Diversity, equity, and inclusion

We are committed to an inclusive and equitable workplace that promotes and values diversity. We need diverse teams to seize opportunities and solve problems—today’s and tomorrow’s. Our differences strengthen our teams to make better decisions, unleash innovation and creativity, and produce better results for our clients. That's why we are striving to build a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace at every level of the organization.

Having an inclusive culture means all people know that they are valued, included, and feel like they belong. Although our efforts to improve representation are focused on women and people of color, our overall DEI strategy includes all diversity dimensions. This includes age, cultural and socioeconomic background, disability status, family status, gender identity, veteran status, national and regional origin, race, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs.

We offer our crew the option to share their sexual orientation and gender identity, so that we can better understand our population across a variety of diversity dimensions. In addition, we are committed to inclusion through accessibility. Our Accessibility Office supports opportunities to create a more inclusive environment for our crew with disabilities and seeks to ensure that Vanguard information and functionality are accessible to clients and crew regardless of visual, auditory, motor, color-perception, or cognitive abilities. 

Our DEI efforts are priorities for Vanguard’s board of directors and senior leadership team. Our CEO and managing directors serve as our DEI Executive Council. This team drives the vision, goals, and accountability throughout Vanguard and tracks our progress. In addition, our global head of DEI and Community Stewardship leads a team that executes the firm’s global strategic plan and evolves and implements best practices. 

Being a truly inclusive organization requires everyone to be accountable. Leaders and crew alike are expected to cultivate difference—it’s one of the competencies that make up our five-part performance standard. In addition, progress toward our aspirations influences compensation.  

Vanguard’s Crew Groups help support our efforts to attract, onboard, engage, and retain a diverse base of talent globally. The groups work alongside our HR organization to provide leadership development and acumen-building, serve as ambassadors to prospective talent, host cultural and heritage learning opportunities, facilitate dialogues on current events, and provide community service opportunities to members. Nearly half our crew belong to one of the following groups:

We strive to ensure that underrepresented suppliers have an equal opportunity to be included in our strategic sourcing processes. We’ve recently enhanced our processes to ensure an inclusive community of suppliers are considered in new business opportunities and to improve how we track existing relationships with suppliers owned and operated by people of color, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, women, and veterans. Also, our program extends beyond the impact of our direct suppliers, by encouraging our suppliers to promote the use of a diverse community of suppliers within their supply chains.

For a variety of reasons, the journey to retirement success is difficult for many workers, especially those from underrepresented groups. To help offset these factors, our Institutional Investor Group (IIG) has invested in products, services, and experiences that help a diverse range of U.S. workers reach their retirement goals. We offer education, guidance, and tools in areas that have disproportionately affected women and people of color, such as financial literacy, student loan debt, emergency savings, and health savings accounts. And we strive to create an environment where all retirement plan participants feel seen, heard, and understood—from a call center that reflects the diverse population we serve to communications that are mindful of language biases and, in our imagery, highlight different ages, ethnicities, abilities, religions, and family structures.

In addition to these efforts, our Global Marketing group recently began a multiyear effort to better understand and engage with underrepresented audiences within our other client-facing divisions.

We are passionate about our efforts to drive meaningful social change in our communities. Working for the greater good is ingrained in our culture, and our crew demonstrate their commitment by donating their time, talent, and treasure through a wide variety of activities. Vanguard aspires to address social disparities through partnerships with organizations that support healthy and resilient communities and families around the world. Our community stewardship work comprises our signature initiative, Vanguard Strong Start for Kids^TM, along with other corporate- and crew-led philanthropic and volunteer programs.

Our commitment to addressing social disparities includes the strategic integration of outcome-driven philanthropy, high-impact employee volunteerism, and company expertise to strengthen local communities. Since 2020, the Vanguard Group Foundation has awarded millions to charitable organizations working on a range of issues including community advocacy, social justice, and education. Other community investments benefit a diverse range of causes, including food insecurity, human services, and financial literacy. 

For details about Vanguard’s approach to DEI and our progress, download our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report.