In conversation Ken Frazier - Janice Ellig

I’m pleased to present this month’s Leadership Reimagined episode featuring Ken Frazier, Retired Chairman and CEO, Merck & Co., Inc. and Chairman, Health Assurance Initiatives, General Catalyst. Join us for an inspiring conversation to hear Ken’s journey, one of resilience, purpose, and vision, which is particularly poignant as we celebrate Black History Month. In this episode, he shares invaluable insights into leadership, drawing from his extensive experience and commitment to transformative change.

Reflecting on his upbringing and the profound influence of his father, Ken shares his views on leadership and attracting great talent. “Companies are successful in large part because they have a real sense of purpose. They have values, and those are values that the people of the company make real or don’t make real.” Ken is a voice for providing talent with opportunities.

“I think that we have to be a country where we can balance equal opportunity, diversity, equity, and inclusion on the one hand and allow people to be successful based on their achievements and their merits. I don’t think those two things are, in any way, inconsistent with one another.

I think the challenge is, at the end of the day, you want the kind of diversity programs that bring in the best talent from whatever source. And you don’t want diversity programs that, for example, provide quotas because if you provide quotas, you’re actually not bringing in all the talent you could bring in from another source. So it’s all about openness to the greatest amount of talent.”

Retired Chairman and CEO, Merck & Co., Inc. and Chairman, Health Assurance Initiatives, General Catalyst, Ken also serves as Co-Chair of OneTen. A member of prestigious organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, The Business Council, the Council of the American Law Institute, and the American Bar Association, Ken is also a fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and co-chairs the Legal Services Corporation’s Leaders Council. Ken has been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.

Please enjoy this episode of Leadership Reimagined featuring Ken Frazier, Retired Chairman and CEO, Merck & Co., Inc. and Chairman, Health Assurance Initiatives, General Catalyst!