HASC and Communities Lifting Communities (CLC) are pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Kwok, Cedars-Sinai, as chair of the Supplier Diversity Committee. He will serve along with new co-chairs Audrey Chang, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Flora Mayer, City of Hope.
Kwok serves as the associate director of supply chain diversity at Cedars-Sinai Health System. He brings close to 20 years of experience in the diversity, equity and inclusion and supplier diversity space in both the public and private sectors.
“I’m honored and excited to step into this new role,” Kwok said. “There’s so much potential for both HASC hospitals and suppliers to benefit from expanding their networks and developing new partnerships together. I look forward to working with Flora and Audrey and creating opportunities to help make this possible.”
Mayer serves as manager of supplier diversity at City of Hope. She said, “I look forward to working with my peers in the hospital supplier diversity efforts to provide equitable treatment to all the people we serve, and to collaborate on ways we can provide inclusion opportunities for small and diverse suppliers. When we include everyone in this effort, we win.”
“Supplier diversity is only going to grow, and I’m excited to be a part of it,” said Chang, the project manager, vendor diversity at CHLA. “My hope for being on this committee is to help bridge the gap of education between suppliers and hospitals. We’re all navigating this space, and we must be patient. I look forward to working with partners and moving supplier diversity forward to support our communities.”
On an In the Spotlight podcast last year, Kwok shared about what has inspired him in his career. He views supplier diversity work as “just doing the right thing” and “good business sense.” It also is a natural facet of Cedars-Sinai’s mission to elevate patient care and serve the community, which also includes job creation and economic development.
Supplier diversity strikes close to home for Kwok: His parents both owned small businesses. “I’ve seen some of the decisions they’ve had to make,” literally at the kitchen table, he explained in the podcast. “It’s very tough running a business, and I think supplier diversity [efforts] can make it a little bit easier” by including more diverse businesses in the supply chain, he said.
The Supplier Diversity Committee offers a forum for procurement leaders and staff to address challenges, share best practices and provide innovative solutions. HASC and CLC established the committee as part of their Regional Hospital Supplier Diversity Initiative. The initiative aims to foster relationships among diverse businesses, hospital procurement and supply chain managers, and economic support organizations.
HASC’s Supplier Diversity podcast series features several episodes, including one with Chang and Mayer. Listen to more podcasts on our In the Spotlight page.