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.”

Read more

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)

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.”

Read more

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Jennifer McLaughlin has spent a two-decade career at Accenture, all of it working with clients in the communications area. It should be no surprise, then, that one of McLaughlin’s key lessons is the importance of clear communication.

“One of the things I’ve learned in my career is how openly you should communicate. When I was younger, I would second guess and form opinions about how people would receive what I had to say – instead of just openly communicating.”

That went for client work and her own professional needs – like flex work, she explained. “But I’ve learned that when you’re direct, you just get a better result. There’s more transparency about where you stand with others and that’s important.”

Read more

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

After graduating from the University of Colorado – Boulder, Melissa Butler, now partner at White & Case, went on to study law at Georgetown. In 2001, she started her career working in corporate finance at Thacher Proffitt & Wood. “Then in 2006, after a particularly horrendous transaction, I got a call asking if I’d like to move to London… and I said sure,” she recalled with a laugh.

The call came from White & Case, and shortly thereafter, she joined the firm’s London Capital Markets Group focusing on US securities. Early this year, Butler was named partner – and, she says, this is her proudest achievement. “It’s the most amazing thing I’ve accomplished in my professional career.”

Currently Butler is fascinated by her current work in Africa. “It’s so exciting to work in a places that are not tainted with this idea that everyone knows everything. My clients really appreciate my advice as counsel, and I’m really contributing to the development of the market. I love it.”

In general, she continued, “As a securities lawyer, there are a lot of interesting developments, like issues around the new JOBs Act. As the world changes, the question is how we apply security acts from nearly 100 years ago to today’s markets.”

Read more

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Deborah Freer, U.S. Chief Operating Officer at RBC Capital Markets, began her career over three decades ago, and says she believes strongly in the importance of women helping women, and of being a mentor.

For example, looking back on her own early career, Freer said, “I wish I had a little more insight into how to deal with certain types of people. My first 10 years would have been easier. I wish I had had more insight into how things ultimately work in this business.”

It is fortunate, then, for Freer’s niece, who is beginning her own career on Wall Street. Her aunt has amassed a slew of advice to share with her. “I tell her, ‘Keep your eyes open, every single day. You can’t think for a second that you’re not going to learn or add value.’”

She continued, “The other thing is that you have to do your job really well before you start trying for the next one. You need to prove you can ace a job before you get considered for the next promotion. And always ask for feedback. Push people into telling you how you’re doing whether it’s good or bad. And don’t be afraid to try new things.”

Read more