Voice of Experience: Ruth Punter, Director in Tax PwC UK

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By Cathie Ericsonruth punter

For PwC’s Ruth Punter, diversity takes many forms: Most obviously, of course, she is a woman working with clients in the male-dominated financial services industry. She also is an openly out gay woman, and then takes care to mention her intermittent mental health challenges that have also underlined for her the importance of having an open and supportive working environment. She says:

“It’s important for people to be able to be themselves and have a chance to shine in all their forms of diversity,”

Her time at PwC has been marked by an openness to all these forms of diversity, particularly the “Green Light to Talk” campaign that encourages people to openly discuss mental health wellbeing.

“I have personally found it easier to talk about my sexuality than my mental health, and at times this reticence undermined my performance. Having been more open with colleagues about my symptoms more recently, partly as a result of profile-raising campaigns such as Green Light to Talk, I have benefited from much more support,” she says.

A Career Combining Tax with Larger Business Issues

After graduating from the University of Sussex, Punter joined another Big 4 firm as part of the tax team, the start to a successful career in the field.  She joined PwC as a director in 2014 while studying part time for an MBA with Henley Business School. At PwC she has had the opportunity to increase her responsibilities in leading and building teams, playing to her strengths in both the operational and interpersonal aspects of the workplace.

While Punter has had many successes at work, still she perceives earning her business degree as the professional achievement she is most proud of. Although she was balancing up to 20 hours of study a week with full-time employment, she found that to be the most rewarding year of her career, largely because she was able to focus the elements of her university project and research on something that was relevant to her work: Talking to the heads of tax in FTSE 100 companies to find out what qualities were needed in tax leaders in the modern business. This research has led to her involvement in conversations at both PwC and with clients on the skills needed by the tax professional of the future.

In fact, right now much of her role is focused on change and transformation, where she is able to combine her knowledge from a tax perspective with her consulting and business skills. “Every organization has more to do and less time to do it in, so they need to do things differently, including using technology. Today I focus less on technical tax interpretations and more on helping businesses to deal with how they manage their tax obligations.  Often these are multi-faceted business problems with a wide group of stakeholders, none of whom have time to deal with all the change that is occurring.”

Over the years she has gained a wider appreciation for bigger issues of change and finds her energy comes from consulting in addition to her technical expertise.

Recognizing and Embracing Differences

Punter believes that many of today’s diversity challenges are more about recognizing the different working styles of people. Rather than operating in a homogenous workplace, it’s important that people with different styles are able to play to their strengths. She appreciates the experiences she had while earning her MBA, where she would meet people with different communication and working styles; after spending time with them on projects, it was easy to see their strengths come out. A self-described introvert, she made certain to push herself to raise her profile and found that being “in the cauldron” with so many different types helped her improve her own style.

A key part of workplace success is connecting with people who will challenge you and help you engage on different topics, whether it’s diversity, business or politics. You have to continue learning and being inquisitive, she says, noting that she decided to earn her MBA simply because she hadn’t been feeling as energized as before. “That ignited my desire to read business books and think about wider political and business issues, which allowed me to better connect with clients and peers,” she says.

At PwC, she has appreciated being part of GLEE@PwC, PwC UK’s inclusive business network for gays, lesbians and supporters. “PwC is full of Allies who are very visible, and the GLEE network creates that openness to talk, and the more visibility there is, the more comfortable people will be being themselves”, she says. In her case, she benefited from having several role models at the right time in her life through playing rugby and whether it’s inside or outside of the workplace, she says that it’s “vital to find people who help you feel comfortable in your own skin and create an environment where others can be themselves.”

“The more out I’ve been, the stronger the human connections I make,” she says, noting that while she’s always been out at work, she finds herself continually coming out to new people. “You have to get used to saying you’re going on holiday with your wife, for example,” she explains.

Since her wife Clare is also a professional woman, Punter finds it helpful in that she understands similar work challenges and aspirations, and they can spur each other on.

Nurturing Her Creativity

Punter used to sing and play the guitar as part of an acoustic duo until a couple of years ago and has always had a flair for performance. Realizing how much she misses that outlet, she is trying to find a new band as well as getting involved with her local amateur theatre company.

“Not every personal ambition will be fulfilled by work, and you need to make sure you keep other activities as part of your life to achieve a balance. It’s easy to make excuses, particularly when there is always more work to do, but no one has stopped me so it’s up to me to create the opportunities to make me happier, more productive and more engaged in all aspects of my life,” she says.

