Taking ChargeAroadmapforasuccessfulcareerandameaningfullife

forhighpotentialcorporatewomenleaders

ICEDRSPECIALREPORT

ByLaurenReady

Contents4 Overview

A Call to Arms for Rising Women Leaders - Take Charge!

6 ExploreEXPLORE: Your Strengths, Weaknesses, Likes and Dislikes EXPLORE: Your StyleEXPLORE: Your Personal Definition of SuccessEXPLORE: Career Paths

14 OwnOWN: The Trade-offs You are Prepared to MakeOWN: Your OpinionOWN: Your NetworkOWN: Your Career

30 RepayREPAY: Your CommunityREPAY: Your TeamREPAY: Your CustomersREPAY: Next-Generation Women Leaders

36 Audit: Take Charge

37 Conclusion

38 Acknowledgements

39 About the AuthorLauren Ready, Director of Talent Management Initiatives & Marketing, ICEDR

40 About ICEDR

TakingChargeOVERVIEW

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A Call to Arms for RisingWomenLeaders-TakeCharge!

We live in a world where less than five percent of CEOs around the globe are women. If more women are going to rise to the top, we need to understand the secrets of the few that made it. Are you a young, high potential woman leader trying to map out your road to a successful career and a meaningful life? Have you ever wanted to sit down with the exceptional women executives that have climbed the ranks and ask them how they approach work and life? Do you want to know what their journeys have been like? Has their success been worth the price? Is there something different about who they are or how they deal with the world? In essence, do you want to get inside their heads and understand how they think? We interviewed the women who made it, and, here, we tell you about their roads to success. The result is a candid report written exclusively for next-generation women leaders. This report explores how top women executives think, what they value, and it outlines strategies that you, the high potential woman leader, can learn from.

CEOs, senior executives and HR directors need to know how to advance their high potential women leaders into senior-level roles. While companies are responsible for putting the right practices in place and having an environment that enables women to advance, the responsibility rests on you, the next-generation woman leader, to take charge of your career. You have the opportunity to step up and make things happen. This report reveals how the women executives that made it have crafted meaningful work and personal lives. Their insight will help you, the rising woman leader, achieve your full potential and develop the career path and build the life that is right for you. Our research, interviewing sixty top women executives, provides advice that will help you step up and take control of your journey through work and life.

Here, sixty leading women executives from twenty organizations share their stories, insights and experiences. Some of these women are rising stars, the majority are senior executives, including: Adele Gulfo, who led the launch of Lipitor, the best-selling medicine in the history of the pharmaceutical industry, Rana Ghandour Salhab, the first woman partner at Deloitte in the Middle East and Beatriz Araujo, who sits on the executive committee of Baker & McKenzie, one of the world’s largest law firms.

During our research, one thing soon became apparent: the diversity of the women involved. There is no single profile of the woman that makes it to the top of a large, global organization. The women we spoke with currently work in nineteen countries and range in age from late 20s to early 60s. They are straight, gay, married, single, partnered, divorced; some have children, others do not. Some grew up rich, others poor. On the surface, it seemed that there were no rules to achieving success. Yet, looking deeper, some common features became clear. You will find that these women take charge of their work and personal lives in three common ways: they explore, own and repay.

ExploreTop women executives know their own strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. They have deep insights into the organizations within which they practice. They have developed a leadership style and a definition of success that works for them. They have ventured into a career journey full of twists and turns, and acknowledge that being a senior executive – male or female – is not for everyone. But, it was also clear that they were happy with their career and life choices. In large part, this was because they had taken the time to EXPLORE who they are and what they want.

Overview

TakingChargeOVERVIEW

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OwnA key theme that arose time and again, during our research, was the need to step up, be proactive and make things happen. The women we interviewed share this fundamental approach: you must own your choices and actions. These successful women executives voice their opinions, build their network, and take responsibility for their career choices. They are clear about the reasons for their decisions and are not afraid to take risks. They dive into work and life with enthusiasm and believe that no matter which path you choose, you must make these two words your mantra: OWN IT.

RepayWhile these women are talented, they also know that they have climbed the ranks with the help of others – from family and friends to colleagues, bosses, and sponsors. This support is never unappreciated and they believe that it is important to REPAY this help by passing on support and opportunities to others. Fundamentally, it matters to them to make a difference. For this reason, they are deeply invested in the success of their communities, team, customers and the next-generation of women leaders. These executives think in terms of the legacy they will leave.

Explore

Own

Repay

Yourroadmaptosuccess:Explore.Own.Repay.

Explore•YourStrengths,Weaknesses,Likes

and Dislikes•YourStyle•YourPersonalDefinitionofSuccess•CareerPaths

Own•TheTrade-offsYouarePrepared

to Make•YourOpinion•YourNetwork•YourCareer

Repay•YourCommunity•YourTeam•YourCustomers•Next-GenerationWomenLeaders

This report reveals how exceptional female executives have taken charge of their work and lives and how you can too. You will fi nd these women leaders to be incredibly candid and approachable. We hope you enjoy their inspiring personal journeys and stories and learn from their experiences. In the next section, we will investigate the fi rst part of our roadmap: to explore your choices.

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“Thewaytodefinesuccessistoknowyourself.It’simportanttoknow:whatdoyouwantoutoflife?Doyouwantashort-termcareerandthenafamily?Doyouwantalongcareerandnofamily?Doyouwantajobthat’sreallybalanced?Ihaveasisterwhoisalmosttenyearsyoungerandmyadvicetoherdoesn’tlandbecauseshedoesn’twantmylife.Shewantsaverydifferentlife.Idofeellikesometimeswomengettrappedbecausewearenotallcutfromthesamecloth.”

Adele Gulfo, Regional President, Latin

America, Emerging Markets Business Unit,

Pfizer

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they need improvement, what gives them energy and what they don’t like to do. So, how can you start to know yourself? Tracey encourages the people on her team to map their strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes in a 2X2 matrix (see Table 1).

This 2x2 matrix should then be discussed with the person that you most depend upon for career advancement. She advises “women to own the 2X2 matrix and to have frank and candid conversations about it. You have to be willing to own your career at that level and do that exploration. This exercise is going to tell you: what do I want to be doing?” She emphasizes that it is important to put the job description aside and decide what you like to do and know what you are really good at.

Many of the women we interviewed noted the importance of playing to your strengths. Susan Silbermann, President & General Manager, Vaccines at Pfi zer explains: “At Pfi zer, we’re focusing on what strong skills colleagues possess and not trying to focus on what they don’t. There was a point in time where schools would force left-handed students to write with

their right hand. Now, we embrace the view: ‘You’re left-handed. That is great. I want you to be the best left-handed person you can be.’”

This view is typical of our successful executives, who believe that focusing on your strengths and likes leads to a signifi cant benefi t: expertise. Developing expertise early on in your career is particularly important, as Beatrice Fischer, Managing Director, Head CEO Stakeholder Management, Private Banking at Credit Suisse recalls: “Early on, my manager gave me good advice: make sure that you are good at one particular thing. You should be really special at this one thing. Then, you will always be the go to person for this. If you can establish yourself as an expert in something, this is a good start. People will listen because they know you are really good at something.”

ExploreBeing a senior executive is a challenging career and you have to know that it is the right path for you. Adele Gulfo at Pfi zer is clear on this point: it’s important to know yourself. The women executives we interviewed have taken the time to EXPLORE who they are. They have a deep sense of their strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. They know which company cultures are a good fi t for them. They have developed an authentic leadership style, and have crafted a personal defi nition of success. Their careers are often full of twists and turns, and they have faced many challenges. Yet the women we interviewed were happy with their career choices. Why? The answer is that they take the time to EXPLORE what they want out of work and life.

EXPLORE:YourStrengths,Weaknesses,LikesandDislikes

Tracey Edwards is Deloitte’s Chief Knowledge Offi cer. In her role, she puts in place enterprise-wide practices, policies and technologies so that Deloitte can operate as seamlessly as possible as a global enterprise. There’s one piece of knowledge Tracey believes is critical: self-knowledge. It’s essential to know yourself inside and out, to hold a mirror up and refl ect on what you see with a critical eye. Exceptional leaders know their strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. They understand where they excel, where

PLAYHERE

StrengthsWeaknesses

Like

sD

islik

es

Table1:Map It! Your Strengths, Weaknesses, Likes and Dislikes

Tracey Edwards

Deloitte

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EXPLORE: Your Style

As a woman leader, you may face a double problem: if you are too gentle, others view you as soft; if you are too aggressive, you are characterized as unfeminine. Hardly surprising then that some women express the view that they just can’t win. As Anne Weisberg, Global Director of Diversity and Inclusion at BlackRock explains: “Women face the challenge of trying to develop a leadership style and an executive presence that both commands respect and fosters likeability. This takes a lot of psychic energy and can be exhausting. Organizations and women should be conscious of this challenge.”

