Dr. Tony Byers is the chief inclusion & diversity officer of Spencer Stuart. A member of the firm’s global leadership team, he is responsible for advancing Spencer Stuart’s strategic DE&I agenda globally, deepening the firm’s impact in the market and embedding DE&I in all aspects of the organization. Prior to joining the firm, Tony served on Spencer Stuart’s DE&I Advisory Group. He is based in Seattle.
An expert in diversity, equity and inclusion across industries
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Tony has more than 30 years of experience in DE&I. Before joining Spencer Stuart, he served as a DE&I thought leader, public speaker and strategic adviser to clients through the management consulting firm he founded. In 2018, Tony authored the book The Multiplier Effect of Inclusion: How Diversity & Inclusion Advances Innovation and Drives Growth.
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He also served as senior faculty and director of the Modern Chief Diversity Officer Program (MCDO) at Cornell University’s ILR School, Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS), collaborating with senior executives to develop and lead impactful diversity and inclusion strategies.
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Prior to this, Tony successfully led and helped to revitalize D&I efforts in several global organizations. He led DE&I globally at Starbucks during a period of high growth and international expansion. Tony was the global D&I leader at H.J. Heinz Company and spent three years at Cargill focusing on D&I in the North America and Western Europe.
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Tony spent 10 years as an organizational change and diversity consultant and was an adjunct faculty member at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn. for eight years.
Tony earned his doctorate in human and organizational systems and his master’s degree in organizational systems from Fielding Graduate University.