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How to Be the Best Ally You Can be to an LGBT Co-worker or Colleague

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By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational PyschologistNicki Gilmour

You are probably fairly evolved when it comes to treating others like you would like to be treated. You stick to this golden rule and that is a good basic strategy as human civility and trust come from simple questions such as ‘Hey, how was your weekend?’

Letting the person respond to ‘the weekend’ question in an authentic way without raising an eyebrow or judging them according to your norms and yardstick is also a good start. Often a simple reply of ‘I went to the cinema with my girlfriend/wife/partner’ becomes an anxiety ridden moment for the gay gal or guy. If there is a sense of not being able to disclose this otherwise very normal and innocuous piece of info about their weekend, they may not trust you. This creates a difference that doesn’t need to be there.  People won’t share, they will change pronouns and generally omit details. Imagine not being able to talk casually about your everyday life? Not fun! Just think that if you are straight, you never run the risk of being accused of having a lifestyle for watching the same Hollywood movie hit as everyone else this past weekend.

The stakes can be high. I am not talking about the lack of legal protections in some states and parts of the world that can result in instant firing for being suspected of being gay (see last week’s column), I am talking about trust. If people do not trust you, you are not going to have the best shot at a high performing team as we have seen from numerous workplace research regardless of LGBT status.

What can you do to ensure you are being inclusive?

– When a new woman joins, do not ask her about her husband, instead use inclusive language like spouse/significant other.
– Show inclusive behavior like mentoring an LGBT team member or being reverse mentored by them.
– Take time to get to know people individually. Just because you know one gay person does not mean you know what all gay people are like.
– Do not say ‘Oh, I have a gay friend’ out of context. Can you imagine if every guy you met made a point of telling you that they had one platonic female friend as an isolated sentence?
– Do tell an anecdotal story about a time that you and your gay friend did something together in context if you want to make the other person aware that you do have exposure to an LGBT person in your life
– Making other people comfortable is a lovely trait no matter who you are and who they are.

If you really want to do more, ask them what they think you can do and open up dialogue. Know that like anything they do not represent all gay people everywhere but rather just one human who like everyone else is getting through life with hopes, dreams, concerns and chores as much as anyone else.

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LGBTQ Rights: Why Companies are Leading the Charge

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 By Aimee Hansen

LGBTQ

image via Shutterstock

With civil liberties at risk, companies have become the unexpected heavy-hitting champions of LGBTQ rights.

During Pride Month, theglasshammer often focuses on advocating for equality within corporations, but companies are increasingly playing a powerful role in driving equality within broader society.

Companies are proving to be the most powerful adopters of LGBTQ rights, while defending those rights on a state and federal level.

This sets up an odd paradox when it comes to protecting the rights of LGBTQ workers: government leans out while companies lean in.

Government setbacks to LGBTQ protections

Denying LGBTQ rights remains as emotive fodder on the political table, when it comes to appealing to voters and appeasing constituents on the religious right.

While most voters overwhelmingly support a federal LGBT-non discrimination bill (protecting gender identity and sexual orientation), no federal law protects LGBTQ workers against discrimination. It’s legal in 28 states to fire an employee for being gay.

Summing up Trump’s first 100 days, NBC recently wrote, “when it comes to LGBTQ discourse, his impact has been as loud as an air raid siren.” Gender identity and sexual orientation references have been erased from White House and State Department websites, a national survey and the 2020 U.S. Census.

In late March, as Rolling Stone put it, “Trump Quietly Went After LGBT Workers” by revoking the Obama-era Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order, which required those companies doing business with the federal government to prove their compliance with federal laws and executive orders (such as the complementary order on LGBT protections, also signed in by Obama).

The repeal by the Trump administration displaced the burden of adherence from companies to LGBTQ people, creating a loophole around protections and conveying the message that the Trump government is indifferent to them.

A draft “license to discriminate” Trump executive order was leaked that induced fear across the community. The order would have effectively endorsed broad discrimination against the LGBTQ community on everything ranging from social services to healthcare to education to jobs, based upon religious reasons – likely violating the First Amendment.

While the White House denied the leaked order and backed away from the overt discrimination, Trump’s “Religious Liberty” order increased the latitude with which religious organizations can publicly favor or oppose candidates while remaining tax-exempt (a unilateral undermining of the Johnson Amendment), directed government to “to vigorously enforce Federal law’s robust protections for religious freedom,” and directed federal agencies to consider exempting some religious groups from providing birth control to employees and staff.

