior executive positions. Pandemic or not, organizations and their very cultures thrive on diverse talent and it is now falling on top DE&I leaders to make it happen. For executive recruiters in hot pursuit of both culture and diversity leadership roles, the search is on for big guns who are sophisticated, proactive, inspirational and strategic-minded, with strong business savvy to drive their people capabilities like they would a P&L.

Just recently, Chicago-based search firm DHR International assisted Unisys Corp. in the recruitment of Wendy Reynolds-Dobbs who joined the company as vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. She will report to CHRO Katie Ebrahimi. The search was led by DHR managing partner Christopher Knipp.


2021 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Recruiting Report:
Building a Balanced and Diverse Workforce

Hunt Scanlon Media’s latest market intelligence recruiting report – this time focused on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – will be available later this fall! The nation’s top executive recruiters are resetting expectations and looking for new ways forward to build balanced and diverse workforce teams for their clients.

According to executive recruiters, DE&I should not just be a priority, but an integrated part of every company’s leadership goals. Some companies have even tied DE&I metrics to executive compensation. But it’s more than that.

Part of building strong, diverse hiring teams means asking yourself: “Who is my company culture going to attract – and how will it engage people who are here?” This question can be very difficult to answer if you assume everyone feels welcome already just because you do. Fostering diversity, equity and inclusion within organizations is more than just the right ethical decision. “It is one of the best business decisions a company can make,” said Keri Gavin, a partner with Hanold Associates and leader of the search firm’s Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practice. Hanold Associates is a proud sponsor of this year’s report. This report will help organizations prioritize DE&I as a business imperative that drives greater competitiveness, innovation and business results. Get it now! 


“Wendy’s experience, successful track record and infectious passion will be invaluable to Unisys as we accelerate our progress along our DEI journey,” said Ms. Ebrahimi, who co-chairs Unisys’ inclusion and diversity council. “Through her efforts, we will be able to listen more closely to the diverse perspectives of people both inside and outside of our company and create new opportunities for equity and inclusion in our workplace as a result.”

Related: The Christopher Group Recruits VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for The Philadelphia Inquirer

Ms. Reynolds-Dobbs joins Unisys from Change Healthcare, where she served as vice president of talent management and diversity and inclusion. In this capacity she was responsible for leading talent management and succession planning, performance management, executive development, competency modeling, assessments, exit interviews, and diversity and inclusion strategy/programming. Ms. Reynolds-Dobbs developed and executed a strategic diversity representation plan for Change Healthcare designed to make measurable progress toward market parity for targeted groups in three to five years. The plan focused on hiring, retaining, and advancing talent, driving increased representation of people of color among employees and of women representation in leadership within the first year.

Related: Bridge Partners Recruits Chief Diversity Officer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Prior to joining Change Healthcare, Ms. Reynolds-Dobbs was senior director of organizational effectiveness and talent management for McKesson Technology Solutions, where she led the talent management and diversity and inclusion strategy to support organizational goals and increase representation among targeted groups. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, San Diego, as well as both a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology and a doctorate in industrial and organizational psychology from the University of Georgia.

“DEI is about more than just diversifying the gender and ethnicity makeup of our teams. It is also about accounting for different experiences and inviting disparate perspectives from teams, countries and regions outside of our own,” Ms. Reynolds-Dobbs said. “Doing so fuels new ways of accomplishing goals and is increasingly critical to a company’s success. I look forward to expanding on the strong DEI foundation that Unisys has built.”

Unisys is a global information technology company that specializes in providing industry-focused solutions integrated with leading-edge security to clients in the government, financial services, and commercial markets. Its offerings include security solutions, advanced data analytics, cloud and infrastructure services, application services and application, and server software.

Unisys’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council

“Our commitment to diversity starts at the top, and we are proud to have a diverse corporate board and a senior leadership team who are reflective of the communities we serve,” said Anelia Ras, leader of inclusion and engagement at Unisys. “Our board understands the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion, and demands continuous improvement. Our senior leadership team understands that it will take a diverse, passionate team to deliver this improvement and therefore sponsors a global diversity, equity and inclusion council. The council consists of 20 representatives from across our business units and regions. Our council includes several working groups that focus on specific aspects of diversity.”

“While 85 percent of our associates have told us in our internal belonging survey that they feel like they can be themselves at work, we know that we still have work to do to improve inclusion and provide more opportunities for all associates to grow and develop,” Ms. Ras said. “A truly diverse workforce goes beyond incorporating associates of all ethnicities, genders and abilities. We celebrate individuality and embrace the voices of those from different backgrounds, ages, sexual orientation, religion, languages, cultures and family types, and we have a zero tolerance policy toward racism, sexual discrimination or harassment of any kind. To thrive as a company and as individuals, we provide learning opportunities to all of our associates, including providing reskilling and upskilling in emerging technologies and key strategic areas.”

Experienced Search Consultants

Since 1989, DHR International has been a leading, privately held provider of executive search solutions. DHR’s consultants specialize in all industries and functions, providing senior-level executive search, management assessment and succession planning services tailored to the qualities and specifications of its client base.

Mr. Knipp serves as managing director for DHR’s Dallas office. Over the course of more than 30 years as a human resources executive, he has completed hundreds of executive-level searches while building best-in-class HR functions, shaping high-performing cultures, and leading organizational transformations for renowned blue-chip businesses at the top of the Fortune list. These include ExxonMobil, Hostess Brands and Centex Homes, as well as private equity-funded, high-growth and turnaround organizations.

Related: Bristol Myers Squibb Turns to Carrington & Carrington for Chief Diversity Officer

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

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