How can you navigate this tricky balance of developing a style that comes across as both competent and warm? It’s not easy. Our executives have three pieces of advice, to help you develop your own effective leadership style:

1. Bring your personality to the officeMaria Camacho, a Marketing Manager at Danone, is a fun loving Argentinian who moved to the United Kingdom several years ago to work for Danone. When she first arrived, she discovered that her new team was highly talented and intense. But, that didn’t stop Maria from showcasing her special flair. As she remembers: “I was a bit of a crazy Latin American when I first arrived at Danone. I would run into the office and start kissing people when I got to work. My colleagues allowed me to bring that essence and that different spice to the organization. And I will always thank the people at Danone for that. I’m quite creative and the

accepting environment gave me wings. I entered a sea of possibility. What I see sometimes in very successful women is that they don’t mix their private lives with their professional lives so they don’t have a picture of their family at their desks or they work 24/7. I’m not like that. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I am the same person at work as I am outside work. And I think that is what allows me to fulfill my potential.”

Immunology and Ophthalmology at Roche. It’s okay to have a little fun and to showcase who you really are at the office, as Patricia Horgan, Head of One Bank Collaboration at Credit Suisse explains: “You have to be true to yourself… It is okay to show you are a human being and you have a life. You don’t want to turn into a robot when you come into work.”

Several women explained that they act consistently, refusing to change their persona just because they are speaking to someone high up the corporate ladder. Mary Ellen Brown, Director, Retail Credit Transformation at RBC is clear about the importance of this: “I don’t act differently for different

“I was a bit of a crazy Latin American when I first arrived

at Danone. I would run into the office and start kissing people

when I got to work. My colleagues allowed me to bring that essence

and that different spice.”

MariaCamacho, Marketing Manager, Danone

Anne Weisberg

BlackRock

audiences. I am no different if I am talking to my staff, my boss, or my boss’s boss. I am always the same. Don’t try to change who you are as a person. You just have to be who you are or else it is obvious that it is insincere. And, no one is going to trust or respect someone who isn’t sincere.”

Our interviews revealed that this was a commonly-shared view, and many women advise you not to leave your personality at home. “Women seem so relieved to be given permission to express themselves and be themselves at work. I really believe that is the most important key to success,” says Jennifer Cook, Senior Vice President,

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Amanda Mesler

Logica (now part of CGI)

2. Adapt your styleTalk to Amanda Mesler, and you can’t help but smile: she is a fireball of positive energy. Yet, Amanda, CEO of Logica Business Consulting (now part of CGI), who describes her style as passionate and energetic, says that her liveliness can be mistaken for being overly emotional. How does she overcome this potential barrier? When Amanda joined Logica’s executive committee, she knew her success depended on her ability to work with each person on the team. Consequently, high on her list of priorities was getting to know each and every individual on the executive committee and adapting her style accordingly. She firmly believes that this made all the difference, as she explains:

“Coming onto the executive team really made me realize that I needed to understand every individual on that team. At the end of the day, individuals are the ones that make up your team, they make up your career, and they make up your success. If you just try to bulldoze your style over every individual, it’s not going to make you successful. I have learned to work with different people in different ways but never, ever sacrificing who I am. I will never, ever sacrifice integrity, and the values that I operate on, but if I need to be a little softer or if I need to sit back and be quieter and listen and hold my

tongue or if I even need to be tougher and more assertive, I will do that. It’s important to adapt your style. It will make you more successful.”

3. Don’t try to be one of the ladsIf you work in an office full of men, it may be tempting to try to act like one of the guys. In this situation, the advice from our executives is simple: Don’t. When the office chatter turns to sports, you don’t need to chime in if you don’t want to. Don’t be someone you’re not. Yet many of our interviewees admitted that, early in their careers, they succumbed to this temptation and had tried to play like a stereotypical guy: acting tough, aggressive, confrontational, and very much like the alpha personality. Melba Foggo, Managing Partner, Business Consulting, UK at Logica (now part of CGI) advises women not to try too hard to fit in: “I never have been and never will be one of the lads. I think often at the junior levels women try to fit in and be one of the guys and it will only take you so far.”

It is important to remember that it is results that matter, as Marcia McIntyre, Managing Director at RBC insists: “Stay true to who you are, and at the end of the day, don’t waiver. If you deliver and you produce results for your clients, you will be successful regardless.”

EXPLORE: Your PersonalDefinitionofSuccess

It is crucial to develop your own personal definition of success. Knowing what success means to

you is fundamental to achieving a fulfilling work and personal life. In fact, gaining clarity on this is one of the most important things you can do. Ultimately, only you can decide the details – what you want to achieve, what matters most to you, and what you value. Our executives have three pieces of advice that will help you define what success means to you.

1. Reflect on what you want to achieveHow do you define success? It was evident from our research that how you answer this question is fundamental, and it is a question that successful women executives urge you to address. You can gain valuable input from many sources, including family members, colleagues, bosses, mentors and sponsors, but ultimately only you can form your personal definition of success.

A good place to start is by defining what your objectives are. Exceptional women leaders tend to describe success in three main areas: work, personal and legacy (see Table 2: How Exceptional Women Leaders Define Success). They set their work and personal goals for the next twelve to eighteen months and revisit those objectives frequently. As they advance to more senior levels in their careers, they also start to think about the legacy they want to leave behind. It is a useful exercise to compare how you currently define success to the objectives of some of the senior female executives we interviewed (see Table 2). Although you will have your own priorities, this can be a useful exercise, to help you see if there are any changes you would like to make and what you want your measures of success to be.

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Taking the time to reflect on what you truly want is not an easy task, especially for younger women, as many can’t pinpoint exactly what their goals are. Victoria Poole, Corporate Counsel at Westpac, recognizes this difficulty: “What strikes me when I talk to younger people today is they don’t have a clear picture of what they want. This can be the hardest thing in the world - to know what you want. My advice would be to spend some time thinking about what you want and have a clear picture of that in your mind so you can see exactly what it is. When you can visualize what you want, the road to it becomes easier.”Veronique Pauwels, a Partner at Bain, agrees: “Be very honest in general about who you are and what you want. Don’t try to be anything else. You need to know what you want and be very explicit about that. There is no game here. Having this clarity helps you achieve whatever goal you set.”

2. Focus on delivering today; don’tthink too far aheadPerhaps one reason why you may get stuck when trying to set your

objectives is that you think too far into the future. You may be relieved to hear that the women we interviewed break their goals into bite-size pieces. They set their sights on the short-term, and focus on delivering today, as Susan Silbermann, President & General Manager, Vaccines at Pfizer advises: “In my career I’ve talked to a fair number of people that look at me and say: ‘I want to be the CEO.’ And

I say: ‘That’s a great goal to set. You are currently a product manager and are about fifteen years away from that goal, so let’s focus on the present.’ The best way to get a new job is to excel in your current job. So, when people ask me: ‘How can I become X?’ I tell them: ‘Just do a really good job. Focus. Produce the results that you’ve been

asked to deliver. Produce more than the results you’ve been asked to deliver.’ I have always been focused on what I have in front of me and not so much focused on what’s out there.”

Beatrice Fischer, Managing Director, Head CEO Stakeholder Management, Private Banking at Credit Suisse shares this view: “I am someone who does not have an ambition that is too far

“I am someone who does not have an ambition that is too far away.

I try to think in little steps.”

BeatriceFischer, Managing Director, Credit Suisse

away. I try to think in little steps. In my personal life, I look ahead to losing two pounds versus losing twenty pounds or I think ahead to my next vacation. I do not think ahead to four years down the road. I do the same in business. I do not think of becoming the CEO. I think of my next few months and what I want to achieve.”

HowExceptionalWomenLeadersDefineSuccess

WorkTime Frame: 12-18 months

PersonalTime Frame: 12-18 months

LegacyTime Frame: Longer term

The scorekeeping aspects of the job – title, salary

My children – setting them up for the future

Starting a development program for young women

Happy clients Good health, making time for myself Sustainability without me

Taking that messy situation and making it better

Loving what I do for as many hours of the day as possible

Impacting the lives of the people in the community

A business that is growing A happy marriage Redefining a moment in time

When the whole team feels like they are contributing Spending weekends and holidays with my family Building a team that has grown up to be

leaders

Yourdefinitionofworksuccess: Yourdefinitionofpersonalsuccess: Thelegacyyouwanttoleave:

Table2:How Exceptional Women Leaders Define Success

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Beatrice Fischer

Credit Suisse

3. Observe and learn from a variety ofrole modelsBeatriz Araujo sits on the executive committee of Baker & McKenzie, one of the largest law firms in the world. As a member of the firm’s leadership body, Beatriz is an extraordinary role model for next generation women lawyers. Yet, Beatriz recognizes that, while she has found her journey and rise to be highly fulfilling, there are many ways to advance and succeed at the firm. Baker & McKenzie thrives on the diversity of its people, which is why Beatriz believes it is important to showcase a variety of female role models in order to inspire the firm’s rising women leaders. For example, at a recent presentation on gender diversity, given to the firm’s partners, Beatriz was asked why she had not included a slide depicting Christine Lagarde, former Chairman of Baker & McKenzie and current Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Beatriz replied: “Well hang on - that’s a really tall order. I mean to expect all of the women in the firm to end up like Christine Lagarde? She continues to be a great role model at the firm - someone that’s really succeeded and has done it nicely, always continuing to just be who she is. But we’re not all going to end up as the head of the IMF. That shouldn’t be the criteria for advancement.”