The light in this legislative tunnel is that a federal appeals court in Chicago ruled that companies cannot discriminate against LGBT employees, one interpretation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that may make its way to the Supreme Court.

Corporate surge in protecting LGBTQ rights

As legislative protection rolls backwards, the Corporate Equality Index 2017 report (CEI) released by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) indicates that a record number of top U.S. businesses are leaping forward in protecting LGBTQ rights and providing benefits.

517 businesses earned the CEI’s top score of 100, a 25% jump within a single year and “the largest jump in the 15-year history of the nation’s premiere benchmarking tool for LGBT workplace equality.”

HRC notes that companies with non-discrimination protections for gender identity has increased from 3% (in 2002) among the Fortune 500 companies to 82% (including Walmart), showing commitment to protecting transgender workers.

This year, the report also expanded benchmarks to include global policies, and now 92% of CEI-rated companies “include both sexual orientation and gender identity non-discrimination protections that apply to workers domestically and internationally.”

As written in Quartz, “Businesses are becoming increasingly invested in LGBT rights and diversifying their workforce because, as Out Leadership’s managing director Stephanie Sandberg says, ‘their competitive edge depends on it.’”

Business sustainability is interlinked with employee equality. “Big business was way out ahead of government when it came to creating domestic partner benefits for their teams—and they remain way out in front when it comes to non-discrimination policies,” noted Todd Sears, founder of Out Leadership.

Corporate activism against anti-equality legislation = good business

Multinational companies are not only poised, but increasingly called upon, to lead the LGBT equality revolution, arguably because it benefits them to do so.

HRC notes that U.S. companies are increasingly playing a leading activist role in “opposing anti-equality legislation” at the state and federal levels. Last year, 68 companies joined HRC to oppose North Carolina’s HB2 “bathroom bill” while over 200 businesses signed an open letter to repeal the law.

“Corporate America has risen to the top in terms of being a high-impact influencer” on LGBT rights, said Deena Fidas, Director of HRC’s Workplace Equality Program. “We have corporations going on the record at the federal level, at the judicial level and certainly at the state level speaking out against what we would call anti-LGBT bills.”

As Sears told Quartz,

“Big businesses are positioned to drive equality because, again, a state-based patchwork of laws that impact their ability to attract, retain, and support all of their employees is ultimately bad for business.”

“Laws that prevent LGBT equality across many state and country borders impose a significant burden on these companies and harm their ability to attract and retain the best employees,” echoed Selisse Berry, CEO and founder of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, and Ken Janssens in Newsweek. “That’s why multinational firms must speak out for equal rights wherever they do business.”

 “Don’t just do no harm. Do good.” 

 At the International Business and Human Rights Conference in April, Netherlands Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, noted international companies taking up the mantle of corporate human rights defenders, and urged more to do so.

At the base level, protecting human rights must be paramount within a company’s own supply chain. Ploumen stated, “We need to be very clear on this: sustainable development without respect for human rights is an illusion. We cannot call economic growth ‘sustainable development’ if people’s rights are being trampled to make it possible.”

“Going beyond human rights in your own value chain is the next frontier in business and human rights,” she added, citing the examples of corporate advocacy in North Carolina and Georgia as ready evidence of the need even in ‘developed’ countries. “Companies that are not just concerned with their own value chains, but are willing to advocate for human rights more broadly. Both because they believe it’s the right thing to do and because they know their customers expect no less of them.”

Ploumen pointed out that multinational companies hold unique and powerful leverage when it comes to advocating civil rights because states and countries want their business, echoing a Davos 2016 discussion. Companies must impress, she said, that “legal certainty for companies and human rights for citizens go hand in hand.”

Ploumen urged business leaders,

“You too can join the ranks of the corporate human rights defenders. Because you know that, in the end, respecting human rights pays off. I know that’s what you want. And you know it’s what your customers and shareholders want – even if some of them don’t know it yet. So don’t just do no harm. Do good.”

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Alyssa Cowley of Shearman & Sterling Talks About Why She Feels It Is Important to Co-lead Sterling Pride and What She Hopes to Achieve

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Alyssa CowleyThe world was a much different place a decade ago when Sterling Pride, Shearman & Sterling’s LGBT inclusion network, was formed. As a former history major, my mind tends to go to the story of a place or group first. I wonder about the conversations that sparked the idea, and discussions involved in becoming one of the first law firms with an in-house LGBT inclusion network. In June 2006, the firm readily took the first step in giving its LGBT lawyers a voice in how to foster an inclusive environment for LGBT lawyers and staff by creating Sterling Pride. Shearman & Sterling didn’t have to be a leader, but it chose to be.

