Ken Lewis Quoted in Wall Street Journal Article, "Why Are There Still So Few Black CEOs"

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Nexsen Pruet's Ken Lewis, a business attorney in the firm's Raleigh office, was featured in The Wall Street Journal's recent article on the lack of black executives in America's top companies, "Why Are There Still So Few Black CEOs?"

The article examines the pervasive and complex reasons Black professionals are overlooked and under-promoted in the workplace, surveying CEOs, academics, and corporate leaders on their thoughts and experiences regarding opportunities for Black workers.

Excerpt

When it comes to Black advancement, one popular argument among many white executives is that there is a “short supply” of talent, says Ken Lewis, an attorney and partner in the Raleigh, N.C., office of law firm Nexsen Pruet. In reality, he says, the pool of highly educated, experienced Black professionals has never been greater.

Mr. Lewis says the short-supply idea was illustrated when a white panellist at a diversity conference he attended told a gathering of more than 400 Black corporate lawyers that her bank wanted to retain Black attorneys as outside counsel but simply couldn’t find them. In a similar vein, Wells Fargo & Co.’s CEO Charlie Scharf apologized recently for suggesting there was a limited pool of Black talent to draw from.

To read the full article (subscription required), click here.

Nexsen Pruet, LLC is one of the largest law firms in the Carolinas, with more than 200 professionals across 8 offices providing regional capabilities with international strengths.