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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Influencers

The DE&I Influencers list honors individuals who are advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within their organizations and across the workforce solutions ecosystem at large. 

2024 DE&I Influencers

LaShaun Solomon

Assistant VP, Strategic Partnerships | Pyramid Consulting

Honoree profile

When LaShaun Solomon first started her career in media, she didn’t see many people from diverse backgrounds. At a local media awards ceremony, Solomon walked around and took stock. “I did not see a lot of women that looked like me being recognized,” she recalls. “I didn’t see them on stage. I didn’t see them on the board. And I thought that was odd.”

That night, Solomon approached the chapter president of The WICT Network and asked how she could help. Within seven years, she became the youngest and first Black woman to serve as president of the Southeast chapter. Her work secured more than $1 million in sponsorship support for the organization and led to a growth of women of color on the board. This experience taught her that individuals do not need a DE&I title at their organization to make a real difference, she notes.

“You can lead DE&I efforts from anywhere,” Solomon says. “You can be an inclusive leader regardless of what your function is. If you are in finance, or IT, or procurement — whatever your department is — it’s not just up to HR or a DE&I vertical to advance an inclusive workplace. Everyone can lean in to do their part.”

You can lead DE&I efforts from anywhere. You can be an inclusive leader regardless of what your function is.

Since Solomon joined Pyramid Consulting in January 2022, the organization achieved a number of company firsts, including the first-of-its-kind DE&I impact report and a Center of Excellence which encourages employee engagement around their inaugural employee resource group program.

Solomon is perhaps most proud of the launch of the first-ever DEI Day — an event that featured messages from company leadership and customers on the importance of DE&I in the contingent workforce, inclusive business practices and shared impassioned calls to action. She and the organization this year also earned accolades on the shortlist of five categories at the World 50 Group Inclusion and Diversity Awards.

Pyramid Consulting found its employees had a hunger for inclusive activities: 82% of its employee base contributed to the company’s Intention Inclusive Challenge, its ERG events have been rated positively by 90% of attendees and its DE&I training completions increased 184%.

“The fact of the matter is regardless of how you identify, you are increasing your cultural competency by investing with other cultures and engaging with people who don’t look like you,” she says.