In 2006, while those conversations were taking place at Shearman, I was a junior at a north Texas high school. That year, my classmates threw around the word “gay” as a synonym for “dumb” or “worthless,” and the Gay-Straight Alliance at my high school was effectively dead on arrival. My best friend, a bisexual man, and I whispered about our “different-ness” backstage during after-school musical rehearsals. The concept of being bisexual barely existed, let alone had achieved any level of acceptance with our peers.

Ten years later, I am so grateful to begin my career as an attorney at a place with a true commitment to the LGBT community and to diversity more broadly. Beginning with the on-campus recruitment process, the visibility of Sterling Pride lawyers signaled to me that Shearman & Sterling was a place that I could focus on growing as a lawyer without the distraction and pressures of having to “cover” as a straight woman. It can be easy to feel a little lost as a first-year associate in a large New York office, but in Sterling Pride, I felt as though I had a built-in community. Being a member of Sterling Pride has connected me to a network of mentors, deepened my connection with my colleagues, and has given me opportunities to meet clients and lawyers across the city. Furthermore, my colleagues, whether partners or first-year associates, have consistently been reflective and engaged, both formally and informally, about how to make the firm’s environment more welcoming, more fair, and more of a meritocracy. I have been able to thrive because of the strong foundation that Sterling Pride members and allies have built.

Now, as co-chair of Sterling Pride (and as the first woman to serve in such position), I am honored to be an ambassador for our inclusive atmosphere, but I also know that there is work to be done. Women are underrepresented in the law—particularly in the ranks of senior leadership. Women are also underrepresented in LGBT spaces—bisexuals even more so. It is true that bisexual women tend to benefit from invisibility and passing, and thereby enjoy a level of privilege that others within the LGBT community do not. However, for that same reason, they are uniquely positioned to challenge stereotypes and to carry messages of inclusion into hetero-normative spaces. I believe that cultural change is achieved one person at a time, one connection at a time. As we continue to diversify the voices around the table, we reaffirm the value of each individual’s contributions.

Importantly, being a part of Sterling Pride has been a way to begin giving back to—and investing in—the firm that has chosen to invest in me. As part of a firm with a global presence, we have a distinct opportunity to set the tone in all of our offices and to make sure all of our lawyers and staff can grow in their careers regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. As the work of organizations such as Out Leadership and the Williams Institute have shown, diversity makes business sense. Inclusive environments retain talent, increase productivity, and allow employees to be more fully engaged at work. Discrimination is costly, both in terms of underemployment and in expending resources to combat the mental toll that discrimination takes on those who are victimized. Furthering Sterling Pride’s reach within the firm strengthens it overall, making us more competitive in and more adaptive to the changing conditions of the global marketplace.

In closing, I turn back to the history of the firm once again. John William Sterling, one of the firm’s two co-founders, never married but lived together with his best friend and companion, a man, for nearly 50 years. While it is impossible to know what Sterling might think of the firm’s commitment to the LGBT community today, I believe he would be proud of the firm and the enormous progress we have made in supporting LGBT issues in the century since his death. Hopefully, we will all be even prouder in the next hundred years.

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How to be a good Sponsor and Champion to LGBT people in their careers

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LGBT flag featuredBy Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Pyschologist

Following on from last week’s career advice and staying with the LGBTA theme for the month since June is Pride month, today I am going to talk about how to be an Ally, Champion and Sponsor to your LGBT colleagues and co-workers. I come across many people who want to be an inclusive leader and ensure that their team members get to focus on work and not on fitting it or assimilating instead. However, many leaders and managers with the best of intentions still do not have many LGBT mentees or sponsees. Tips to ensure your portfolio of people that you mentor is diverse can include:

Do not be afraid of offering up supportive statements to indicate you are an Ally. Gay team members often do not know where you stand on the topic as a concept because sadly the topic is still at ‘concept’ level ( there are still millions of overtly homophobic people out there some more covert than others, how do we know that you are an ally if you don’t tell us!)
Don’t presume you know them just because you know one other gay person (or even several) because like racial bias, you are stereotyping whether you realize it or not.
Respect their individual personality on how much they want to talk about their spouse and family just as you would any other coworker, not everyone wants to share regardless of their identity. Equally, ask them the questions you ask your other team members ( like: hey how was your weekend, how are the kids etc?)
Coach other less exposed/less evolved executives on your team and know you are a culture carrier.

