Kenneth Arroyo Roldan
NEW POSITION: Chief executive of Wesley, Brown & Bartle Co. in Manhattan. The company was founded 30 years ago and is the nation's leading search firm for executives of color. Roldan, a Brooklyn native who resides in West Hempstead, previously served as interim chief executive. He joined the company five years ago as partner. Before that, he was an attorney with the state attorney general's office with a specialty in civil rights prosecution. He has a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a law degree from Touro Law Center, Huntington.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: "The perception that's pervasive out there in corporate America, where the word diversity equates to a diminution of talent. Particularly now, with the litigation that's before the Supreme Court, the affirmative action stigma along with the word diversity equates to folks not being on a level playing field. We're really about being able to bring the brightest to corporate America. it just so happens that these individuals happen to be a woman or a person of color.
AGE: 38.
HERO: Solomon Trujillo, chief executive of Orange SA, the London-based cellular unit of France Telecom SA. "He is one of the few Hispanic-Americans who actually reached the level of CEO and chairman of a Fortune 500 company....He really was the one who has broken and shattered the granite ceiling...that most Latinos should be able to attain."
JUST FOR FUN: Roldan enjoys spending time with his wife of 10 years and their 2-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son.
WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WB&B: "This form has a left legacy and will continue to leave a legacy in being able to position executives of color within the Fortune 500....More importantly, the issue of customer service, being able to hand-hold and provide a different quality of service to our clients that is unparalleled in this particular industry."
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