Intrepid Woman: A Pro Bono Secondment Leads to a New Mission in Life

LilyDeyContributed by Lily Dey, Author, Coach, Accountant & Technologist

In the fall of 2011, I knew that my career wasn’t progressing the way I had intended. I’ve always been ambitious, wanting to do more and more with myself, but I’d been stuck in the same role for too long and felt unable to break free.

I’d finally qualified as an accountant earlier that year – I was a late starter as I’d originally worked in IT for investment banks prior to that. …And I was single. …And I had recently stepped down as the Chair of Trustees for a local charity. In short, I was bored.

It’s easy to decide to get a new job, but the current market was unsuited for the ambitions I had. Instead, I looked within my current company for opportunities. I saw one email announcing a pro-bono secondment program, which sends employees on assignments with our partner NGOs around the world. The thought of three months abroad was too good to pass by. Soon, I was successfully selected and headed off to Tanzania to work for a microfinance organisation.

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Voice of Experience: Anne Milne, Managing Director, Emerging Markets Corporate Research, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

anne milne@baml comBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Looking back on her career, Anne Milne, Managing Director of the Emerging Markets Corporate Research at Bank of American Merrill Lynch, believes she could have benefited by focusing on career development earlier on.

“When I first started work, like many women, I thought if you just worked hard, you’ll get recognized, not realizing you need to market yourself to seniors – and not just your direct senior but people high up too,” Milne said. “A lot of the time, people might not know how hard you’re working.”

Similarly, she said, seeking input from mentors can help with advancement. “I think maybe what I could have done more is ask for more advice.”

It’s also important to set long-term goals and plan your advancement, she added. “You have to look at your career as a business and don’t get too emotional about it. Set larger term goals.”

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Voice of Experience: Judith Posnikoff, PhD, Co-Founder & Managing Director, PAAMCO

judithposnikoffBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I think what I wish I had known when I was starting out was to be a little more flexible – to really jump into opportunities even if they’re outside the path I expected to follow,” began Judith Posnikoff, PhD, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company (PAAMCO).

Posnikoff began her career as an academic – and had intended to stay there, she explained, until one day she got a fateful call from a friend asking for help at his firm. That opportunity eventually led to a whole new career, she explained.

“Really look at opportunities, even it seems way out of what you considered before,” she added.

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Voice of Experience: Gabriela Franco Parcella, Chief Executive Officer, Mellon Capital Management Corporation

gabrielaparcellaBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Gabriela Franco Parcella, CEO of Mellon Capital Management Corporation, it’s important to keep an open mind when thinking about where your career might take you. Looking back on her early career, she said, “I could have had more impact on a company in my first 5 years by thinking more broadly.”

“We put ourselves in boxes. I thought of myself as a lawyer and I thought I would always be a lawyer. It took a while before I realized I could use my lawyer skills in other roles.”

After moving from Mellon Capital’s legal department to roles in operations, and gradually gaining more responsibilities, Parcella was named CEO of Mellon Capital last year. She encouraged young women to keep their minds open to various career paths.

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Voice of Experience: Denise Higgins, CFA, Client Portfolio Manager, ING U.S. Investment Management

denisehigginsBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Having spent most of her career as a portfolio manager, Denise Higgins, CFA, Client Portfolio Manager at ING U.S. Investment Management, says she feels very fortunate to have worked in a profession where women succeeded based on merit. “As a portfolio manager, you get a report card every day and your performance can be judged very objectively. If you deliver strong results, you will advance,” she said. However, one of the key challenges for women in the industry is that there are still few female role models at the very top.

But, she continued, she believes things are improving and that senior women can help facilitate the change – by actively mentoring and sponsoring the next generation of women in the pipeline.

“Take the time to be a mentor. You can mentor formally, but do it informally too. Identify the people who have good promise and try to give it back by advising them and raising their exposure. The only way to get more women in management roles in the industry is to lend a hand and be proactive about it,” she encouraged.

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Voice of Experience: Edie Hunt, Chief Diversity Officer and Advising Director, Goldman Sachs

This week The Glass Hammer is publishing a series of profiles on top leaders in corporate diversity. Check back all week long to learn about the women making a difference.

EdieHuntBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I say this with rose colored glasses,” began Edie Hunt, Chief Diversity Officer and Advising Director at Goldman Sachs, “but I wait for the day when we don’t need an Office of Diversity and Inclusion – because everyone gets it.”

Hunt has spent the majority of her career advocating for diversity, initiating powerful ideas like Goldman Sachs’ Returnship, its women’s network, and its practice of awarding fellowships to diverse rising stars. She predicts that day when diversity offices are no longer needed is still 15 to 20 years in the future, but says she’s pleased with the current progress of the field.

“I think the next idea in diversity will be the concept of diversity being for everyone,” she said. “We had a watershed moment in 2010 during our Americas Diversity Week, which was that diversity is not about having events for women, Asians, LGBT employees, or any specific group. But that the events were for everyone in the firm to learn about the unique attributes of everyone else in the firm.”

She explained, “We have celebrations and events throughout the year. Whereas, five years ago at a women’s history month event, we’d have 95% women, now I’d say there’s at least 30% men. That is really where we want diversity to be heading.”

