A Nigerian national, Macmichael Nwaiwu is an experienced petroleum engineering professional who serves as a lead engineer at DTE Energy in Detroit. Macmichael Nwaiwu is a proponent of workplace diversity, which has been shown to increase profits among companies in several different industries. In addition, research has linked workplace diversity with greater innovation in the office.

The journal Innovation: Management, Policy and Practice published a study that looked at gender diversity in more than 4,200 companies based in Spain. Statistical modeling demonstrated that companies with more women were more likely to introduce new products into the market. Another study, in Economic Geography, looked at more than 7,600 companies in the United Kingdom responding to the London Annual Business Survey. The study found that businesses with more cultural diversity in their leadership teams were much more likely to introduce market innovations. 

People tend to feel more at ease when they work with people from similar backgrounds, but it is this fear of getting out of the comfort zone that hinders companies lacking in diversity. Bringing together people of different backgrounds sparks conversation and debate that ultimately leads to exciting innovations.