Know that you have the ability to advance people individually but also change the system so that future generations can truly come to work and not have to come out everyday and fear mixed reactions.

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you want to hire an executive coach to help you navigate your career

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Voice of Experience: Shannon White, Managing Director, PwC US

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Shannon WhiteBeing “out” at work has been incredibly beneficial for PwC’s Shannon White, and she believes it is important for others to do the same. “When you’re hiding yourself, it takes a lot of energy, and you don’t have the same reservoir of mental effort to devote to relationship-building or being creative or productive.” And, as a leader, you’re more guarded, she says, which can be an impediment in the consulting industry, where business is built around relationships, both internal and external. “Because I’ve been authentic, people trust me and believe I’m honest and open. That allows them to trust me with their challenges, even those that have nothing to do with sexual orientation.”

Born and raised in Seattle, White attended Georgetown University as an undergraduate where she had a diverse college experience. She played on the basketball team as a walk on; studied for a semester in Japan; participated in a business group; led a tutoring program; and volunteered as a high school teacher in South Africa for a year after graduation.

On her return she joined MBNA America in their management development program and upon completion, managed community development programs. Her work with the United Way helped put her on the path to earning an MBA: Initially she thought she might want to work with non-profits but during her program, she changed focus and decided to major in finance and become an investment banker.

After working as an investment banker at JP Morgan she worked with a finance company, providing funding for affordable housing, and then she went to work with a consulting firm helping communities to recover from disasters. This is one of the projects of which she is most proud, working out in the field after disasters such as the World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina, helping communities recover through efficient grant dispensation.

Eight years ago she joined PwC’s US firm and now leads a business unit in the Public Sector Practice. For the last nine months her team has been helping a client implement a new delivery model for a grant program. “This is at the heart of what we do as consultants, helping agencies achieve their missions better, faster and more efficiently, and this program will do that. By instituting change management and new delivery metrics, they will provide a real benefit to American citizens.”

She sees that government agencies are applying a real focus on customer experience and how they can help citizens with their journey to more efficiently receive the benefits of the agency.

Seeking Opportunities

When White looks back on her career, there’s one piece of advice she wishes she’d known: She would tell her younger self to have fun all along the way. “You can’t know that you will have a successful career among the twists and turns, but if you set goals and remain flexible to take advantage of every opportunity, it will work out.”

She advises young women to develop a “brand” that will define them. “Maybe they become an Excel wizard starting off, for example. You know that your brand will change but by being competent in your craft you can establish yourself in at least one area where you’re a go-to person.”

While it’s crucial to say yes to opportunities, she says it’s also important to raise your hand to volunteer. “If you hear someone mention a need in a meeting, say, ‘Can I help you with this?’ Or identify gaps in your experience and proactively ask someone to help you find way to bridge it.”

And, women executives with more experience can play a role too, by helping young women with what they need for their careers and acting as a sponsor behind the scenes to help give them those advantages.

A Supportive Culture Promotes Diversity

White believes that companies need both formal and informal structures in place to foster diversity and has appreciated the culture at PwC. “It would be hard to ever leave this firm since I have felt so supported in my journey, and the programs that PwC offers really gives the firm an advantage. We are going to keep highly talented people because we have these resources,” she says, noting that the firm sends a strong message when it speaks out about LGBT legislation, for example.

She herself is a senior leader in the OPEN group, which serves the LGBT community, and participated in a “Crossing the Finish Line” program for women preparing to be partners. She has also participated in PwC’s Aspire events, where prominent external women speak about women’s issues.

Fostering diversity in gender is important, and leaders need to commit to giving women opportunities for different experiences and tasks that will allow them to demonstrate their skills. “Men are more liable to raise their hand, but we know that companies led by women have greater profits,” she says. “Companies need to figure out how to nurture their pipeline to allow that.”

An area where PwC excels is in flexibility for both men and women. She notes that as soon as she returned from maternity leave, she immediately received new assignments and an account team to lead.

Family and Relaxation Outside of Work

White relies on yoga and a daily ritual of meditation and writing in a gratitude journal to set a calming and appreciative tone for her day. “When I’m feeling good about myself I want to help others feel good, which helps me be supportive of team members and clients.”

She and her partner Lee have a three-year-old son Solomon, who is her main priority. As part of work life integration, she involves her family as much as she can at the firm, bringing them to events and making them part of her work life.

