Lindsay-Rae McIntyre

Chief Diversity Officer and Corporate Vice President of Talent and Learning, Microsoft


Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Microsoft's Chief Diversity Officer and Corporate Vice President of Talent and Learning joins HR Grapevine for an exclusive interview in which she discusses the findings of the company’s 2024 D&I report and offers advice on securing "unwavering commitment" from company leadership

Lindsay-Rae McIntyre

Chief Diversity Officer and Corporate Vice President of Talent and Learning, Microsoft


Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Microsoft's Chief Diversity Officer and Corporate Vice President of Talent and Learning joins HR Grapevine for an exclusive interview in which she discusses the findings of the company’s 2024 D&I report and offers advice on securing "unwavering commitment" from company leadership

As major employers like Ford, Jack Daniels, and John Deere distance themselves from diversity and inclusion initiatives, Microsoft’s Chief Diversity Officer says its commitment to D&I remains “stronger than ever.”

Soon to enter its 50th year of operation, the technology giant is also marking six consecutive years of annual D&I reporting.

Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Microsoft’s Chief Diversity Officer and Corporate Vice President of Talent and Learning proudly tells HR Grapevine this is the company’s most transparent D&I report to date, revealing areas of improvement as much as it celebrates progress.

Crucially, McIntyre says, it has a central message that cements the company’s stance on an issue that has so frequently grabbed the headlines in 2024: “D&I is built into the core of how we do business at Microsoft.”

‘Intention over time’ the key to D&I at Microsoft

Although they remain in the minority, several notable businesses including Harley-Davidson, Toyota, and Molson-Coors have about-faced on D&I commitments, ending the sponsorship of events such as Pride festivals and scrapping ERGs.

The U-turns came amid anti-DEI activist campaigns on social media and rising shareholders activism from those who oppose its role in US businesses ..

Microsoft has only been producing annual D&I reports for six years and sharing workforce data for 11,, but McIntyre says the company’s commitment to inclusion dates back over forty years.

Consistency, she argues, is the secret to canceling out the noise: “This year's report tells a really interesting story about the importance of diligence and intention over time.”

The result is steady, climbing, ongoing progress—the kind that may not always make front-page news, but over time delivers meaningful difference. From 2023 to 2024, for example, Microsoft increased the representation of women from 31.2% to 31.6%.

McIntyre says this approach to improving inclusion requires Microsoft to have a “relentless desire” to represent the world it aims to serve.

“That [patience] is particularly important as we strive to close the unadjusted median pay gap, which comes from representation in more senior roles in the organization,” McIntyre adds. “I attribute [our progress] to a lot of hard work over a number of years… This work happens over time, not overnight. We've been at it for the better part of 40 years.”

Alongside data points on gender, racial, and ethnic minority group representation, the report also features insights into the inner workings of Microsoft employee resource groups (ERGs) and the findings of pay equity and median unadjusted pay analyses.

I attribute [our progress] to a lot of hard work over a number of years… This work happens over time, not overnight. We've been at it for the better part of 40 years

Lindsay-Rae McIntyre | Chief Diversity Officer and Corporate VP of Talent & Learning, Microsoft

Integrated D&I and making the business case: Lessons from Microsoft’s CDO

Even from within the walls of the HR community, there have been calls for D&I to become more strategic; to better serve the needs of businesses.

In July 2024, the world’s largest professional HR body, the Society for Human Resource Management, announced it would be adopting the acronym ‘I&D’ instead of ‘IE&D’: “By emphasizing Inclusion-first, we aim to address the current shortcomings of DE&I programs, which have led to societal backlash and increasing polarization,” said SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.

While the decision created an avalanche of controversy, it prompted many HR teams to reflect on their existing approach to D&I and whether it could be reimagined to more clearly demonstrate and deliver the value it serves to businesses.

McIntyre acknowledges she is fortunate that Microsoft’s entire executive team understands the importance of D&I to its mission - “It is the business of Microsoft to be more diverse and inclusive so that we can serve the world,” she says – but suggests other HR professionals can reach this point by integrating D&I into all areas of the business rather than keeping it as a siloed unit.

“Threading and embedding diversity and inclusion into skill sets, mindsets, habits, behaviors, and every aspect of the employee experience is critically important,” she notes. “Gone are the days where D&I is something separate. Whether it's onboarding or compensation or, the employee experience or how we build strategies and labor plans within organizations and business units, D&I is a piece of all of that.”

Her belief in the importance of embedded D&I and alignment with the business is echoed by other prominent HR leaders, such as Santander’s Chief Diversity & Culture Officer Virnitia Dixon, and Kimberly Shariff, EVP of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Penguin Random House, who have spoken to HR Grapevine about buy-in and business support for D&I.

“DE&I efforts, when integrated into the DNA of organizations, are more readily understood for what they are: good business practices that drive financial success, innovation, productivity and strong corporate cultures that attract top candidates and help retain top performers,” Shariff said in January 2024.

