NEW YORK—During a press conference Monday in which it touted the success of its diversity initiative, Connex Marketing Solutions introduced the three Black women it had recently hired to stand next to the company’s CEO, Carter Foss. “We are proud to have these three women join our team, flanking our CEO anytime he’s doing a presentation or posing for company publicity materials,” said human resources director Karen Cendes, adding that the new employees would all hold highly visible positions standing to the left, to the right, or directly behind Foss when needed, especially during meetings on Connex’s diversity, equity, and inclusion program. “We interviewed a lot of applicants for these positions, but these three stood out with their decades of experience being African American women and being asked to stand there quietly. Our company is proud to champion people of color, and we look forward to seeing our new Black women do this important work on the periphery of Mr. Foss.” Cendes added that going forward, any criticisms of the CEO should be redirected to the three Black women.