Hunt is also pleased to see an increase in the number of line managers taking the issue seriously. “I think the layer of people who really don’t live and breathe diversity initiatives is becoming thinner and thinner.”

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Voice of Experience: Amy Williams, Principal, Edward Jones

This week The Glass Hammer is publishing a series of profiles on top leaders in corporate diversity. Check back all week long to learn about the women making a difference.

AmyWilliamsBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I’ve always been a really driven person,” said Amy Williams, Principal at Edward Jones. “I was fortunate to realize early on that I had a passion for serving others.”

Williams began her career at Edward Jones as a Branch Office Administrator. “I thought it was a great way to learn about the new field, and I soon realized I wanted to be on the other side of the desk. So I started an office from scratch.”

An early defining moment in Williams’ professional path was when her husband began experiencing health problems about six years into her career. “I had a one year-old and a five year-old and a really sick husband. But I knew that with the practice I had built, and with the sense of entrepreneurship I had built at Edward Jones, I knew that it was going to be okay. I could support my family. It didn’t end up coming to that, but it was a powerful realization.”

“That’s when I knew I had to get other women involved in this work,” she added.

Williams championed the cause of attracting women to financial advisory while developing her practice. “After 15 years of helping others build their business, I became a general partner, leading programs to develop women and minorities.”

Today, Williams is one of the Principals in charge of talent acquisition specifically responsible for diversity at Edward Jones. She continued, “And now, a little over 20 years at the firm, I’m humbled at the people I work with, at the grassroots efforts to bring in more talented women and minority advisors at the firm. I’m really proud of that.”

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Voice of Experience: Deb Wheelock, Partner, Global Leader of Talent Management & Diversity Center of Excellence, Mercer

This week The Glass Hammer is publishing a series of profiles on top leaders in corporate diversity. Check back all week long to learn about the women making a difference.

debwheelockBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“At Mercer, our primary focus is helping our clients maximize the potential of their human capital,” began Deb Wheelock, Partner and Global Talent Management & Diversity Leader at Mercer. “Unlike other companies, we don’t produce widgets. We market the professional knowledge of our people. They need to be our competitive edge.”

“Thinking back to my tech days, another way I put it is ‘our people are our next killer app,’” explained the former e-learning specialist. “Diversity is becoming an imperative because we have people of different backgrounds with diverse approaches and innovative solutions to bring to our clients.”

She added, “You just don’t get that level of innovation from a homogenous workforce, no matter how bright they might be.”

Wheelock believes diversity is undergoing a generational shift. “We’re seeing a change in what our colleagues are bringing to work in terms of their outlook as well as their biases. That pushes us toward inclusion – from tolerating differences, to appreciating and leveraging those differences.”

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Voice of Experience: Lisa Jacobs, Partner, Capital Markets Practice, Shearman & Sterling

This week The Glass Hammer is publishing a series of profiles on top leaders in corporate diversity. Check back all week long to learn about the women making a difference.

LisaJacobsBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

After working as a part-time lawyer for the majority of her career, today Lisa Jacobs is a high-profile lawyer at Shearman & Sterling, a prominent member of the firm’s Diversity Committee and a staunch supporter of women in law. She wants women to know: you can build the life and career you want.

“I’m not a subscriber to the Sheryl Sandberg ‘ambition gap’ idea,” said Jacobs, a partner in Shearman & Sterling’s Capital Markets Practice in New York. “Success is how you define it.”

“I’m not a woman partner who will tell you, ‘this is what success is,’” she added. “Success is what you want it to be and what you take it to be. I wanted a family and to be a truly participatory mom – and I wanted to be a deal lawyer. Fortunately, I found a way to do both.”

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Voice of Experience: Joanne Rodgers, Chief Diversity Officer, New York Life

This week The Glass Hammer is publishing a series of profiles on top leaders in corporate diversity. Check back all week long to learn about the women making a difference.

JoanneRodgersBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Joanne Rodgers, now Chief Diversity Officer at New York Life, began her career at the National Association of Securities Dealers (now FINRA) before moving to New York Life’s Compliance Department. Eighteen years later, Rodgers has held a variety of roles in the company, moving from compliance to marketing and, most recently, corporate strategy. “I also had the opportunity to head up the company’s women’s leadership program and that definitely helped with my new role as Chief Diversity Officer,” she said. Rodgers says she is looking forward to promoting diversity on a broader scale.

Having just moved into the CDO role this year, she is now charting the future diversity strategy for the company. “I’m currently working with all of the business units to analyze and develop our diversity strategies so that we remain an employer of choice. My experience in the corporate strategy group has been a real asset, since much of my work involved working with the business units, being engaged with critical strategic goals and understanding the environmental landscape that affects us. My directive is to make sure New York Life has strong diversity and inclusion practices and I am pleased that my colleagues at New York Life take this very seriously.”

She continued, “If you simply look at the changing demographics in this country, the business case for diversity becomes more apparent based on the makeup of our customers and of the workforce today and in the future.”

“We want to really consider how those changing demographics affect us as an organization and how our increasingly diverse workforce can make us a better company.”

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