Marriott International’s leadership has reaffirmed its commitment to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), maintaining its stance even as President Donald Trump announces opposition to such initiatives at the federal level.
On April 10, 2025, Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano spoke at the Great Place to Work For All Summit in Las Vegas, NV, according to Fortune. The three-day event gathered thousands of executives from over 800 companies, and Capuano discussed how Marriott plans to navigate the changes to DEI.
He shared that his initial response was to meet with his executive leadership team in Bethesda, MA, where they decided to take a week to research and deliberate before reconvening.
Shortly after, while attending Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles, CA, Capuano faced numerous questions about Marriott’s future approach to DEI. In response, he thought of conversations with his mentor and former chairman, Bill Marriott.
“The winds blow, but there are some fundamental truths for those 98 years,” Capuano said, per Fortune. “We welcome all to our hotels and we create opportunities for all — and fundamentally those will never change. The words might change, but that’s who we are as a company.”
It wasn’t long before Capuano began receiving responses from his employees and was moved by their words. They expressed appreciation for Marriott and were grateful to work for a company that aligned with their values.
“Within 24 hours, I had 40,000 emails from Marriott associates around the world, saying ‘thank you,'” he shared.
Marriott employs over 800,000 associates at its hotels and resorts worldwide and has a strong corporate culture, ranking No. 8 on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2025.
In addition to Marriott, Cisco, which ranks No. 3 on Fortune’s list, also understands the importance of DEI.
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins remains steadfast in his commitment to advancing DEI efforts, AFROTECH™ previously reported.
Robbins’ current responsibilities involve positioning Cisco as a key player in helping companies worldwide embrace digital innovation to drive connectivity, security, and automation — missions that can’t be accomplished without diversity.
“I think the pendulum swings a little wide in both directions. And for us, it’s about finding the equilibrium… You cannot argue with the fact that a diverse workforce is better. There’s too much business value,” Robbins told Axios, as AFROTECH™ noted. “It’s being discussed like it’s a single-issue discussion, and you either believe it or you don’t. And in reality, it’s made up of 150 different things, and maybe seven of them got a little out of hand. …But the core reasons that you have a diverse workforce are still there from a business perspective.”
In contrast, Target Corp., which ranked No. 55 on Fortune’s list, and Walmart Inc., which ranked No. 100, have reversed their DEI initiatives, per AFROTECH™.