Extraordinary women leaders advise that you pick and choose aspects of several role models who resonate with you and then write your own definition of success. Find your own way forward, as Seow-Chien Chew, a Partner at Bain, explains: “The key is to find your own model and to learn from others. What can you adapt from others? Which parts are relevant for you and which are not? Do not try and be exactly like someone else.”

EXPLORE: Career Paths

The Middle East is a mosaic of different cultures, experiences, dialects and ways of living, presenting many challenges for women executives. In this environment, it is essential for leaders to have a global outlook. Take Rana Ghandour Salhab, a Partner at Deloitte. Rana was the first woman partner admitted to Deloitte in the Middle East after eighty years of the company’s history. Today, her responsibilities span fifteen countries and twenty-two office locations in the Middle East. On any given day, Rana can work with people from thirty different nationalities. She believes that her variety of work and life experiences have prepared her well to be a global leader in a multinational firm. She has lived in five countries, on three continents. She was raised during the war in Lebanon and experienced the Gulf War in Saudi Arabia first hand.

Rana believes that such challenging, unexpected and unique experiences have benefitted her career. Accompany-ing her husband to Saudi Arabia, she began her career in education, as career

opportunities for women were limited. As a teacher, she learned how to coun-sel and motivate people – skills that are also invaluable in business, as global leaders need to manage people effec-tively and ensure that learning improves performance. So, even though teaching was not her first choice for a career, it gave her experience that she could take elsewhere. As she says, “At the time, I didn’t feel it was the right thing for me to live in a culture that didn’t have many career options but it turned out to be something that helped me build a very formative skill set in my career.”Rana is not alone. Many of the women

Rana GhandourSalhab

Deloitte

leaders we interviewed mentioned that their career paths had taken twists and turns. Often, these diversions turned out to be some of the most rewarding and valuable experiences of their work and personal lives. Some of the changes were planned, others unexpected. Here are a few examples:•A year in Australia spent learning to

sail yachts and sailboats•A fellowship with the government•Career switches: sociology to finance,

scientist to marketing executive, consulting firm to a start-up

•16 different jobs with 13 differentemployers in 25 years

•20 relocations to different areas ofthe world

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what it does for those two or three different options. “I don’t want to be perfectly qualified for only one job in the organization,” explained one executive. In addition, their advice is not to become too comfortable in a role. As Niki Kesoglou, Head of Senior Talent Development Asia Pacific at Credit Suisse says, “Four to five years is enough time to stay in one job. You need to constantly be pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.”

Having a variety of experiences has many benefits, as it allows you to look at the world from different perspectives, to embrace diversity and to expand your imagination. Samantha Mobley, a Partner at Baker & McKenzie, who recently spent six weeks in the Caribbean doing a dive master course (and is already planning her next sabbatical for 2019!) believes imagination is important when exploring and building career paths: “A quality that I have, if I was going to boast, is imagination. I am not sure how many lawyers really have imagination. Imagination is what you need if you are going to build out a

Surprisingly, these women leaders felt that you don’t need to invest too much energy mapping out a ten year career plan. In fact, they went further and suggested that the reality of your career will likely not match any long-term plan you create or expectations you set. As Jane Leung, Head of iShares Asia Pacific at BlackRock explains: “When I talk to young women early in their careers, I tell them that life does not always happen the way you think it is going to… the more flexible you can be - the better.”

Interestingly, several women noted that they did not have to leave their company to get a different career experience. Many liked the fact that they could have a variety of career experiences within one organization. Suchitra Prabhu, who works for Logica (now part of CGI) in India says: “What I love about Logica is its flat structure and open environment. It is easy to negotiate your next career step.” Similarly, Gina Dellabarca has worked at Westpac since 1991 and

“A plan is a nice thing to have, but a career

is an obstacle course. It’s not a path. There is no straight line.”

KristinPeck, Executive Vice President, Pfizer

Samantha Mobley

Baker & McKenzie

Kristin Peck, a member of Pfizer’s executive leadership team, agrees: “A plan is a nice thing to have, but a career is an obstacle course. It’s not a path. There is no straight line. It winds, goes over hills and rocks and you have to jump across the stream a few times. Sometimes you have to go sideways or backwards to go forwards. I think that’s the most important thing that women starting their career should know. Many people believe their careers are linear. My career took me from commercial real estate finance, to real estate private equity, to investment banking, to management consulting, to an HR strategy job, to a general strategy job, to leading innovation, and going back to business development. There was no straight line there.”

attributes part of her success to taking opportunities to move across business units within the company. Rebecca Riant, Director, Head of Deposits at Westpac Institutional Bank, shares this view: “The leaders at Westpac do a great job of enabling people to move around within the organization. Having that culture of internal mobility is very important to me. If you can find an organization that has a culture of promoting opportunities internally into different roles, I call that the Golden Willy Wonka Ticket.”

Most of these women executives keep two or three destination jobs in mind. As opportunities come their way, they weigh the role in terms of

practice, which is what I am doing at the global level at the moment. My mandate is to grow this global team. I love building. But in order to build, you

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“A quality that I have, if I was going to boast, is imagination”

SamanthaMobley, Partner, Baker & McKenzie

need to have imagination, or vision.”Finally, it is worth mentioning some of the difficulties you many face when following a career path that includes twists and turns or if you have taken a non-traditional route and are applying for a senior-level role.

So, don’t be too focused on progress-ing to the next logical step on the corporate ladder. Rather, be open and flexible about what an opportunity can offer. Take jobs you are passionate about. Look for roles that align with your strengths. Always be learning and

Firstly, it can be difficult to make the leap. Typically, people tend to see you in a particular light, based on what you studied in University or your prior work experience – for example: she’s a scientist, we can’t move her to marketing. So, you may need to take some additional coursework or seize any opportunity you can in your new area of choice. Secondly, it is essential to be able to communicate the value of your unique journey. As Sonja Doyle, a Regional General Manager at Westpac advises, “Getting over the initial barrier of not having a particular profile at a company is something you need to be able to articulate.” If you follow a non-traditional career path, you will need to be able to explain why the experiences you have had make you a great candidate for the role you are applying to. You will need to show that your prior experiences add up to the competencies required for the role, even though the job titles may not seem relevant.

having fun. Live in the moment because in all likelihood, you will look back on those unexpected twists and turns and realize they set you up for success.

In summary, the advice is clear: to be successful and to achieve your goals, it is necessary to fully explore the various aspects of your work and life. Take the time to reflect upon your strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Discover your authentic leadership style. Craft your personal definition of success. Be open to different career possibilities. In the next section, we will consider the second way top female executives take charge: to own your choices.

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“IfIlookbackandhadtopinitdown,it’sabouttakingownership.”

Juliet Bullick, BlackRock

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A significant factor in achieving success is to OWN your choices. It was evident during our research that leading women executives take a proactive view towards work and life. They own the price they are willing to pay for success. They own their opinions and networks, and they take control of their careers. Their stories illustrate an important message: it doesn’t matter which career path you choose to pursue but it does matter that you own it.

OWN: The Trade-offs You arePreparedtoMake

Male or female, there are no shortcuts to becoming a senior executive. The hours are long. The travel is exhausting. The stress is high. Let’s face it: Most of us would rather spend our weekends with family, not at 38,000 feet, intransit to our next meeting.

Let’s also acknowledge that the conversation around the advancement of women often turns into a work-life balance discussion. But, do we need to rethink this conversation? Anne Weisberg, Global Director of Diversity and Inclusion at BlackRock thinks so: “In many companies, what ends up happening is the conversation around gender always defaults to talking about work-life integration. To address women in leadership, leaders need to understand there is a difference between the topics of women and

advancement and work-life integration. Work-life integration is about retention. It is not about advancement. If you want to get women into senior leadership roles, obviously retaining them in the system is necessary, but, it is not sufficient. Focusing the conversation on the work-life barrier is not going to get women into senior leadership.”

Work-life balance strategies, such as flexible work arrangements, emergency daycare, and job sharing, serve the valuable purpose of retaining many women. But, when it comes to advancing women to senior-level positions, the work-life balance conversation needs to shift in a slightly new direction. So how can company executives have a better conversation

The women we interviewed – primarily senior-level executives at large, global companies – observed that the conversation around women and work-life balance has the tendency to turn into a blame game, such as: “I wish my company would do this; I wish society would change that; why have we been having this same conversation for the past 20 years?” The women leaders we spoke with offer a possible reason for the lack of progress: conversations around advancing women typically turn into a work-life balance discussion about strategies companies can put in place to help women integrate their work and personal lives. But this is to miss the real point: primarily, it is about personal reflection, responsibility and ownership. By this our interviewees

Own

“Work-life integration is about retention. It is not about advancement.

