Syneathia LaGrant

Since joining Manpower Group in 2020, Syneathia LaGrant (she/her) has blazed a trail in the DE&I space by refusing to simply tick a box and instead centering her efforts on holistic well-being. With a doctorate in business education, LaGrant concentrated her thesis on the principle of belonging and has taken this approach into ManpowerGroup’s organizational framework. “We really want to focus on showing worth to people’s voices and creating environments where not only are our [people] valued but they’re truly heard,” she says.

ManpowerGroup has committed to having a 50% female global leadership team. Under LaGrant’s leadership, gender equity initiatives have been implemented to reach this goal, such as creating women’s development activities and broadening the company’s talent pipeline by requiring the talent pool to be 60% women. “Whether it’s a presentation or a special project, we are trying to organically give women more experiences and opportunities to meet with different leaders.”

We really want to focus on showing worth to people’s voices and creating environments where not only are [people] valued but they’re truly heard.

And her impact on DE&I efforts do not stop there. In addition to global gender equality, LaGrant is concentrated on race and ethnicity efforts in the United States, generational diversity in the Netherlands through a data-driven approach, and offering language courses to those displaced from the war in Ukraine. “We are taking a very different, intentional approach so that we can really put our hands on the pulse of where our people need the most support,” she says.

LaGrant is inspired by the community that has been brought together through these efforts and is especially proud of the connections being made through DE&I awareness. At a recent Business Resource Group Summit, keynote speaker and trans advocate Breanna Stewart gave an inspired presentation that made a lasting impression. “The impact was so amazing that afterwards we had people come to us and say, ‘Nobody knows this, but I’m trans, and it finally felt like someone was speaking directly to me,’” LaGrant says. “Hearing that was heartwarming and reinforced the fact that when people feel valued and seen, they are truly connected to your organization.”