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Men Who Get It: Ashutosh Mondal, Business Analyst, UBS

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Ashutosh mondalLeaders make all the difference in encouraging and supporting a culture of diversity, says UBS’ Ashutosh Mondal. “They set the standards for the team and model acceptance,” he says, adding that not only does it create a more positive internal culture but it helps with recruiting as well. “Actions speak loudly and it’s important for leaders to show their commitment to diversity and not just support it in theory.”

With a background in computer science and engineering, Mondal started with UBS in a technology and project portfolio management role as part of his graduate training program and has been with the firm ever since, holding diverse roles in finance, project management and analytics. He recently participated in a high-profile project within the Investment Bank, the Client Data Lab, which entailed mining data from different sources and teams to develop an analytical structure to help facilitate a better understanding of clients.

Acting as a Role Model Internally and Externally

As an openly gay man in banking, being a diversity champion is extremely important to Mondal because of the role models he himself was fortunate to have. “When I first joined UBS, I wasn’t sure what the protocol was for telling my team and others, and I appreciated the support I got which allowed me to be comfortable being out and open.”

Mondal has since very actively paid it forward. He is involved in the graduate training programs and with interns to ensure that they see diversity role models so that they know there are resources to assist them if and when they need them. Interns attend several internal education sessions, one of which is a panel discussion introducing various employee networks including LGBT support, which Mondal helps lead.

He is active with UBS’ internal community affairs team and also helps represent UBS in external outreach like Inside Out and other industry programs.

Since joining UBS, he has been part of the Pride network and is now part of the steering committee where he helps answer questions for those who need mentorship. One of their outreach efforts has involved an anti-homophobic bullying education campaign, part of which was to run a workshop with a video and discussions in local schools. It was so well received that it has been launched nationally for all primary schools within the U.K. Looking back, many students have said that it was one of the most impactful experiences they have had during their school career.

Along the way, Mondal has been impressed by the support the program has gotten from people to volunteer and be involved.

“UBS has an extremely open and accepting culture, and I haven’t ever felt prejudiced against,” Mondal says. “It is my pleasure to help share that value with others internally and externally. “It’s not always easy to make the time commitment but it’s worth it.”

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Voice of Experience: Nina Long, Senior Vice President of Trading Strategies Development, CoreCommodity Management

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nina LongBeing out at work can change your entire dynamic, says Nina Long, senior vice president at CoreCommodity Management. “It’s so vital because then you can concentrate on your work and clients, rather than spending mental energy trying to figure out how to answer simple questions like, ‘What did you do on your vacation?’ or “What are your holiday plans?’ without revealing that you have a same-sex partner. You can be so much more productive when you are not trying to maintain elusive answers.” Now she feels free to discuss the adventures she shares with her partner Bella, a clinical psychologist.

An Unconventional Career Path

Long attended university in Belarus where she studied physics and enjoyed learning to code, even though at the time she was unsure what the business application could be. It didn’t take her long to find out: In 2002 when she immigrated to the United States, her coding prowess helped her get a job in a marketing firm where she optimized schedules for TV ads. She soon learned that physics and mathematical tools played an integral role on Wall Street and decided to find out how she could apply her knowledge in programming and science to finance. After completing a Carnegie Mellon certificate program, she joined UBS in the commodity group in fixed income, where, as she says, her diverse experiences and broad knowledge came together in a way that equipped her for the job entirely.

“I could code faster than I could speak and my experience in marketing allowed me to compile excellent pitch books,” she says. From there she joined CoreCommodity Management, an independent commodity firm serving global clients, where she heads the strategy development team that develops models and profiles that inform investment processes.

“I’m proud that I have become an essential part of the firm and have grown to be in charge of quantitative strategy development team,” she says. Its rapid growth from a boutique firm has brought challenges, including the realization that she has to manage her team efficiently, rather than opting to do everything herself. “I’m still excited about my daily work fine tuning models and applying new methods and techniques to figure out how to separate information from noise. This work makes me happy,” she says.

As new businesses like Uber or Apple Pay disrupt existing models, she believes that finance as an industry won’t be immune. “We need to anticipate and plan for disruption.” She also sees that as the U.S economy moves to more of a service economy from a manufacturing economy, it will have impacts on inflation and individual investors. “How do you hedge your risk and exposure to inflation in a shifting environment?” she asks rhetorically. “Those are the types of questions that I find fascinating.”