Focusing the conversation on the work-life barrier

is not going to get women into senior leadership.”

AnneWeisberg, Global Director of Diversity and Inclusion, BlackRock

– one that is focused on advancing women to senior roles? How can you, the high potential woman leader, integrate your work and personal life in a way that fulfills you and aligns with your values and goals?

mean that, at senior levels, work-life balance policies certainly help, but senior-level women don’t purely think of the work-life balance question as: What can my company do for me? Rather, they add a new dimension – a personal ownership

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dimension – to the conversation. They have taken the time to reflect and have found clarity on the price they are willing to pay for success. They take full responsibility for and control over how they integrate their work and life.

To be clear, these women state that reconciling this tension between work and life is deeply challenging, emotional and personal. It is a dilemma they continue to wrestle with. They view developing their personal strategy for integrating work and life as one of the most important decisions they will make. Thus, this is a decision that they approach with careful introspection and thoughtfulness. It is a topic they revisit and reflect upon often.

And this is where you – the rising female star – come in. These women will always applaud you for making a choice that aligns with your aspirations, values and personal definition of success. But, they will also tell you to take ownership and be proud of the decisions and life choices you make. For example, don’t blame your company’s workaholic culture for making you quit. Or, if you work a reduced schedule, walk out of the office on time with your head held high. If you choose to pursue a job that requires significant travel, don’t complain that you are often away from your family. Instead, take action and do something about it. The women we interviewed have refreshingly proactive, positive and self-assured outlooks. They take the view that there is often a way to build the work and personal life you desire. They advise you to craft a life that you choose

and find fulfilling and to dive in full force. They advise you to take charge.

Our interviewees highlight a personal struggle you may face: If you choose, and have the capability and organizational support, to advance to the senior-levels of a large, global organization, you will inevitably have to make some trade-offs. It’s impossible not to. So it’s important to take the time to think about what type of life you want and understand the consequences. For example, is your partner willing to take on part of the load? Are you comfortable with someone else picking up your kids from school? Despite the sacrifices they have made, our exceptional women leaders find their lives deeply fulfilling. But, the executive lifestyle is not for everyone, and you have to ask yourself: ‘is it really for me?’ In tackling this question, it is useful to consider the following points: 1. Form your own definition of work-

life integration2. Articulate your ambitions3. Make a short list of priorities4. Pace yourself

1. Form your own definition of work-life integrationKristin Peck sits on Pfizer’s executive leadership team and was raised by parents who always encouraged her to pursue her dreams. As Kristin remembers, “I have a family that since I was a young girl always made me believe that I could do anything I wanted to do. For example, as a child, my dream was to be quarterback of the New York Jets (United States football team) and then President of the United States.

Having Conversations with Your Kids

How do explain to your young child why

you need to go to work? Kristin Peck sits

on Pfizer’s Executive Leadership Team and

leads Worldwide Business Development and

Innovation for Pfizer. She’s also a devoted

wife and a mother of two children. Here’s how

Kristin approached a recent conversation

with her daughter:

“My daughter said to me recently: ‘Mommy,

why can’t you work at home like all the other

Mommies do?’ I said to her: ‘Well, everybody

works. Some women work in the home. And

some women go to work.’ And she asked:

‘Why can’t you do what you do at home?’ I felt

really confident in my answer when I said to

her:

“I love what I do and my job is in the city.

What I do helps to create medicines that

can help you and many other children. And

working makes me a better mom when I’m

home because I’m really happy with what I’m

doing. Likewise, you want to be a scientist

and you probably can’t do that at home. Don’t

you want to go where you are really happy

during the day and then come home and be so

excited?”

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Never did my parents say there’s never been a woman who’s done either, nice dream but focus somewhere else. I came to the conclusion by the end of the sixth grade that I probably wasn’t going to be the quarterback of the New York Jets. But the point was that my parents let me figure that out on my own. They let me try and they let me explore. As a result, I don’t have a lot of fear.”

Today, in addition to her responsibilities leading Worldwide Business Development and Innovation for Pfizer, Kristin is also a mother. She has a daughter and a son, who are only in elementary school. Just as her parents did for her, Kristin will encourage her children to pursue whatever path they desire. As a wife and mother committed to quality time with her family and as a senior executive with a passion for driving business results for Pfizer, Kristin has had to be clear about her personal definition of work-life integration. As Kristin says, “Everyone defines work-life balance differently. I’m sure many people wouldn’t define it the way I do.”

Exceptional women leaders share this approach, believing there are many ways to integrate work and life that are highly gratifying. The challenge is figuring out what works for you and being comfortable that your definition may not be the norm among your friends or may be different from how your parents raised you. For example, your friends may spend more time than you do playing with and looking after their children. One busy executive reflected that when she was a child her stay-at-home mother took her to

feed the ducks on weekdays and did the school run. These are activities senior executives don’t get to do on a regular basis. But, the good news is they don’t feel bitter or riddled with guilt and regret. They are confident and comfortable with their decisions and have found a way to integrate the various aspects of their lives that works for them. They often focus on quality time with their families, try to limit work on weekends, make sure to take their holidays and outsource house chores so that when they are home, they can fully devote their attention to their loved ones.

Yet, some women we spoke to had reached a point in their careers and personal lives where they realized it was time to take a step back from such a hectic work schedule. One woman describes her current situation and reflects: “I leave my child at daycare at 8:00 AM. I get to work a bit before9:00 AM. I leave work at 6:00 PM. By the time I’ve picked up my child and we get home, it’s 7:00 PM and he goes to bed at 8:00 PM. So, basically I seehim for an hour a day, and probably not his best hour because he’s grouchy and tired. Then I eat and sort out his bottles. I pop my laptop open and work from probably 9:00 PM until 11:00 PM. My husband is there but I have to keep working so I’m not talking to him. I think, ‘am I going to regret this? Is this life?’ It’s not very sustainable. I don’t want to do that for the next ten years.” What’s more, one executive mentioned how it’s easy to get drawn into prioritizing work over family: “I do not get pay raises and reviews from my husband and kids,” she said.

Claudia Prado, a Partner at Trench, Rossie Watanabe Advogados, associated with Baker & McKenzie, advocates giving both aspects of your life attention: “It is important to find a way of loving both things – work and family - at the same level. If you love your career too much, you will leave the family at the end of the list. And the other way around also applies. So, find a way, early on, of loving work and your personal life at the same level and never really put one over the other in terms of priority. They have to come together.”

As our top women executives recommend, it is important to revisit your definition of work-life integration regularly, as priorities change. Remember the decisions you make need not be permanent. Catherine Langreney, Country CEO for Lafarge in Tanzania advises it’s important to re-assess your situation and priorities: “I always explained to my boss, my career is a three lane highway. There are times when I will want to be in the slow lane, times when I want to go in the middle lane and times when I want to go in the fast lane. It is me who needs to make this decision. I am the only one who can manage having a family and a career. My mentor said, ‘just make sure you put your turning signal on a long time in advance. It’s important to communicate which lane you want to be in.’ Having to slow down for a few years does not mean I need to exit. I just make sure to give my team a heads up of what I want to do and how much I can take on. My message to them is: don’t take me out because I am in the slow lane.”

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2. Articulate your ambitionsIf you are a working mother, you will likely face assumptions that you may have to overcome: She has kids so can she really be on the executive team? Is she going to want to work those extra hours? Does she really want that complex project? Yet, if you are a working mother, you may want a big-time role. Our executives want to decide what they can handle. They do not want the choice made for them, as one executive notes: “Working long hours is for me to figure out and make the choice. I do not want the choice to be made for me. I want to be the one to make the decision and work it out. So, to assume that I cannot take on a senior role and work beyond 5:00 PM, well, I have a nanny, and, I can. I will decide where I can and cannot be and how to prioritize. If I were a man, nobody would assume that I need to get home and feed my children. You don’t need to

protect me on that front. I will work it out. And, if I cannot do it, I will make the choice that I cannot do it. Don’t hold me back based on an assumption.”

It is important to recognize that assumptions around working mothers do exist, so you need to make your ambitions, whatever they may be, clear. Kristin Peck, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Business Development and Innovation at Pfizer explains how she handles this: “Many people assume working mothers don’t want the assignment or they wouldn’t want to take on the additional role. That is hard to overcome. However, you do so by delivering consistent excellent performance, and by raising your hand and saying: ‘That sounds great. If there’s an opportunity for me to work on that, I’d love it.’ It’s never demanding things, but letting people know you are interested.”

The Rise of the House Husband

“There is a bit of a myth that successful

women are those who are single with no

children and if they have got children, then

the kids are at boarding school or with full-

time nannies. I don’t think that’s necessarily

the case,” says Melba Foggo, Managing

Partner, Business Consulting, UK at Logica

(now part of CGI). The family unit around

successful women can take many forms, one

of which includes a woman with a powerful

job, a stay at home spouse, and children.

Many women we interviewed sang the

praises of their house husbands. Melba has

two young daughters and her stay at home

husband keeps the home running smoothly.

