By Melissa Lowery, Photos by Shellee Fisher Photography & Design Andrew D. Walker The diversity of our associates — and by extension our external suppliers — is an absolute strength,” said Andrew D. Walker, senior vice president, IT chief financial officer and chief procurement officer at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. “The more points we engage, the more we can accomplish together.” This people-first philosophy guides him as he leads the company’s sourcing and procurement operations — including its supplier diversity organization — to award-winning heights. Born in Jamaica, Walker moved to New York in 1984. He graduated from City University of New York with a degree in accounting in 1990 and took a position as head of accounting for trade shows for the National Marine Manufacturers Association in Chicago. In 1995, he became an accountant at Shore Bank in Chicago, working his way up the ranks until he was appointed senior vice president and director of operations in 2006. According to him, for more than a decade, he honed his leadership style, developing “a triple bottom-line approach, equally prioritizing profits and business’ impact on people and the community, along with the impact of a project on the environment.”
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