Bozoma Saint John, the newest star of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” has sparked controversy after revealing her aggressive efforts to boost workplace diversity during her corporate career.
The 47-year-old businesswoman, who previously held top positions at Uber, Netflix, PepsiCo, and Apple Music, shared at the 2019 Women in the World Summit that she actively sought out women of color for roles, sometimes even if they hadn’t applied, according to Daily Mail.
“I walk into the room and very rarely does it look like, you know, anyone who reflects my community or my friends or my circle,” she told the crowd.
“I decided, hell, focus group of one, team of one, I’m gonna just hire myself. Again and again and again and again and again.
“If I want to increase the numbers of diversity, or especially Black women in tech, I’m gonna do it myself,” she continued.
“So, as I looked at the resumes that were NOT diverse candidates, I just started pulling from my group of friends,” she laughed.
“I started pitching them. Like, ‘Girl, whatchu doin’ today? You like your job? You don’t like your job, c’mon!”‘
“The first Black woman I hired it was like, ‘Okay, great. Fantastic. We didn’t even know she existed.’ I was like, ‘I know, I got her.’ And then the second one it was like, ‘Okay…’ The third one, it was like everybody kind of paused.”
Bozoma recounted that she was contacted by the HR department after hiring four consecutive women of color.
The HR inquired if there was an issue with the candidates they had recommended, as it appeared she was consistently hiring a specific demographic.
“And I was like, ‘Yes, you are correct.’ And then they were like, ‘Well, is there any way that we can help to make sure that we’re looking at a broad range of candidates so that you have a wider pool of people to hire.”‘
“And I was like, ‘Did you tell homeboy down the hall that? Did you tell him that he shouldn’t hire anymore white men? Because I don’t think so!”‘ she finished.
Bozoma’s comments about her efforts to prioritize hiring women of color during her corporate career have sparked mixed reactions after a clip was reposted by All About The Tea on Instagram.
“This! It’s okay when they do, but it’s a problem when we do it!” gushed one fan.
“She is BRILLIANT,” wrote another. “Instead of huffing and puffing and reacting off emotions, she was strategic, professional and INTENTIONAL with how she made that change.”
A third added, “This makes me like her even more. She can’t do any wrong.”
However, not everybody was a fan of Bozoma’s tactics, with one commenting, “DEI is never the correct way to hire someone. No matter what race you are. The most qualified candidate should get the job.”
Another wrote, “So she actively discriminates qualified people to artificially increase the number of Black employees. That is pure racism. Outrageous and against the law!”
Bozoma, a highly successful figure in the marketing industry, has received recognition from leading publications such as Forbes, Billboard, and Fortune.
Her outstanding contributions earned her a spot in the American Marketing Association’s Marketing Hall of Fame in 2022.
She recently joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast, initially introduced as a friend of Sutton Stracke. However, Bozoma has since formed a close friendship with Dorit Kemsley.