“I swear my husband is one of the best house

people in the world. I think he would give a

lot of house wives a run for their money,”

Melba says. And, she’s not alone. According

to Melba, “If you go to the school gates or

the nursery doors now, especially in the UK,

there are just as many dads and granddads

picking the children up as there are mums

and nans.” Jennifer Cook, Senior Vice

President, Immunology and Ophthalmology

at Roche, who has two young sons, agrees.

Her husband, a former biophysicist, retired

several years ago to stay home with the

boys. She says, “My husband loves staying at

home. It’s what he wants. It’s what he chose.

He throws himself into his new role now with

the same intensity that he did with work. He

coaches every team. He volunteers at the

school. He teaches science to the second

graders. He shuttles the boys around. He

volunteers at field trips. He is extremely

engaged with his role as the stay at home

parent.”

“My career is a three lane highway. There are times when

I will want to be in the slow lane, times when I want to go in the middle lane,

and times when I want to go in the fast lane.

Just make sure you put your turning signal on.

It is important to communicate which lane you want

to be in.”CatherineLangreney, Country CEO Tanzania, Lafarge

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Mary Zimmer

RBC

mom means different things to different people – clearly I’m not there to bake cookies at the bake sale but I make an effort to be at the center of my chil-dren’s lives. But I also know that I can only do those two things. I choose to know what my threshold is of what I can do well. So, I am very clear about know-ing who I am, what my passions are and being able to funnel that specifically. The way I see it, life is so short and you al-ways wish that you had five more hours to do this or to do that. Give up this ‘wish’ part and just choose something that you want and that is important to you. Be passionate about it, go in there with zeal and strive for excellence. You can’t go wrong with that.”

If you have a husband or a partner, our executives suggest that you prioritize him or her. As one woman notes: “The unwritten bit about work-life balance is your relationship with your spouse because there is a lot written about how to combine having a career with children, and nothing really written about having a career and also maintaining your marriage. Every relationship takes hard work. You have to invest time. You have to invest emotional energy. If what you are doing is giving 100% to your job and looking after your children, the person that ends up with no time from you is your spouse. So, you have to keep an eye on that.”

Anne-Marie Allgrove, a Partner at Baker & McKenzie, voices a similar view: “When I came back from maternity leave, I put my hand up to volunteer for travel opportunities. Many people were surprised. They assumed I didn’t want to travel. Assumptions get made. You have to indicate that you want to be involved in certain things.”

So, if you are a working mother who is happy to put in the extra hours or travel, ensure you make those desires known. Others may assume that your personal commitments will prevent you from taking on too many responsibilities. Speak up and communicate what you would like to take on at this point in your life.

3. Make a short list of prioritiesMary Zimmer, Head of International Wealth – USA and Correspondent and Advisor Services for RBC Wealth Management – U.S. believes that one mistake women make is trying to do it all. In sharing their experiences, many of our interviewees adamantly agreed with this point. We heard comments like: ‘I don’t have friends’ or ‘I used to have hobbies – not anymore’. Being a senior executive means keeping many balls in the air, but it also requires cutting some things out of your life. As high achiev-ers, exceptional women have a strong sense of what they can handle. Diem Nguyen, General Manager, Biosimilars at Pfizer explains: “I stopped trying to be the person for everybody else. I didn’t dilute myself. I decided I really want to be known for two things: to be a good business leader, particularly in businesses that are growing… and being a dedicated mom. Being a dedicated

Maintaining Your Marriage

Many women mentioned that a supportive

partner had been an essential element of

their success. Yet, with work to get done and

children to care for, these women said that

their partners were too often neglected. As

one woman said:

“The unwritten bit about work-life balance is

your relationship with your spouse because

there is a lot written about how to combine

having a career with children, and nothing

really written about having a career and

also maintaining your marriage. Every

relationship takes hard work. You have to

invest time. You have to invest emotional

energy. If what you are doing is giving 100%

to your job and looking after your children,

the person that ends up with no time from

you is your spouse. So, you have to keep an

eye on that.” So, what can you do?

One woman mentioned that she occasionally

takes her husband on business trips; another

stated that she and her spouse reserve one

night a week as date night. Whatever you and

your partner decide on as a strategy, ensure

that you keep spending quality time with

your spouse high on your priority list.

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When it comes to priorities, recognize that more is not necessarily better. Pick a few aspects of your work and personal life and dive into those full force. As a result, you will excel at what you choose to focus on and will craft a life that is meaningful to you.

to yourself; just have your baby and then see what you feel like.’ All these things are quite life changing and you don’t know how you are going to react so don’t over-commit yourself before you know deep in your heart what you want to do. I always tell everyone it is a

Companies and senior women executives can encourage this approach, as pacing yourself, working part-time or walking out of the office in the evening to get home for a family meal becomes much easier when senior leaders at your organization model this type of

Fabiana Gadow

Deloitte

“I always have a picture of my kids on my desk as a symbol of balance

between my family life and my work.”FabianaGadow, Partner, Deloitte

4. Pace yourselfAs a high-achiever, you may often feel the need to go full speed ahead. Yet, slowing down at times can enable you to embrace other fulfilling aspects of your life and decrease the risk of burnout later on. If you are out on maternity leave, don’t feel like you need to rush back to the office or decide too early what your post-baby work routine will be. One woman mentioned she returned to work after only two months with each of her children. After the birth of her second child, she was still getting up several times in the middle of the night and was exhausted. One day, she fell asleep behind the wheel, ran her car off the highway, and was lucky to survive. Several women mentioned they rushed back to work and, in hindsight, they wish they had taken a few extra months off. Beatriz Araujo, a member of Baker & McKenzie’s executive committee advises: “You need to do what is right for you. A lot of women who are about to have a baby tell me: ‘I’m going to come back.’ I tell them: ‘Don’t do that

very personal decision. Only you really know what’s good for you. Don’t try to be someone else.”

Pacing yourself means setting certain boundaries. In reality, what those boundaries are will partly depend on your company’s norms and culture. Adhering to these limits, whatever they may be, takes courage, as Fabiana Gadow, a Partner at Deloitte, says: “You are in charge of setting boundaries and making your own priorities. I always have a picture of my kids on my desk as a symbol of balance between my family life and my work. This picture also serves as a reminder that it is important to leave from work to go home at a reasonable hour. If you explain why you have to leave to your boss, peers and team, work very well and show that you can do the same job even though you have other responsibilities, they will likely accept that. But, you have to have a lot of courage.”

behavior. Elissa Crowther-Pal, Head of Wealth Services, Westpac Private Bank at BT Financial Group explains the importance of this in her company: “Westpac’s CEO Gail Kelly is a very visible leader who sets what the cultural values are and how we are living and breathing them. This is really important because it becomes a reference point for everyone else. So, for instance, Gail will say, ‘flexibility is really important to me’. So by saying this, she sets the context for how things happen in the work place.”

OWN: Your Opinion

In a junior-level role, you may find difficulty in getting your voice heard. This problem varies between individuals, as bringing your opinion to the table is more of a challenge for some women than others. Carol Chan, a Managing Director for Credit Suisse in Singapore, thrives off the energy of her team and has always been quite vocal, but she believes Asian women

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must overcome certain assumptions: “As an Asian woman, there is a certain perception that because you come from an Asian society, you are not that vocal. How I overcome this perception is by speaking my mind and being vocal in terms of my ideas. Not saying anything at the meeting is unacceptable.”

How and when you voice your opinion will partly depend on your company culture and perhaps the geographic region in which you work. Thus, it is important to be aware of those nuances. Furthermore, there were some extroverts among our interviewees who mentioned that they had never shied away from speaking up at a meeting or expressing their point of view. But, no matter your personality type, here are a few things for you to consider, as you figure out how you can own your opinion and bring your voice to the table.

1. PrepareDon’t wing it. Many of these women are the most over-preparers you will ever meet. Whether they are talking for five minutes to MBA students or meeting with the CEO, they do extensive homework and analysis in advance. As Jane McAloon, Group Company Secretary at BHP Billiton notes: “When I first started my career, every time I went into a meeting or had an engagement with my manager or colleagues, I would always think about what I could contribute. I would think about this well in advance and plan and prepare. I would never go into a meeting where we were looking for next steps on something without having thought through my ideas and what I could contribute. I still do this now.”

Therese McGrath, General Manager, Finance Strategic Development at ANZ offers a useful preparation tactic: ask someone to plant a question. Therese grew up in a family of six children so she had to learn at an early age how to get her voice heard – otherwise, as the second youngest, she would be drowned out. Today, as a senior executive, she helps junior women get their voices heard and explains how you can proactively manage this process: “I have learned to direct a question that is in the knowledge zone of the junior women that are at the table so I can open the conversation for them and get their voices heard. Once the conversation is open and their voices have been heard, they can become part of the dialogue at the table. Sometimes, before the meeting, I ask them the question so I can get their voice heard upfront.” Moreover, she also recommends that you should adapt this method and ask someone beforehand to raise a specific question in the meeting – one that will enable you to join the discussion and get your voice heard.

