By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
As Global head of Diversity and Inclusion at Credit Suisse, Michelle Gadsden-Williams says she is the person ultimately responsible for ensuring the Bank fulfills its commitment to building a culture of inclusion for high-performing, engaged, diverse employees. She explained, “Early in my career, I found the subject of diversity to be extremely powerful on a number of levels.”
She continued, “Diversity is strategically important for a number of reasons. It provides organizations with the opportunity to attract, develop, and retain the best talent, creates an inclusive culture for employees to thrive and, most importantly, addresses the needs and wants of a diverse customer base. There aren’t many positions that can have an impact across the critical areas of talent, culture, and customers.”
Gadsden-Williams spent more than 17 years working in the pharmaceutical industry and several years in the consumer goods industry before transitioning to her current role in financial services. She began her career working in product development and marketing then pursued a career in human resources a few years later. She transitioned to Merck & Co., assuming various positions of increased responsibility in human resources. She joined Novartis Pharmaceuticals in 2002 and became the Vice President and Global Chief Diversity Officer before joining Credit Suisse in January of 2011.
She recalled, “I spent a good portion of my career in the pharmaceutical industry and got to know the industry extremely well. I knew that if I wanted to continue to stretch, grow and develop as a Chief Diversity Officer, I would have to step outside of my comfort zone and purse the work that I love in another industry. “
“Credit Suisse is a company that I have always respected and one I was familiar with living and working in Switzerland. When the opportunity presented itself to join Credit Suisse, it was not a hard decision to make the transition,” she continued.
One of Gadsden-Williams’ proudest moments was receiving the 2010 Leadership in Diversity Award from the See Forever Foundation and Maya Angelou Public Charter Schools in the presence of two women that she idolized and held in high regard, Dr. Maya Angelou and Dr. Dorothy I. Height.
“I received the award in the presence of two of my heroines, the incomparable Dr. Maya Angelou and Dr. Dorothy Height. Unfortunately, Dr. Height, a highly regarded social activist, passed away two weeks after I received the award. Dr. Angelou is a national treasure in the United States and a global icon but a renowned and revered voice of our time. I have had the grand opportunity to meet her on several occasions through my work in diversity over the years. Every time I am in her presence, I am humbled by her wisdom, her strength, and her ability to make each individual that she encounters feels special,” she said.
Three Tips For Leaving an Old Job and Beginning a New Future
Managing ChangeLeaving a job by choice in the current economy is a difficult decision to make – particularly if you’ve already got a pretty plum position. But sometimes, it’s just time to move up. “I have many 3 A.M. moments,” admits Lisa Murray, who spent over seven years at international law firm Brown Rudnick LLP before opting to launch her own marketing firm. “Many friends and colleagues have said that my move was courageous, but I sometimes feel it was pure insanity.”
Sometimes others question the judgment of women who try something different. “I stepped off the corporate racetrack, closed the door to my big job as a vice president in financial services, and walked out the door,” says Marcia Mantell. “Everyone was shocked and wondered if I was crazy.”
Yet though it may seem counterintuitive and risky, many women who have spent much of their career as captains of industry in finance, law, technology, and other businesses find themselves doing just that. Women choose to leave for a variety of reasons, from office politics and inability to execute their ideas within the corporate structure, to poor work/family balance or the desire to just try something different.
Whatever reason drives their transition, it’s a decision that few take lightly. Parting willingly with a stable job and steady paycheck is a different experience than reacting to an unwanted layoff. It requires a leap of faith to be the driver of the choice to upend your career, family, and financial life in exchange for an unknown future.
Here are three things to keep in mind about how to land on your feet when you leave under your own steam.
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Being Authentic in the Culture of Tech
Managing ChangeWomen in technology should be themselves, without apology: they should wear what they want to wear, act how they want to act, and feel no pressure to conform or act like “one of the guys.” This is according to Google’s vice president of location and local services, Marissa Mayer, and Hunch and Flickr co-founder, Caterina Fake. Both women recently spoke at the CES Women in Tech panel, saying, among other things, that the industry is different and the old pressures to conform no longer apply.
Though the advice was obviously well-intentioned, it’s important to note that these are very senior women who likely don’t feel the same pressures to conform as less-established women.
