The corporate world mourns the loss of Bernard Tyson, CEO & Chairman of Kaiser Permanente, and a passionate D&I advocate. He died unexpectedly in his sleep yesterday, aged 60, the company said in a statement.
“An outstanding leader, visionary and champion for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans, Bernard was a tireless advocate for Kaiser Permanente, our members and the communities we serve,” the statement added.
Tyson had also served as Chair of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), a non-profit committed to increasing the number of global black executives in C-Suites, on corporate boards and in global enterprises. “Bernard was so much more than a renowned CEO. He was a mentor and a friend who always answered the ELC call He was our guiding light, our supporter and our champion,” said ELC in a statement today.
PASSIONATE D&I ADVOCATE
Tyson was inducted as a member of the ELC in July 1998. Over his 20+ years of membership, he was a ‘role model and active participant’ in member meetings, events and programmes. Tyson served two years as the ELC Board Chair, beginning in 2012, confirmed ELC. In 2017, he received The ELC’s highest honour, the 2017 Achievement Award, for his long and distinguished career. He was also included on the TIME 100 list of the most influential people in the world, that year.
“It is with deep sadness that we mourn the untimely passing of Bernard J Tyson. He was internationally recognised for his advocacy and passion for diversity, inclusion and affordable healthcare,” added ELC.
Even the day before his death, it’s reported that Tyson was championing D&I at the Afrotech Conference on equity in healthcare and technology. Earlier that week, Tyson also attended the AT&T Business Summit, where he discussed the need for companies to be ‘both diverse and inclusive of diverse workforces’.
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