Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Outdoor Industry Executive Search
It’s about two weeks into Pride Month, and alongside updating our branding to show support for the LGBTQ+ community, as the Founder & President of Highline Outdoor Group, I feel compelled to address efforts to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the outdoor industry. However, I’m aware that as a white, straight man in a leadership role at an all-white firm, anything I say about DEI might be perceived as disingenuous or mere virtue signaling.
All I can truly express is that we understand. Pride Month, LGBTQ+ rights, DEI, Juneteenth, and other similar movements and commemorations are not intended to ignite a culture war or deepen divisions in an already tragically divided world. It’s not an “us versus them” scenario. It’s about treating our fellow human beings the way we want to be treated and the way we want our loved ones to be treated, irrespective of their inherent attributes.
It’s about uniting everyone under one umbrella and fostering personal and professional growth through diverse thoughts and perspectives. In the context of the outdoor industry, it’s about casting a wide net to drive innovation, create better products, provide superior services, and encourage more people to enjoy the outdoors. By doing so, we enable more of us to experience the healing aspects of nature and the health benefits of an active lifestyle, all while strengthening outdoor, active lifestyle, and sporting goods businesses and brands to better adapt to naturally occurring shifts in consumer demographics.
Our focus, as outlined in our mission statement, has always been to recruit “top-performing, passionate executives for the best outdoor industry, sporting goods, and active-lifestyle companies and brands across the globe.” Moreover, we believe in guiding our clients on the advantages and best practices associated with fostering a fair and inclusive environment where individuals are evaluated based on their skillsets, personal motivation, professional drive, financial aspirations, soft skills, and cultural compatibility, irrespective of their color, race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.
Again, we understand that ignoring differences in color, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and other aspects is not what DEI is about. We need to improve, both at Highline Outdoor Group and across our industry, in recognizing the value that diverse perspectives bring to our businesses, particularly in terms of driving innovation and delivering better products and services to the market.
Therefore, when you come across our brand visuals online during the month of June, I encourage you to reconsider before assuming that we are simply “rainbow washing” or “pride washing.” Highline Outdoor Group is committed to being intentional about incorporating diversity into our recruitment criteria as we collaborate with clients to identify candidates best suited to drive innovation and growth within the outdoor industry.
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About the Author: Tony O’Neill is the Founder and President of Highline Outdoor Group — purpose-driven executive search firm for forward- thinking outdoor industry and sporting goods companies and brands.