I, Jeffrey Ferguson, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitments

• I will ask each member of my group to articulate an objective focused on diversity, equity and inclusion as part of the annual goal setting exercise.
• I will ensure that my team has participated in a Better Decisions: Mitigating Unconscious Bias session facilitated by leaders across the firm globally.
• I will ensure that the ABA Model Diversity Survey is completed by the US-based law firms who work with my group.
• During quarterly business reviews, I will require our Legal & Compliance leadership team to review and analyze DEI metrics regarding my Legal & Compliance team and lawyers working on our matters from our outside counsel.
• I will continue to sponsor the LCLD program and nominate at least one team member to be a Fellow annually.
• I will continue to support our Carlyle 1L LCLD Summer Associate partnership by providing panelists, encouraging my team to engage as mentors to the participants, and making the effort to attend any in person events whenever possible.

Organizational Commitments

1) We commit to heightening our focus on hiring, development and advancement to further advance equity across race and gender.

• Present ways to mitigate bias to global promotion committees each year.
• Providing targeted development and sponsorship through the continuation of our Career Strategies Initiative program for underrepresented professionals which also trains their managers on inclusive leadership and management tools.
• Continue requirements for diverse candidate slates. All interview slates must include at least two diverse candidates (defined as female, Black, Latinx, Native American or Pacific Islander in the US). At least one must be Black, Latinx, Pacific Islander or Native American in the US.
• Expand partnerships with organizations that develop and connect us with professionals from underrepresented groups with organizations like LCLD and others.

2) We commit to strengthening accountability for progress.

• Continue supporting all groups at Carlyle which have developed specific DEI Plans that outline diversity and inclusion priorities, actions and key next steps.
• Encourage all of our people to create a personal objective related to inclusion and diversity within our performance management system.
• Continue rewarding progress in DEI through our DEI Incentive Award, which ties diversity to compensation and highlights the stories of impact made by our people at all levels, from around the globe.

3) We commit to engaging and equipping all Carlyle colleagues to take action

• Continue rolling out the virtual version of our Better Decisions: Mitigating Unconscious Bias session to employees who have not yet participated.
• Provide groups with additional opportunities to refresh themselves on the tools and tactics learned from the session in addition to resources about how to be an effective ally.
• We will strengthen our culture of continuous feedback through tools and training.

4) We commit to driving change in Carlyle’s sphere of influence

• Continue working toward our board diversity goal to reach 30% of all directors being diverse by 2023 in Carlyle Corporate Private Equity controlled companies.
• Drive progress toward our board diversity goal through continued utilization of ESG-linked private equity credit facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia, with the price of debt directly tied to our 30% board diversity goal.
• Expanding the DEI Leadership Network, a coalition of our portfolio company CEOs around the globe which develops a peer group for shared resources, insights, and learnings to advance diversity, equity and inclusion within their respective companies.

5) We commit to supporting change in our communities

• Providing strategic partnership in our work as the inaugural underwriter for the Milken Institute’s DEI in Asset Management Program which aims to improve recruitment, retention and advancement across the industry.
• Continue partnering with Ascend and 100 other organizations to support an action agenda to address the adverse impact of the pandemic on vulnerable communities.