2. Be the content expertAt junior levels, you have the opportunity to be the content expert and the ‘go to person’ in the area you are asked to work on. At this stage, don’t stay in teacher-pupil mode: realize that you probably know just as much (or even more!) about your content area than your senior-level colleagues, since you are the one that is closest to the data. Do extra data crunching and analysis in the specific area you are asked to work on, and have the confidence to voice your opinion on your topic of expertise.

Speak Up!

Here are five tips for getting your voice

heard at a meeting:

1.Prepare

Don’t wing it. Do extensive homework and

analysis in advance of the meeting. Consider

planting a question.

2.Bethecontentexpert

At junior levels, you have an opportunity to

be the content expert in the area you are

asked to work on. Don’t spread yourself too

thin – nail your content area and speak up

when the conversation turns to your area of

expertise.

3.Haveapointofviewandasolution

Be solutions-oriented. Try saying: ‘X is the

challenge and one way we could address it

is Y.’

4.Beconcise

Articulate your point of view in a brief

manner and then listen to what others have

to say.

5.Sayitwithauthority

Tone matters. Voice your opinion with

confidence and conviction.

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3. Have a point of view and a solutionCome to a meeting with a point of view. What’s more: be comfortable expressing your view even if it is the alternative viewpoint. Realize that it is okay if your idea challenges the status quo or is not in agreement with your colleagues or manager as long as you voice your opinion in a way that is respectful, solutions-oriented and in line with your company’s culture. Mary Ellen Brown, Director, Retail Credit Transformation at RBC says: “I have always felt comfortable expressing a different opinion and voicing myself.” Also, be sure to have a point of view and to propose a solution. Kristin Peck, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Business Development and Innovation at Pfizer believes: “One of the reasons why I have been valued is that I come with a point of view and a solution. It’s not enough to just say: ‘I disagree’ or ‘I don’t think that will work.’ Instead, say: ‘X is the challenge and one way we could address it is Y.’ Be solutions-oriented.”

4. Be conciseRealize that getting your voice heard does not necessarily mean being the loudest person at a meeting or talking a lot. Earlier in their careers, several women noted that they had received the feedback, ‘she doesn’t say much but when she has a point to make, everybody listens.’ They view this as a positive attribute. Siri Quisman, Lead Drilling Engineer at A.P. Moller-Maersk explains: “Don’t talk to have your voice heard, but rather talk when you have something to say. Talk when you truly have something to contribute or when you have something to ask.” The advice

is clear: articulate your point of view in a crisp and succinct manner and then listen to what others have to say.

said it and no one heard and then a guy said it and they all paid attention.’ Well, yeah. How come you let that happen? Did you say it as authoritatively? What did you say? Own it. If you want to be heard, make your point of view clear, articulate and say it with authority.”

OWN: Your Network

ANZ operates in 32 countries andprovides a range of banking and financial products to eight million customers worldwide. In this organization, the opportunities to move around the globe with the company are rich and Therese McGrath, General Manager, Finance Strategic Development at ANZ has taken full advantage. She estimates that in her career, she has moved twenty times. This globetrotter has learned the importance of building her network each time she relocates: “At one point early on in my career, I relocated to Spain. The thing I did wrong there was that I worked seven days a week, all day. When I first got there, my new colleagues offered me the opportunity to go out with them but I was so focused on work that I consistently said no. But, the problem is that when you finally get your head out, people are less likely to present you with the opportunities to socialize. You can become quite isolated. So, what I took away from that was: always say yes when people offer you an opportunity. The informal networking connection happens very quickly because people are quite generous with you when you move into these roles. So, after going through this sort of situation in Spain,

Mary Anne Wiley

BlackRock

5. Say it with authorityTone matters. Have the courage of conviction, and voice your opinion with authority. Mary Anne Wiley, Managing Director, Head of iShares Canada at BlackRock uses a useful technique: “Early on I was given the advice that leaders consume time and space. The way leaders consume time is by speaking. In order to consume space, sit up at the table, or, if you are on the phone, stand. For example, BlackRock is a global organization so it can be difficult to be heard on the phone. When I am on conference calls, I use a headset and I stand. That way, I feel more physically engaged in the conversation and standing opens up my lungs so my voice is more powerful.”

Also, understand that, in addition to your preparation, it is important to be able to go with your gut. This is particularly important in the complexity of today’s world: you can’t have all the answers or constantly look into the history books to know how to move forward. So, you will need to craft your opinion, and voice it with confidence. As Adele Gulfo, Regional President, Latin America, Emerging Markets Business Unit at Pfizer says: “You can’t say: ‘I

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I have adopted this approach ever since, and have found building networks to be easier as I move around.”

The women we interviewed are focused and results driven but are always aware that it is naïve to take the view that politics don’t matter. It is important to leave some bandwidth around the edge for the softer stuff – such as a catch up over coffee or an informal chat. Why? In short, it is easier to do business effectively if you have solid, trusted networks. These women are quite deliberate and proactive in cultivating their networks. Here is some advice they give on how you can take charge of owning your network.

careers and personal lives and we have the belief that there is no competition between us. Each quarter we spend a day together. Usually we include a social activity such as dinner or the spa and we share ideas and do peer mentoring.”

Several women mentioned that they have a personal board of directors that typically consists of people from both inside and outside their firms. These personal advisory boards include such people as their moms, siblings, partners, college classmates, past professors, or colleagues from previous companies. These advisory groups serve as valuable sounding boards for the variety of challenges that women in senior roles face, including: balancing work and family, career switches, difficult projects and much, much more.

2. Plot your circles of influenceKnowing all the stakeholders in your ecosystem at work is critical to success. The leaders at BlackRock advocate a concept called ‘circles of influence’. This is essentially a stakeholder mapping exercise, where you plot your current level of closeness to key stakeholders and proactively determine how you will get to know them better. Juliet Bullick from BlackRock explains: “Think about the people you work with. Where would you plot them on your circle of influence? Perhaps the person you sit next to at work and deal with every half hour is a ‘one’, maybe your boss is a ‘two’, etc. If you plot out several circles to a level ‘five’ or ‘six’, where would you plot the closeness of your relationships as they are today? Most importantly, where would you like those relationships to be? You need to be

deliberate about how you are going to bring people closer to you in order to make you more effective in your role.”

3. Realize the power of your women’snetworkGiven that there are few senior-level women at most global organizations, one might assume that they would know each other well. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case, as Anne Weisberg, Global Director of Diversity and Inclusion at BlackRock observes: “There is a tremendous sense of isolation for women. The senior-level women just do not know one another. In any organization that I have assessed, it has been a consistent theme that the senior women do not know each other. Why? Because there are so few of them, they are dispersed and do not know one another. We need to create opportunities for them to meet one another!”

We often hear about how to break into the old boy’s network. Yet, the women we interviewed highlighted the importance of connecting with other women. It may be tempting to skip a women’s networking event at yourorganization – but don’t! Donna Coallier, a Partner at Pricewaterhouse-Coopers says: “Don’t underestimate the power of your women’s network. What I have found in the last few years is that having a women’s professional network is equally as valuable as the male network. I have powerful women that are clients, potential clients, or in academia – and, over the past five to seven years, my women’s network has proved to be quite valuable. My advice is that the more diverse your network, the more powerful it is.”

Erin Chapple

Microsoft

1. Form your own personal board ofdirectorsOnce a quarter, Erin Chapple, Partner Group Program Manager in the Server and Cloud Division at Microsoft gets together with a group of four women that she refers to as her Board of Directors. The women are all from Microsoft and were originally introduced over eight years ago by a Vice President at the company. Long after the VP had left the division, the relationship these women have developed keeps growing. They have been meeting regularly ever since. Erin explains how this board works: “The four of us are in similar places in our

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OWN: Your Career

In 2011, Pfizer created OWN IT! – a new culture model for the entire organization. According to Susan Silbermann, President & General Manager, Vaccines at Pfizer, an important part of this culture is: “You own your career. Pfizer is not in charge of you. Pfizer is not taking care of your career. Pfizer has to take care of the development, environment and inclusive context of the enterprise. But, you are taking care of your career.”

This mindset is typical of top female executives. They think like entrepreneurs. They take responsibility for making things happen and the choices they make. They feel accountable for the business as if they owned it. As Ellen Walsh, a Partner at Pricewaterhouse-Coopers explains: “What I enjoy is the

innovative ideas. They step up to take on a project themselves, rather than waiting for someone else to do it. As a result, they get promoted to run both teams and initiatives. In short, they own their career destiny. Why? Because they are viewed as someone who will execute, deliver and get it done. Our interviewees give two important pieces of advice that will enable you to own your career: firstly, raise your hand and, secondly, color outside the lines. In other words, step up to the plate and take charge in a way that suits your style and company culture.

“What I enjoy is the ability to be an entrepreneur, but within a big firm.”

EllenWalsh, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Apply!

Many women observed a common trend:

women don’t apply for job openings that

are a bit of a stretch. They explained that

solutions require a two-way street: women

need to apply for stretch roles and leaders at

companies must encourage women to apply.

