This week The Glass Hammer is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with profiles of senior Hispanic women in the financial and professional services. Check back all week long to read more.

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Licenia Rojas, Vice President and Global Leader for Risk Automation and Payments for Technology at American Express, as women advance in their careers, and there are fewer role models to draw inspiration and advice from, mentoring and sponsoring within a peer group can be invaluable. “For my peer group, we’re always looking at how to expand each other’s current responsibilities. We’re creating sponsorships among ourselves.”

That can mean letting colleagues know about new roles or projects, or letting other team members know when a peer has made a significant contribution or achievement. “As you grow, it’s important to feel comfortable saying someone is doing a great job. I really believe in paying it forward,” Rojas explained.

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By 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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By 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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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.

By 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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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.

By 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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