Graybar Honors Corning Executive in Industry Diversity Push
Event summary
- Graybar presented its inaugural WINGS Luminary Award to Angela Haneklau, Vice President, Sales at Corning Optical Communications.
- The award recognizes Haneklau's advocacy for women in the electrical, industrial, automation, and connectivity industries.
- WINGS is Graybar's professional development and networking community, established in 2008.
- Haneklau has been an active supporter of WINGS and sponsors Corning's Women's Partnership for Growth.
- The award was presented at Graybar's National Training Conference in Denver, Colorado, this past weekend.
The big picture
Graybar's creation of the WINGS Luminary Award and recognition of Angela Haneklau highlights a growing emphasis on diversity and inclusion within the traditionally male-dominated electrical and industrial distribution sector. This initiative, coupled with Graybar's employee-owned structure and Fortune 500 status, underscores the importance of fostering a diverse workforce to maintain a competitive edge and attract top talent in a rapidly evolving market. The award also signals a potential shift in how industry leaders are evaluated, moving beyond purely financial metrics to include contributions to social responsibility and workforce development.
What we're watching
- Reputational Risk
- The public recognition of Haneklau and Graybar's WINGS initiative could be leveraged to attract and retain talent, but any future missteps regarding diversity and inclusion could amplify reputational damage.
- Network Effects
- The collaboration between Graybar and Corning to extend WINGS' impact suggests a potential for broader industry partnerships focused on diversity and professional development, which could influence talent pipelines.
- Succession Planning
- Graybar's focus on recognizing and developing female leaders signals a potential shift in succession planning practices, which could impact the company's long-term leadership structure and strategic direction.
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