In fact, recent research suggests that the industry isn’t really that different; it’s just gotten better at hiding its biases. According to the 2011report Tilted Playing Field: Hidden Bias in Information Technology Workplaces, hidden biases in the tech workplace produce unequal opportunities for women and people of color. The data, collected from a sample of IT engineers and managers in large companies and small startups nationwide, revealed that women and underrepresented people of color encounter negative workplace experiences at significantly higher rates than their male and white counterparts.
How can women in the technology be their authentic selves in what still remains a male-dominated industry? To start with, confidence is key – and having female colleagues and role models doesn’t hurt, either.
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Voice of Experience: Michelle Gadsden-Williams, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Credit Suisse
Voices of ExperienceAs Global head of Diversity and Inclusion at Credit Suisse, Michelle Gadsden-Williams says she is the person ultimately responsible for ensuring the Bank fulfills its commitment to building a culture of inclusion for high-performing, engaged, diverse employees. She explained, “Early in my career, I found the subject of diversity to be extremely powerful on a number of levels.”
She continued, “Diversity is strategically important for a number of reasons. It provides organizations with the opportunity to attract, develop, and retain the best talent, creates an inclusive culture for employees to thrive and, most importantly, addresses the needs and wants of a diverse customer base. There aren’t many positions that can have an impact across the critical areas of talent, culture, and customers.”
Gadsden-Williams spent more than 17 years working in the pharmaceutical industry and several years in the consumer goods industry before transitioning to her current role in financial services. She began her career working in product development and marketing then pursued a career in human resources a few years later. She transitioned to Merck & Co., assuming various positions of increased responsibility in human resources. She joined Novartis Pharmaceuticals in 2002 and became the Vice President and Global Chief Diversity Officer before joining Credit Suisse in January of 2011.
She recalled, “I spent a good portion of my career in the pharmaceutical industry and got to know the industry extremely well. I knew that if I wanted to continue to stretch, grow and develop as a Chief Diversity Officer, I would have to step outside of my comfort zone and purse the work that I love in another industry. “
“Credit Suisse is a company that I have always respected and one I was familiar with living and working in Switzerland. When the opportunity presented itself to join Credit Suisse, it was not a hard decision to make the transition,” she continued.
One of Gadsden-Williams’ proudest moments was receiving the 2010 Leadership in Diversity Award from the See Forever Foundation and Maya Angelou Public Charter Schools in the presence of two women that she idolized and held in high regard, Dr. Maya Angelou and Dr. Dorothy I. Height.
“I received the award in the presence of two of my heroines, the incomparable Dr. Maya Angelou and Dr. Dorothy Height. Unfortunately, Dr. Height, a highly regarded social activist, passed away two weeks after I received the award. Dr. Angelou is a national treasure in the United States and a global icon but a renowned and revered voice of our time. I have had the grand opportunity to meet her on several occasions through my work in diversity over the years. Every time I am in her presence, I am humbled by her wisdom, her strength, and her ability to make each individual that she encounters feels special,” she said.
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Intrepid Woman: Bonnie St. John, Former Director for Human Capital Issues at the White House National Economic Council, Paralympic Champion
Intrepid Women Series“I remember the moment when this idea was planted in me,” says Bonnie St. John, Former Director for Human Capital Issues at the White House National Economic Council and Paralympic Champion. “When I was ten, my mom brought home a picture of a silhouette of an amputee on skis. The picture had the words, if I can do this, I can do anything.”
St. John said her initial reaction was: “Ski?! It doesn’t snow in San Diego! Black people don’t like cold weather!” But at that moment, her mother planted the seed without knowing how it would work. She was “a single mother who had more time left at the end of the month than money. But she knew how to dream and believe in things that don’t seem possible,” she explained. That crazy vision propelled Bonnie to fundraise, go to Denver and Vermont, find coaches, ski in the Paralympics and overcome all the subsequent challenges to win bronze and silver medals at the 1984 Winter Paralympics.
In addition to her multiple medals, St. John has led a distinguished career, graduating magna cum laude from Harvard, and winning a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. After earning her master’s degree in economics, she joined the Clinton administration as Director of the White House National Economic Council. Today, she explained, she is CEO of her own company Courageous Spirit. She has also published three books, and has another due out in April which she wrote with her daughter: How Great Women Lead: A Mother-Daughter Adventure into the Lives of Women Shaping the World.
