All the Way Up: 5 Ways Companies Can Diversify Boardrooms and C-Suites

Diversity pledges that were going full steam ahead a year ago have come to either a jolting halt or have lost significant momentum. Commitments have stayed commitments rather than being formed into action plans which begs the question—where lies the fate of diverse leadership in the future of corporate America? The Hispanic and Latin American Summit Featuring 13 Bold Leaders Connect as early as the recruitment stage “Many of us did not grow up with parents working in conventional office spaces found at Fortune 500 companies. It’s intimidating because we grow up not knowing the type of roles we could fulfill at these companies. Better community outreach could help us better understand the corporate world at a younger age. These companies also need to embrace diverse talent recruitment, mentorship programs, additional training and increased funding for employee-run resource groups to encourage upward mobility. For a more immediate change, open up board seats to those who may not have the traditional experience that they seek. Take the risk.”—Amanda Ferreira, assistant manager, Disney Consumer Products, The Walt Disney Company Acknowledge the socio-economic factors at play “Being a first-Gen Latina, it was up to me to face corporate culture on my own. My parents did not speak the language fluently, much less know how to negotiate a raise or advocate to be the one leading a room. I believe in order to encourage upward mobility we must recognize that professional and educational equity can be impacted not only by race but by nationality/immigrant experience. By reevaluating levels of education required, eliminating zip code bias and changing the narrative on what leaders are supposed to have experienced, we take the first steps towards leveling the field.”—Cynthia Vento, account manager, Global Brands LatAm, Twitter My identity is my superpowerStephanie Mejia, NIKE Make diversity a business imperative “Organizations should seek to reflect our country’s growing diversity—not simply by seeking out multicultural talent at the entry level, but also by cultivating their growth and taking inclusion seriously. There have been countless corporate blunders that could have been easily avoided had diverse perspectives been given the chance to weigh in. On-site resource groups can go a long way but, ultimately, senior decision makers should seek to elevate the perspectives of talent that have been historically shut out in day-to-day operations. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s a modern business imperative.”—Martín Muñoz, social media manager, Roku, Inc. Foster an environment abundant with opportunities “Organizations should constantly be adapting to their surroundings to become better. This also applies to any internal matters such as company culture. Companies need to invest in their employees—offer training and give feedback. Not only do employees benefit from this but the company as well, creating an environment where everyone has the potential to rise to the occasion. Organizations should focus on being transparent and providing employees with the appropriate resources. When companies encourage upward mobility for all diverse groups, they are on the path to success.”—Jamie Guerrero, brand marketing specialist, Red Bull Latinx Consumers Care About Brand Beliefs, Peer Approval, and Product Transparency Shift from commitments to actions “Talent is everywhere, and companies have a responsibility to lessen the gap between the workforce participation and leadership representation. To do so, companies can: Embrace bi-cultural identities.Proactively address the internal conscious and unconscious biases that have created limitations for diverse representation across hiring, development and retention.Invest in development at every level. Create stretch opportunities that lead to upward mobility.Sponsorships open doors. It’s imperative for leaders to sponsor diverse teammates to promote advancement. Bottom line, companies must shift from commitments to actions to create space for ethnic, racial and gender diverse teammates. My identity is my superpower.”—Stephanie Mejia, sport performance brand marketing manager, NIKE