Confidence, Even When You Don’t Feel It

Looking back over her career, she wishes that she had been braver and that she had realized at the time that she was not the only one lacking confidence. “I was not in a unique position at all, but I assumed that everyone knew more than I did.” She says that even something as simple as joining an industry 5K race seemed daunting – that perhaps you had to be a professional runner, but she soon learned that anyone who was willing to spend the time could do it. And, she says, participating in those types of events has an added bonus as it earns you exposure and access to people in the firm at a different level.

She advises women starting their careers to volunteer and join networks, but not just the ones that you think you should. She encourages women to keep trying different groups until they find that one that really interests them, and in which they are looking forward to participating.

Expanding the Ranks at the Top

Long emphasizes that the industry still lacks sufficient numbers of women in top executive positions and how noticeable it is when you see more than one women in any given setting. “If you walk into a client meeting and greet a team of men, it will seem ordinary, but if you open the door and see a team of women, you will notice the gender of the people in the room,” she points out.

And Long reminds her peers that to keep growing you have to keep learning. “As an intern, you did a rotation every few months to learn new products and tools, which was great. However, as you progress, it can be easy to stop learning as many new and different ideas, which is actually a barrier for growth. I am really keen to keep learning.”

A Supportive Culture Toward LGBT

Long has an especially insightful perspective on LGBT issues and acceptance, due to her weekend volunteer work with RUSA LGBT, a group that helps newly arrived LGBT asylum seekers to adjust. They help with practical matters such as information about insurance and housing and then connect them to community support.

And, one of their highlight moments is participating in New York Pride Month.

“It’s amazing to help people from Ukraine, Georgia and Russia spend time here in a more accepting environment,” she says, noting that in many Russian speaking countries, unless you work in a creative industry, you are still as risk to be fired due to being LGBT. When they come here and see JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and other financial firms marching in the parade, it makes such a difference for them to know that there can be a supportive corporate culture.

“Despite progress, we are reminded all the time when we talk to our friends back home that there is still a long way to go for equality worldwide and the recent tragedy in Orlando reminds us that even here in the USA there is still work to do also.”

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Coming Out, Connecting and Finding Allies

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LGBT flag featuredBy Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

This week and this month on theglasshammer.com we are celebrating LGBT women at work and the Allies that champion and support them. We do this series every year in June since we aim to inspire professional women at work and if you are a gay woman and are out or thinking about coming out then we want to make sure you know you are not the only lesbian executive around. Much like the broader mission of theglasshammer.com, our career advice today in this column is to help you find sponsors, mentors and champions so that you can build your network and connect with people who can ultimately help you. To connect with anyone, both parties need to know a little about each other and build a little trust and that is the number one reason to come out at work. Studies show that if you are not able to bring your full self to work then it is going to be harder to perform, engage and generally stay motivated.

Theglasshammer and our consulting arm Evolved Employer did comprehensive research back in 2012 in both NY and London with LGBT women and one of the conclusions was sometimes it is gender bias that is still preventing us from advancing than our LGBT status. Read the US and the UK research here- some nuances to think about.

I also did a piece of work with my a colleague Dr. Frank Golom at a leading Fortune 100 firm on stereotype threat for LGBT people at work (read about that here) and a major career strategy that we recommend from the research is that you need to make sure people know who you are and what you can do at work instead of any preconceived notions they might have. They have these notions for many reasons ( such as the media portrayals, narrow experience of actual gay people or knowing one gay woman and then thinking every other gay person they meet is the same and gender role conformity expectations depending on how you show up on the expression spectrum). Sure, it can be super tedious to educate others all day, every day, but to some extent everyone has to do it albeit, the more non-dominant social identities you have the more it seems you have to educate.

Career advice? Seek out internal and external networking groups if you feel like it will help you formally and informally. It is not for everyone, just as not everyone wants to join a women’s network but if you like to share experiences and seek situational advice from people who have been there then it could be a good fit. Out Leadership have recently formed a women’s group headed up by Stephanie Sandberg. Out and Equal are a fabulous resource also and there are many other groups (GWN and Stonewall in London for example) that host events and get togethers. Many firms have LGBTQIA networks You might find a mentor or at the very least friendship there and remember the A stands for Allies and Allies can sponsor and champion you in your career. We help develop LGBTA networks as well as women’s networks from mission to structure to actual content so contact us if you are leading one or are trying to start one at your firm.