“Sometimes you have to break through all the barriers and figuratively build your own runway,” she said.
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Crossing the Gender Line: Why Mentor Men?
Mentors and SponsorsCan senior women promote workplace equality by proactively mentoring junior men?
It’s about big-picture, long-term benefits. A man in an entry-level position can learn much from a female superior, and it goes far beyond professional tips, insights or even sponsorship. It’s about appreciating the value of diversity and learning to respect a different point of view.
Just 42 percent of men with exclusively male mentors have a high awareness of gender bias, according to a 2009 study by Catalyst. But of men with mentors of both genders, a full 65 percent have a high awareness of gender bias. And those with a high awareness are much more likely to champion women’s equality during their career, which is good for everyone. It seems that female mentorship can go a long way toward changing attitudes about workplace inequality.
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Voice of Experience: Pat David, Managing Director and Global Diversity Officer, JP Morgan Chase
Voices of Experience“I’m not interested in diversity as it’s commonly known,” said Pat David, Managing Director and Global Diversity Officer at JPMorgan Chase. “I’m interested in using my life experiences in the context of helping people get to where they want – particularly underrepresented groups.”
She continued, “The way I was raised, my mother said ‘you’ve got to give more than you get.’ And when I look at my career, I’ve had an insatiable appetite to help people. My job enables me to help people 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
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Engaging CEOs in Gender Diversity
NewsEverything we know about improving gender diversity points to one uniquely important success factor. Great programs notwithstanding, brilliant arguments in abundance, the pursuit of enhanced gender equality flourishes or flounders with the interest and investment of an organization’s top leadership.
It could be the CEO of your company, the president of your university, or the director of your institute. Whoever is at the top has to care and has to support action. If we can’t get our top leadership engaged, we probably won’t succeed.
But people who have made it to the top are creative. They might have different ideas about achieving diversity — ideas that sound good, but that probably won’t work. How would that happen? What could we do in that situation?
To get CEOs on board, they need to believe in the cause themselves; they need to believe that gender diversity matters. We must provide the best arguments we can so the people at the top will care.
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Voice of Experience: Chloe Barzey, Senior Executive, Management Consulting, Supply Chain Strategy, CHT North America, Accenture
Voices of ExperienceAccording to Chloe Barzey, Senior Executive at Accenture, one of the most important things professional women can do, especially as they advance, is make sure they are actively managing their career.
She explained, “As you move up in your career, it’s important to take steps to receive more education or training. You must continuously fine tune yourself in order to remain relevant in the marketplace. Being aware of your strengths and limitations and how others perceive you is key to advancing in your career path.”
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Movers and Shakers: Jamila Piracci, Vice President of OTC Derivatives, National Futures Association
Movers and ShakersJamila Piracci believes in a combination of serendipity and making the best of opportunities. Previously a lawyer with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, she was looking for a new challenge when she was directed by an interviewer to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), a global financial trade association that represents participants in the privately negotiated derivatives industry, also known as the Over-the-Counter (OTC) markets.
She had been keeping up with ISDA activity and following the progress they were making related to documentation standards and, based on this person’s suggestion, decided to pick up the phone and call ISDA’s General Counsel.
It happened to be a brilliant time to call because it turned out they were looking to hire outside lawyers. The General Counsel was acquainted with Piracci through industry events and asked her to come in for an interview. “I am still in awe of how I got a job there,” remarks Piracci.
Before working at ISDA, Piracci spent a number of years at various law firms, having started her practice as a lawyer at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. While ISDA and the New York Fed were her favorite places to work, Piracci credits her diverse professional background in getting her to where she is now – Vice President of OTC Derivatives at the National Futures Association.
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Voice of Experience: Nicole Pullen Ross, Managing Director, Mid-Atlantic Region Head, Private Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs
People, Voices of Experience“And it is a greater responsibility behind closed doors than when in the presence of the people we are mentoring.” She explained, “That advocacy means really pulling someone up behind you in a proactive way, the same way others have done for you.”
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