The tragic events that have unfolded over the past few weeks are unimaginably senseless and deeply concerning. They have further brought to light inequality, exclusion and bias across our country. Given this, we wanted to take a moment to share how this has impacted our firm, summarize our ongoing efforts and outline our continued commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

Last week, Cliff shared a personal letter with the firm. He denounced racism and violence and reminded us all that not only does AQR stand against racism of any kind, but what unites the AQR community is the respect, empathy and support that we have for each other. He shared that he supports the Black Lives Matter movement, noting that the phrase “Black Lives Matter” does not mean “matter more” rather it is meant to raise awareness that to society today they still don’t matter enough. He asked us all to help change that and to hear our fellow Americans’ words and really try to understand the pain many are experiencing. He reiterated our commitment to our diversity efforts and asked that everyone come together in unity, join in being part of the solution and work towards peace and justice for all.

As a firm, AQR is unwavering in our mission to foster a culture of inclusion, dignity and respect. We actively promote an inclusive environment where the contributions of our team members are recognized and valued, and employees are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work. 

Our approach to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where all employees have a true sense belonging is multi-faceted across recruiting strategies, community-building activities, leadership development programs, and best-in-class policies and training. We have implemented over one hundred diversity-oriented events over the past 2 years, and these efforts are supported at the highest levels of the firm with our Founders and Partners serving as executive sponsors of our networks and recruiting and talent initiatives. Additionally, several senior members of our HR team, including our Chief Human Resources Officer, our head of Talent Development and our head of Campus and Diversity Recruiting, who have on average 20 years of experience in the space, are dedicated to our diversity efforts as part of their day-to-day responsibilities. Please review this document with further details on all facets of our approach to diversity and inclusion. 

Going forward, we want you to know that we are deeply committed to doing even more. We know it takes sustained effort and long-term commitment to yield tangible results. This includes addressing the racial inequality and bias that recent events have further brought to light. We plan to do this across our initiatives, including philanthropy, community engagement as well as new educational resources on being an ally for inclusion and equality. 

We know we can do better and we are committed to continue to make progress.