For example, the theme of Pfizer’s women’s

initiative is ‘Raise Your Hand’ and inspires

women to put themselves forward. Women

also need the courage to apply, as Susan

Silbermann, President & General Manager,

Vaccines at Pfizer explains:

“Research shows that if there is a job

opening and there are ten things you need

for the job and the candidates, male and

female, each have achieved six of the ten,

this is what happens: When you ask the men:

‘The job profile says you need to have done

these ten things and you have only done six.

Why did you apply?’ The man’s response is:

‘I’ll just learn it on the job. I’m really good

at those six things. I’ll learn the other four.’

But, you ask the woman and she responds: ‘It

says you need to have done ten. I’m not going

to apply. I wouldn’t make it.’ Women need to

adopt more of an attitude like: ‘If I can do six,

then I can do ten. I’m going to raise my hand.

I’m going to put my hat in the ring. I’m going

to go for this job.’” ability to be an entrepreneur, but within a big firm with a global reputation and scale. What I have always loved about PricewaterhouseCoopers is that it is the best of both worlds. We are a huge global firm but we are, in many respects, a collection of smaller businesses. This has allowed me to bring that entrepreneurial spirit to a big firm environment.” These women are relentless problem solvers, proactively offering solutions to the challenges their companies face. They put forth

1. Raise your handUntil Susan Silbermann, President and General Manager, Vaccines at Pfizer, was ten years old, her grandmother lived with her family. Since her mother worked as a department store executive, Susan’s grandmother was the one that was home when Susan returned from school. Her grandmother had high standards: “I remember my early years in school when I would come home and say, ‘I got a 98 on my test’ and mygrandmother would say ‘did anybody

Ellen Walsh

PwC

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get 100?’ Looking back at it years later, this little comment made me realize that you can’t be satisfied until you make or beat your numbers.” Today, at Pfizer, Susan runs a four billion dollar business that encompasses several thousand people. Susan attributes many reasons for her success, including both her inner drive to deliver and the influence of powerful women role models, such as her grandmother and mother. Significantly, Susan has found that one attribute, in particular, has been essential: having the courage to raise her hand.

Susan joined Pfizer as a newly-minted MBA, with a desire to have an international career. After two years at the company, Susan approached the senior leaders on her team and asked if she could work for Pfizer in Europe. They asked her to wait a bit, saying she was too junior. A few years later, Susan got her wish: she moved to Italy to work on an assignment. Even though the result was not immediate, raising her hand paid off eventually. Susan believes, “the biggest problem for women is that they don’t raise their hands. Women are not encouraged to raise their hands. We are told to be quiet and not to speak until spoken to. Women, generally speaking, are not the ones to offer to do something. They are the ones to be asked to do something. Chances are women have been promoted because someone else came to them and said: ‘Are you interested in this job?’ One of the things young women need to start doing more of is raising their hand.”

Our executives suggest you seize opportunities, put yourself forward

and be confident in the value that you bring, whether you are asking for a pay raise, applying for a position, or requesting to be put on an international assignment. Of course, it is important to raise your hand in a way that fits your organization’s culture. Susan’s advice is clear, “Women need to adopt the attitude: I’m going to raise my hand. I’m going to put my hat in the ring. I’m going to go for this job.”

DTTL in the United States where she lives with her husband, who is from India. The experience of international travel definitely made a profound impact on this rising leader, giving rise to a passion for cross-cultural communication and inclusive leadership skills development. She has turned this passion into high-value initiatives for the Deloitte network, first at Deloitte Consulting LLP in

“I am really passionate about ‘boundary spanning’ -

connecting people to each other and giving them access to

valuable information.”StephanieQuappe, Senior Manager, Global Diversity, Deliotte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

Raising your hand also means taking the initiative to solve problems yourself. An interesting quality of our women executives is that, while they work for large global enterprises, they think like entrepreneurs. They treat the business as if it were their own. They know there is always something on their desk that they can influence. Exceptional women leaders don’t let challenges get in their way. Rather, they are proactive problem solvers, raising their hands to offer solutions.

Take Stephanie Quappe, Senior Manager, Global Diversity at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL). Stephanie grew up in Germany, spent part of her early career working in France and the UK, traveled the world for a year, and currently works for

the U.S., and now as a member of the DTTL Global Diversity team. While working at Deloitte Consulting LLP in the U.S. and being a member of the International Business Resource Group, she initiated the development of the International Buddy Program (iBuddy program). Now in its sixth year, the program helps set new international hires up for success by matching them with a local buddy and engaging them in conversations about cultural differences and expectations related to working in the United States. In her current DTTL role, Stephanie collaborates with the member firms to build awareness, understanding, and implementation of diversity practices that enable successful cross-cultural collaborations and business results. At events like the International Student

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Forum, she continues to facilitate “working across cultures” sessions that focus on teaming effectively with others who have different working styles. Recognizing the value of sharing issues, solutions, and practices, Stephanie, together with the rest of the DTTL Global Diversity team, founded a Community of Practice with over 300 registered membersfrom across the global network. She also took the initiative to compile an international diversity best practices book for the Deloitte network that catalogs member firm diversity practices in 100 countries. Stephanie notes: “I am really passionate about ‘boundary spanning’ – connecting people to each other and giving them access to

rare: associates are typically dependent on having an infrastructure and hours provided to them. But Liz took the initiative to develop the practice. She says: “It just seemed like an opportunity that was right and it would have been inappropriate to ignore. I was willing to be a pioneer.” How did Liz succeed? She explains: “The way I lead is by engaging people. I’m able to absorb and use the ideas of many intelligent members of our firm as opposed to going it alone with the limitations of my own thought process. You never want to take a risk without the input of other intelligent people that might refine your idea to give it the best chance of success.”

Liz Espin Stern

Baker & McKenzie

“If you have the right idea, you should raise your hand and volunteer to lead.

Be a problem solver, not a problem identifier.”

JulieCoffman, Partner, Bain

what you do.” This view is shared by Tracey Edwards, Managing Principal Global Shared Services and Global Chief Knowledge Officer at Deloitte, who offers the following advice: “Many women believe that if they do a good job, it will be noticed and they will be rewarded. But, you have to be able to say: I did this, I did a good job and I want that considered. For example you could say, ‘hey I did all of this, happy to have done it, but I know there is this M&A transaction that is about to happen and I would like to work on that.’ Women need to get better at this.”

Clearly, taking the initiative is a fundamental aspect of becoming successful, as Julie Coffman, a Partner at Bain explains: “I was always taught that if you have the right idea, you should raise your hand and volunteer to lead. Be a problem solver, not a problem identifier.” So, come to the table with ideas. Don’t wait to be asked to do something. Get behind the steering wheel. Initiate. Take ownership and fix a problem. It is a sure thing that your boss and your team are extremely busy, and you will be valued if you raise your hand and volunteer to take on a challenge yourself.

2. Color outside the linesWhen Adele Gulfo, Regional President, Latin America, at Pfizer was in first

valuable information. That is what I am meant to be doing. I am passionate about connecting the dots and coming up with something bigger and better because people build on each-others diverse perspectives and strengths.”

Consider Liz Espin Stern, Managing Partner, Washington D.C. at Baker & McKenzie. As a third year associate, Liz took the lead on launching an immigration practice at a time when many large law firms did not necessarily have immigration practices. Launching such a practice so early in her career is

After taking the initiative or solving a problem, it is also essential to you tell people what you did. Agnes Grimont, Talent Development Manager at GDF Suez has often seen this problem: “In general, women are good at producing results but not so good at advertising the results they have produced. Often, women do well in school, and when you do good work in school, you are rewarded with a high grade. At work, you must speak up when you do good work.” Likewise, Sonia Artinian, Country CEO of Romania at Lafarge suggests: “Do what you say and say

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easy transition to Accupril, or make a lateral move to join the Lipitor team, an unapproved drug facing daunting odds. I took the chance on Lipitor, which became the best-selling medicine in the history of the pharmaceutical industry. This move gave me the foundation to succeed beyond my wildest imagination.”

Coloring outside the lines means offering innovative ideas and taking risks in a way that fits your personality and company culture. Several women described themselves as fearless, and they valued the ability to seize opportunities, embrace new challenges and take risks. Essentially, they advise it is important to lead with a positive

grade, she hated coloring inside the lines, and vividly remembers saying to her teacher, ‘Don’t make me sit here and color inside the circle’. Meet Adele and you will soon realize that not much has changed since first grade. She looks for the well-worn path, the tried and true, for where she is going to be comfortable – and then she does the opposite. As she says, “If you’re in your comfort zone, if you’re not on the edge, then you’re taking up too much room… It’s like skiing. I started skiing very late and I remember my instructor telling me: ‘See the hill. You have to lean in.’ And I thought, ‘I’m going to kill myself leaning in!’ Skiing is very much like your career. You have to lean into it, embrace it, take it head on and not be afraid to try new things.”

