John W. Rogers Jr.

Chairman and Co-CEO of America's Largest Black-owned asset management firm, Ariel Capital Mutual Funds

So that's the kind of legacy we've tried to build at Ariel, starting off as a socially responsible investment company and now one that's really heavily focused on ESG [environmental, social and governance] investment.”

"It’s up to us,” he said, referring to anyone in a leadership role, “to force people to be transparent and do the right things and get them out of their comfort zone. If we don't speak up and speak out, nothing changes."

"If you're the first woman or first person of color in the boardroom, it’s not easy sometimes to address these tough issues and ask for transparency,” said Rogers, who serves on several boards, including Nike and McDonald’s. “But I always think ‘What would John Lewis do and what would Dr. King do?'"