Tyra Banks speaks on why it's important to hire women of color

SupermodelTyra Banks detailed the importance of diversity in the workplace during a panel discussion hosted by Gayle King for the TIME 100 Summit in New York on Tuesday afternoon. 

The 45-year-old mogul — who has regularly been listed as one of the publication's most influential people — is aware of her platform and the power she holds to create inclusive spaces.

'Not only is it important for me to hire women, but my team understands it's important to hire women of color,' Banks said during the sit-down which was focused on female entrepreneurship.

The supermodel equally detailed her struggles in the modeling industry as a black woman and the impact of her experiences as she built an empire.

'I think it's about mandates,' she said. 'I think if you have power, that is a platform that just wields so much control — "this is this role, it's a CFO, we will find have a woman, we will find a woman of color, we will" — and being very specific. It's about being that pointed with it.' 

Tyra rose to fame in the '90s as a top model and was the first black woman to be featred on the covers of GQ and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.