Microsoft's commitment to creating an inclusive place to work for employees is 'stronger than ever' - Microsoft Corp

Microsoft’s D&I commitment is rooted in data

“I’m a data nerd,” McIntyre proudly states. “I know many of us [HR professionals] are.” The executive impresses the importance of data when educating peers on the ‘business case’ for D&I. “Embracing data shines the light on how diverse and inclusive teams outperform homogenous teams, and that continues to be a compelling piece of the conversation for business leaders who are focused on outcomes.”

The measurement and transparent disclosure of data over the past 11 years at Microsoft has been fundamental to the progress it has made around representation and inclusion.

2024’s report includes for the first time global pay data for women; global data for Indigenous and military self-identification; and more detailed data on disability inclusion.

This, says McIntyre, gives the company a precise conversation about where the company can do better, and can also take the pressure off those who expect immediate change. “It allows us to acknowledge the fact that this work doesn't happen quickly. That it is happening in a meaningful way. That it is happening strategically and thoughtfully over time.”

Embracing data shines the light on how diverse and inclusive teams outperform homogenous teams, and that continues to be a compelling piece of the conversation for business leaders who are focused on outcomes

Lindsay-Rae McIntyre | Chief Diversity Officer and Corporate VP of Talent & Learning, Microsoft

The representation of women at Microsoft’s executive level, for example, dropped from 29.1% in 2023 to 29.0% in 2024; the representation of Black and African American employees at the same level similarly dropped from 5.1% to 4.9%.

But any suggestion that these changes represent anything more than temporary shifts on a path to greater inclusion is quickly washed away by the bigger picture painted by year-on-year data collection.

In 2020, the same representation figures sat at 24.0% and 3.7% respectively. And in 2024, the representation of Hispanic and Latinx employees rose to 4.6% from 3.8% in 2023 and 3.3% in 2020.) Each data point becomes a part of Microsoft’s slow-but-steady journey of “diligence and intention.”

Microsoft has achieved pay equity for women relative to men and racial and ethnic minority groups relative to white employees - Microsoft Corp

How Microsoft is closing the pay gap

US Census Bureau data recently revealed that in 2023, the gender gap widened for the first time in 20 years. Women working full-time in the US earned 83 cents for every dollar earned by men, down from 84 cents in 2022.

With nation-wide progress moving in the wrong direction, Microsoft is one of the few employers that can boast pay equity for women relative to men and racial and ethnic minority groups relative to white employees.

While it will continue to measure and report on pay equity data, it also monitors the median unadjusted pay gap, which addresses pay imbalances brought about by differences in representation at the various levels of a business.

“The pay equity is important, but the median unadjusted pay gap addresses representation at all levels and particularly more senior levels in the organization,” McIntyre observes, noting that showing consistent progress here is vital “to retain critical talent and grow critical talent for Microsoft.”

The analyses rely on self-identification beyond basic legislative requirements, which she describes as a “trust-building exercise to make sure that employees feel safe and engaged enough to share that information with us.”

To inspire that trust, Microsoft is clear and transparent with its workforce about how it will act on the data it provides and visibly deliver on that action. This encourages greater participation in self-identification, giving the business more information to act upon, leading to more or better actions being taken, and so the cycle continues.

“The global data isn't as high as we want it to be, but we know that by publishing it and continuing to focus on it and airing the stories and the actions that we're taking, then it will grow,” McIntyre says.

“But we don't want to be transparent for transparency's sake,” she clarifies. “We do it to be able to shine a light on places where we need to make more progress or to help employee communities feel seen and valued at Microsoft.”

There is another side to the coin, though. Just as employees must be encouraged with self-identification, senior leadership must also be encouraged to embrace transparency around D&I progress.

“[It takes] an unwavering commitment from the senior leadership through the organization,” McIntyre asserts. “We build accountability and rhythms into all of the executives who are reviewing the work in their organization.”

‘Brilliant basics’: What’s next on Microsoft’s D&I agenda?

Asked to reflect on what 2025 and beyond may hold for Microsoft’s D&I journey, McIntyre gladly shares the company is “definitely not perfect.”

“I feel like we're learning all the time,” she says, and as Microsoft’s D&I progress is documented through further annual reports, it will undoubtedly show a journey of imperfection, correction, and growth.

But while Microsoft welcomes (and demands) progress, McIntyre concludes by reiterating that the fundamentals – and the “unwavering commitment” that has driven Microsoft’s 50-year journey of improving inclusion – are not going anywhere.

“We have to continue to execute what I call brilliant basics, making sure that we are continuing to invest in the employee experience; in manager acumen so that they can customize the resources and support that they provide every employee; and in being able to focus on the data and the commitments that we've made to strengthen a culture of inclusion and increase representation.”

Read the full report and the blog post authored by Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Microsoft’s Chief Diversity Officer and Corporate Vice President of Talent and Learning.

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