Today, BMI announced that renowned Gospel music luminary and longtime BMI-affiliated songwriter BeBe Winans has agreed to serve as a consultant and personal advisor to BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill. Winans will lend his guidance and perspective to help the Company navigate these changing times and continue BMI’s efforts to be a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace.
Regarding his new role, Winans stated, “I’m proud to be a partner and guide for BMI and Mike O’Neill as President and CEO at this pivotal moment in our country and our industry. I know BMI is committed to doing the hard work that’s needed and has already taken important steps to drive change, and I’m excited to take this on to advance their progress. I also know Mike as a business leader, and more importantly, I know him as a friend, and I very much look forward to being a partner to him on this moving forward.”
O’Neill added, “I’m very grateful to BeBe for his support, and I know he will be integral in helping BMI continue our efforts to be more diverse and inclusive as a company. Not only is he one of the most inspirational, influential and dynamic songwriter/artists of our time, but importantly, BeBe also brings a wealth of experience and perspective. His wise counsel will be essential to us as BMI continues charting our course forward. I appreciate that BeBe believes in BMI, the mission of our company, and the core foundation of who we are. I will rely on him tremendously as an invaluable resource.”
This is the latest in a series of steps that O’Neill has outlined for BMI to take to drive and support diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the Company and tolerance and social justice within our local communities. BMI is also in the process of hiring a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Responsibility Officer, who will, among other things, examine the Company’s hiring practices, recruiting and training. In addition, BMI has created an internal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force as well as Affinity Resource groups, and has established a paid time-off volunteer policy where team members can volunteer at a local, community-based organization promoting diversity, championing social and racial justice, serving underserved communities, and protecting voting rights.
Gospel great BeBe Winans has had incredible success both with his musical partner, sister CeCe Winans, and as a solo artist. Known for his uplifting music that has captured mainstream audiences and garnered multiple platinum records, he has won six GRAMMYs, ten Dove Awards, six Stellar Awards, four NAACP Awards and three Soul Train Music Awards, among others. In addition to his passion for songwriting, recording and performing, Winans has served as executive music producer for the OWN series, Greenleaf, hosted his own radio show on Sirius/XM, acted in films, and penned acclaimed books. Notably, Winans shared his extraordinary life story in the acclaimed musical, Born For This, and released an autobiography of the same name in 2019. Most recently, Winans released the powerful single “Black Lives Matter,” offering a stirring look at the BLM movement and lending his soaring voice to a call for understanding and empathy