LVMH names new vice president of diversity and inclusion

LVMH Moët Hennessy, the parent company of luxury fashion brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Givenchy, has named Corey Smith their new vice president of diversity and inclusion. Smith was previously vice president of diversity and inclusion at Major League Baseball.

“LVMH has demonstrated a deep commitment to creating opportunities for people regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or race,” Smith said in a statement to WWD. “I look forward to working closely with the leadership team in North America to build on the foundation they have in place in order to ensure that the group continues to be an inclusive, forward-thinking and desirable place to work and that we can use the power of our brands to effect change.”

Smith will report to Gena Smith, LVMH's senior vice president of Human Resources and head of global executive and creative recruitment. After this year's global outcry for racial justice and equality, fashion companies have begun taking stock of what they are doing to spearhead diversity. LVMH began working on increasing diversity ten years ago under the leadership of Chantal Gaemperle, executive vice president of human resources and synergies and a member of the executive committee.

LVMH has recently stressed its desire to increase diversity among management positions, of which 26.2 percent are currently filled by nonwhite workers. The company has also been holding unconscious bias trainings at their corporate offices around the globe.