Charter Communications has named longtime Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation executive Rhonda Crichlow to the newly created position of chief diversity officer.
Crichlow will oversee the development and implementation of Charter's diversity and inclusion initiatives. She’ll report to David Ellen, recently appointed senior executive VP Vice President and will be based out of Charter's corporate headquarters in Stamford, Conn.
"The creation of the chief diversity officer role reflects Charter's unwavering commitment to the fundamental values of diversity and inclusion," said Charter Chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge in a statment. "Rhonda and her team will work together, with the company's full support, to ensure that diversity and inclusion strategies are integrated into all aspects of the organization.”
Crichlow’s hiring comes amid Charter’s rebuilding of its executive ranks following its acquisitions of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.
According to a Mercer survey published by CableFax last year, 39 percent of all cable industry employees are people of color, and 16 percent are executives and senior-level managers.
However, promotion rates for white employees to executive-level roles are 2.5 times the rates for people of color. Meanwhile, turnover rates for people of color in these top-level roles are as much as 50 percent higher than the rates for whites, the study added.
For more:
- read this Charter press release
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