ATLANTA – Ernst & Young recently announced that co-founder and CEO Donald Thompson of The Diversity Movement was named an Entrepreneur Of The Yea 2023 Southeast Award winner. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program is one of the preeminent competitive awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. Donald Thompson was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
“The Diversity Movement’s commitment to creating stronger teams and superior workplaces is at the heart of our work in tying culture transformation to real-world, bottom-line results,” said Donald Thompson, CEO and co-founder of The Diversity Movement. “My commitment centers on helping executives and their teams create culture-centric organizations and culture-centric leaders who are ready to win in the marketplace. This award demonstrates TDM’s value as we help leaders create workplace excellence, which resonates across families, communities, and society.”
For nearly four decades, EY US has honored entrepreneurs whose ambition, courage and ingenuity have driven their companies’ success, transformed their industries and made a positive impact on their communities. Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources. Since 1986, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 11,000 US executives.
Thompson is a globally respected and sought-after business leader with a proven track record of success in growing firms. A Certified Diversity Executive (CDE), he is passionate about driving cultural transformation and delivering strong returns for employees and shareholders. Under Thompson’s leadership, The Diversity Movement has earned numerous accolades, including Inc. Magazine’s 2021 Best in Business List in DE&I Advocacy and Fast Company’s 2022 “world-changing ideas.” In addition, Thompson is a three-time Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies winner, named to the Forbes Next 1000 List, the Business North Carolina Power 100 List, and winner of the 2023 Independent Press Distinguished Favorite Book Award in Leadership for Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success. Thompson serves on 12 boards across various industries, including marketing, health, and finance. He is an in-demand speaker and author, as well as host of the podcast “High Octane Leadership in an Empathetic World.”
As a Southeast award winner, Thompson is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 National Awards. The National Award winners including the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will be announced in November at the Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June 2024.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has honored the inspirational leadership of entrepreneurs such as:
- Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks
- Daymond John of FUBU
- Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani, Inc.
- Holly Thaggard and Amanda Baldwin of Supergoop!
- Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company
- James Park of Fitbit
- Jodi Berg of Vitamix
- Joe DeSimone of Carbon, Inc.
- Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC
- Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn Corporation
- Sheila Mikhail of AskBio
