Bed Bath & Beyond taps Macy’s exec to lead diversity efforts
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has named Nicole Cokley Dunlap as chief diversity officer, to lead its diversity, equity and inclusion (DE & I) strategy.
Cokley Dunlap brings more than 25 years of experience to her role and will report directly to Lynda Markoe, executive VP and chief people and culture officer, Bed Bath & Beyond. She will begin in her new role in September 2021.
At Macy's Inc., Cokley Dunlap held roles with increasing levels of leadership responsibilities across the Bloomingdale's and Macy's Inc. banners in human resources, employee giving, diversity and inclusion, and store management. She served as Macy’s VP of diversity & inclusion strategy since 2019, and built strategies that helped drive diversity, engagement, performance, and business growth.
Before that, she was Bloomingdale's VP, diversity & inclusion, employee giving and HR business partner. Cokley Dunlap also serves as co-president of BRAG, a non-profit organization that prepares and educates people of color for executive leadership roles in retail, fashion, and related industries.
As part of its first-ever comprehensive environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy introduced in May 2021, Bed Bath & Beyond made a commitment to become a Top 10 retail employer by 2030 by creating an equitable, inclusive work environment. The company has set diversity, equity, and inclusion goals to reach at least 50% women representation and at least 25% racial and/or ethnic diversity at all levels by this time.
Cokley Dunlap will oversee the strategy and execution of these goals as well as partner across the enterprise to build stronger relationships with customer communities and diverse business vendors.
[Read more: Bed Bath & Beyond targets sustainability, inclusivity]
"Nicole is a consummate leader with tremendous relationships and expertise in DE & I, and will help us deliver change that is needed within our company and the communities we serve,” said Markoe. “Building our community, both inside and outside the company, is of paramount importance as we execute against Bed Bath & Beyond's transformation plans. One of our five key practices in our strategic transformation framework is championing diversity and community, and we are pleased to appoint a Chief Diversity Officer as talented and proven as Nicole."
"As a values-driven company, I am excited to be a part of Bed Bath and Beyond's transformation to advance the DE&I goals,” said Cokley Dunlap. “With an emphasis on associates, customers and communities, I look forward to working across the organization to optimize DE&I initiatives to drive innovation and business results.
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. and subsidiaries is an omnichannel retailer selling a wide assortment of merchandise in the home, baby, beauty and wellness markets. Additionally, the company is a partner in a joint venture which operates retail stores in Mexico under the name Bed Bath & Beyond. The company also operates e-commerce websites at bedbathandbeyond.com, bedbathandbeyond.ca, buybuybaby.com, buybuybaby.ca, harmondiscount.com, facevalues.com, and decorist.com.