(Bloomberg)—Blackstone Inc. vowed to hire 2,000 refugees across its portfolio companies and real estate properties worldwide, including 1,500 in the US.
The firm is joining Tent, a nonprofit network of major corporations committed to supporting refugees, New York-based Blackstone said Tuesday in a statement. The alternative-asset manager said it has already hired 500 displaced people from nations including Afghanistan, Ukraine, El Salvador and Guatemala.
“Diverse teams make stronger companies,” Chief Executive Officer Steve Schwarzman said in the statement.
Blackstone, with $941 billion of assets under management, said it has also hired 100,000 veterans as part of its broader Career Pathways program designed to foster diversity and economic mobility and remove traditional barriers to employment.
Employers “will benefit from welcoming these hard-working, loyal and resilient individuals,” Tent founder Hamdi Ulukaya, who’s also CEO of yogurt maker Chobani, said in the statement. “As refugee crises start to fade from the headlines, I hope that companies will recognize that hiring refugees is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do.”
--With assistance from Dawn Lim.
© 2022 Bloomberg L.P.