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you wish to hire an executive coach to help you navigate your career

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Voice of Experience: Jennifer A. Johnson, Partner & National Leader, Risk Assurance Services, PwC Canada

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Jennifer Johnson“Diversity of thought comes from having a diverse set of team members – so you have to attract and welcome them so they feel valuable and heard,” Johnson says. “Although there are not many GLBT partners at PwC Canada, my visibility sends a clear message to staff at all levels that you can be your authentic self. I’ve had men and women say that seeing me and my example has been encouraging to them; that they feel PwC is a safe place to be out and it won’t negatively impact their careers. I’ve personally found PwC to be very open and welcoming.”

Successfully Climbing the Ladder at PwC

As national leader of the Risk Assurance practice in Canada, Johnson oversees about 400 risk professionals across Canada and works with peers across the world. A “lifer” at PwC, she joined the Hartford, CT, office at the age of 22, spending her initial four years largely on the road for client work and enjoying the travel experience. She came out during that time, and decided she wanted to try a bigger city with larger clients, more specialized practices and a more liberal culture. She spent the next six years with PwC US in Boston in the same practice area, ultimately becoming a director.

Her girlfriend at the time, now her wife, Ashleigh, was from Toronto and they moved there due to Ashleigh’s desire to obtain an advanced degree and the fact that gay marriage wasn’t yet recognized nationally in the United States. Johnson took an international transfer in July 2008 as a director and became a partner in 2012, ultimately becoming the national leader Jan. 1, 2016.

Johnson says that is the professional achievement she is most proud of so far, being asked to take on a national leadership role only 17 years out of school and also while juggling a young family at home.

“I’m excited to continue to see the practice evolve as we think strategically and help shape a refreshed vision. My goal is to motivate and drive the entire practice and support the personal growth and achievement of each member,” she says. “Some people are wary of the idea of change, but it drives me.”

Much of that constant change is evident in the dynamic, evolving nature of the spectrum covered by the Risk Assurance practice, helping clients identify, understand and manage risk from regulatory compliance to environmental and technological issues. Her team needs to stay on the forefront.

Setting Yourself Up for Success

Johnson says she always saw herself as a “Type A” personality with a long-term plan, but she now sees that it’s impossible to predict what’s going to come your way and doggedly pursuing a focus means you could end up with blinders on.

“Interesting things that weren’t even on your radar might appear, and you might end up disregarding them if you aren’t open to the possibilities,” she says, citing the opportunity she seized in Toronto. “Moving to another country meant I had to join a new team where I had to re-establish myself and work my way back into a position to be seen as having partnership potential, yet it’s one of the best things I’ve done.”

It can be a challenge for women to step up and take opportunities when they don’t believe they have all the necessary attributes, but that can hold you back.

Earlier in her career, she herself felt that she had demonstrated she was ready for the next promotion even before the traditional time table, but she says that the one step she missed was asking. “I didn’t receive that first promotion and was devastated, but in hindsight I believe I probably should have advocated more and been more vocal.” Even today she reminds her peers to make sure they’re advocating for themselves within the partnership.

She recommends that young women (and men) see themselves as sponges, to take in all the people they meet and models they can emulate. “You will look back and realize that you have learned so much about your career, and yourself personally — what you’re good at and what you’re motivated by and also what you’re not as good at,” she says.

A Welcoming Culture

Johnson appreciates the safe and inclusive environment at PwC. She came out in her second year with the firm to the people with whom she worked closely, which was welcome since she didn’t have the same level of support from her family and friends. “That gave me a lot of self-confidence that has also paid off in the corporate sphere. I am now more likely to voice my opinion, no matter what the subject.”

At PwC, she serves as the executive sponsor of Canada’s GLEE (Gay, Lesbian and Everyone Else) network and is an active champion of HeForShe – UN Women’s movement for gender equality – for which PwC is a founding Impact Champion. She also participates in the PwC Women in Leadership program that supports female professionals who have aspirations to achieve more senior roles within PwC. The group is sponsored by both male and female senior partners, and they also bring in external female professionals to share their experience and perspectives.

A Life Outside of Work

With three kids, including five-year-old fraternal twin daughters Teagan and Quinn, and a 12 week old son, Logan, Johnson appreciates the support of her wife Ashleigh, a nutritionist and stay-at-home parent.

A big believer in finding time for family, career and self; she tries to structure her days so that she begins with some time at the gym for herself, goes to her busy workday, and then arrives home in time to read stories and put the kids to bed.

“You need to know your limits and protect your family and ‘you’ time,” says Johnson.

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