Many people talk about the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion; however, very few actually are committed to ensuring that historically underrepresented groups have a meaningful “voice in the businesses and organizations” of which they are a participant. Kurt Merriweather engages in this type of work every day.
Merriweather is Vice President of Products and Partnerships at The Diversity Movement of which he is also a co-founder. Furthermore, he is a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE) and an “accomplished product strategist and marketing executive with a passion for helping leaders and organizations identify and implement growth strategies.” The Diversity Movement, started in 2019, is a full-service diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm. With over 30 clients, Merriweather and his team of business strategists—nationally recognized TEDx speakers, and Certified Diversity Executives—”draw on their expertise in DEI and backgrounds in journalism, human rights and data analytics to help clients achieve transformative change.”
The Diversity Movement has experienced meteoric growth since 2019. In under two years, according to the firm’s Chief Executive Officer, the founders have been able to “move from concept to commercial business and impact over 110,000 people with the work they are doing.” This growth is a testament to the critical need in society for action-oriented DEI training and tools. Merriweather’s firm is meeting that need.
Kurt Merriweather is also founder and principal of Cedar Fork Partners, a Chapel Hill-based marketing and business-development consultancy. Moreover, prior to co-founding The Diversity Movement, he was Vice President of Strategy and Transformation at Walk West where he was responsible for leading the consulting and strategy practice and developing new business concepts and ventures. He has also worked in senior leadership positions for global brands such as Discovery Online, AOL Music Now, and Proctor and Gamble. Merriweather also worked as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Artist Platforms, at ReverbNation. In this latter role, he oversaw product management, sales, and marketing. He was also responsible for building ReverbNation’s 4MM+ music artist community, leading groups to build partnerships with and offerings for music companies, brands, festivals, and publications. These various roles expanded Merriweather’s network.
Merriweather earned a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University and a M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business where he focused on strategy, marketing, and entrepreneurship.