Adele is not tentative about exploring possibilities, and going for an opportunity. Her attitude was clearly evident when she decided to lead the market development and launch of the drug Lipitor: “When I was in global marketing for Warner-Lambert (now Pfizer), I was approached by their marketing organization to lead the drug Accupril – one of the company’s most important brands. It was a brand I knew well, and it would have been a promotion and a very comfortable move for me. Simultaneously, Warner-Lambert was putting together a small team to better understand the potential of the statin drug Lipitor, which was in trials at the time. They approached me about a lateral move to the Lipitor team, to begin strategizing its potential launch into an already very satisfied and crowded statin market. So I had a choice: take the promotion and an

“I can remember saying to my teacher,‘don’t make me sit here

and color inside the circle.’ Coloring inside the lines was what

I hated more than anything.”

AdeleGulfo, Regional President, Latin America, Emerging Markets Business Unit, Pfizer

Adele is a rare combination: a scientist by training, she is highly analytical, yet also willing to go with her gut. She explains the benefits of this mix of attributes: “Other people may think: ‘Where’s the analytics? How do we know it’s going to work?’ I say: ‘Who knows? Pick up the phone and give them a call. It’s like we are going on a date. It’s not like we have to get married.’” Adele lives in the ‘not yet possible’ world. She has endless ideas, many of which are shaping the future of healthcare. “I think that what makes me feel good is starting things off, seeing action and doing things that are not on that well-worn path... I love anything that is game changing, or redefines a moment in time... What really excites me is always looking for new ways to do things and create value, have impact and redefine.”

and resounding ‘yes’! This approach is echoed in the advice from Hilary Crowe, General Manager, People Partnering at National Australia Bank: “If you are a high performer, people will offer you opportunities. It is important to be thoughtful about these opportunities and recognize the need to take risks and say yes.” The experience of our interviewees bears this out, as their calculated risks paid valuable dividends for their companies and their careers.

For instance, consider the example of Charlotte Fondin, an Operations Manager at A.P. Moller-Maersk who took a position in Guinea, even though others were telling her that West Africa was too dangerous and she would be better off working in the United Kingdom. Charlotte explains: “For

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me, the opportunity to go and work somewhere like West Africa was too good a personal experience to pass up on. It turned out to be a really good experience. The team I had there was great. I am not afraid of challenges. I am willing to take risks. Trying something new has worked for me in business and in my life choices. Going to Guinea was one of those big risks where a lot of people told me that I was making a big mistake but it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had.”

all the answers so jump in. Don’t apply the handbrake – there is always a way.” Many women mentioned that risk-taking is a two way street: they had to be willing to take a risk, and the company had to be prepared to take a risk on them. Take the case of Corinne Chant, a Marketing Director at Danone. Corinne was Marketing Manager of Activia, a brand of yogurt owned by Danone. Typically, the next step on the career ladder would be a promotion to Marketing Director in one of Danone’s smaller markets, such as Greece or Portugal. But, Corinne had roots in London: her husband’s career was there and she would soon give birth to her first child. She told her manager at Danone that she was ready to be a Marketing Director

in the United Kingdom. The move would skip a traditional step on the career ladder, but she wanted, and was ready, to make the leap. The leaders at Danone took a risk on Corinne and she is thriving in her new role. In global corporations, international mobility is often a prerequisite for promotions into the senior ranks. In some organizations, changing such current thinking and practices may not work or could require significant culture change. Yet, Corinne’s story demonstrates that when leaders keep an open mind towards traditional career paths and place bets on the right people, international mobility might not have to be the only route to success.

The experiences and insights of our top female executives clearly demon-strate the importance of owning your choices, taking personal responsi-bility and being proactive. In essence, success requires you to OWN your career. Their advice is clear: own the trade-offs you are prepared to make, and own your opinions, your network, and your career choices. The lesson is that you should step up and take control of determining the work and personal life that you find fulfilling.

In the next section, we move onto the final part of our roadmap: to repay your success, encourage others, and leave a legacy.

“It is important to Give it a Go!”

SandradeCastro, Chief Marketing Officer, National Australia Bank

Sandra de Castro

NationalAustralia Bank

“If you’re not on the edge, then you’re taking up too much room. It’s like skiing.

I started skiing very late and I remember my instructor telling me:

‘See the hill. You have to lean in.’ And I thought, ‘I’m going to kill myself leaning in!’

Skiing is very much like your career. You have to lean into it,

embrace it, take it head on and not be afraid to try new things.”

AdeleGulfo, Regional President, Latin America, Emerging Markets Business Unit, Pfizer

Sandra de Castro, Chief Marketing Officer at National Australia Bank agrees: “It is important to “Give it a Go!” You never know until you try and don’t die wondering. No one knows

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“ImeasuremysuccessbytheimpactImake.”

Rana Ghandour Salhab, Partner, Deloitte

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No person is an island, and these women believe they owe a debt of gratitude to those that helped them to succeed. They have climbed the ranks thanks, in part, to the help and support of others – from family and friends to colleagues and mentors. For this reason, the women we interviewed all believed that it is necessary to REPAY this support and encourage others. Regardless of any of the usual competitiveness that often comes to the fore in business, repaying this favor and supporting others was a common and refreshing theme. From our research, it was clear that the women we interviewed are deeply invested in the success of their communities, team, customers and the next-generation of women leaders. To repay should not be dismissed as altruism; it has significant, long-term advantages for companies, given its role in providing opportunities for and the promotion of talented, committed and successful women. Importantly, for our executives, it is a key way they measure their success. Quite simply, it matters to them to make a difference: to help others succeed is a valued part of their legacy. As a rising woman leader, you certainly have many goals you want to achieve. But, it is not too early to start thinking about the legacy you want to leave and the impact you would like to make on the world around you.

REPAY:YourCommunity

ANZ’s Corporate Responsibility Framework centers on the tagline ‘We live in your world’. The exceptional women leaders at ANZ breathe life into this slogan, finding a deep sense of purpose in investing in the communities where the bank operates.

Consider Susan Yuen, Chief Executive Officer for the Hong Kong branch of ANZ. Susan’s father was Chief of Police in Malaysia at a time when the country

lucky enough to be sent to the UK for boarding school for security purposes. Even school was a risk because anyone could have kidnapped me or planted a bomb.” Such a childhood uncertainty brought many challenges, but had a

Repay

“Success to me is about a legacy. The legacy may not necessarily be in

monetary form. It can be in the form of: What do I add to the lives

of the staff or to the community? How do I bring people

along with me? ANZ has been a fantastic platform

for me to be able to do this.”SusanYuen, Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong, ANZ

Susan Yuen

ANZ

was in the midst of upheaval. She grew up in a world of power struggles, where violence was always a lingering possibility. She recalls, “My father’s life was threatened, as was mine. I was

profoundly-positive impact on Susan. “From a young age, my father instilled in me a sense of integrity, resilience and leadership. He taught me to always do what is right. These were

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the values I was built with and born into.” In ANZ, Susan has found an organization that resonates with her own values: “Because of the role that I’m in, I’m able to give back to society. That’s a very important part of one’s life. Success to me is about a legacy. The legacy may not necessarily be in monetary form. It can be in the form of: What do I add to the lives of the staff or to the community? How do I bring people along with me? ANZ has been a fantastic platform for me to be able to do this. What have I done in Hong Kong? Whilst building the bank, which is good for the shareholder, from a community and people perspective, I have set up a Corporate Responsibility Council, with a number of young individuals from ANZ as members of the Council so that these passionate people can start to give back to the community early on in their career. By doing so, the team, has developed priorities for the Bank in Hong Kong and one of such is the Money-Minded Program which is rolled out to under-privileged children in Hong Kong with quite a number of staff as facilitators for the program. This to me is success as it would be bringing people along with you in the journey and we leave a legacy in the lives that we impact.”

What’s more, a few years ago, Susan decided to take up oil painting. She was such a prolific painter that she painted over a hundred pieces of art. At first, she wasn’t sure about what to do with all the paintings. Her solution? She sold them for charity and built a trust worth nearly $200,000. She put the money towards funding the education of an orphan, who is now a doctor in Malaysia.

These exceptional women leaders are intrinsically driven to make a difference. They seize the opportunity that their authority provides to extend their impact to the people in their communities. As Rianne Jans, a Finance Director at Logica (now part of CGI) says: “I find a deep sense of purpose in being in a position where I can have an impact and drive change. It’s a type of power. For me, it’s very important.”

As a next-generation woman leader, there are many ways, big and small, that you can make a difference in the lives of the people in your community. What impact are you making or would you like to make on your community?

REPAY: Your Team

“If my team is successful, I am successful,” explains Carol Wang, CEO Sichuan Shuangma Cement at Lafarge. Many exceptional women leaders find a profound sense of accomplishment in helping members of their team succeed. Particularly as these women enter into more senior-level positions, what drives them is being able to select, build and grow teams. Some of their greatest feelings of success come from seeing people on their teams thrive and develop into leaders, or exceed business targets that at one time seemed out of reach.

Consider Kerri Thompson, Managing Director, Retail at ANZ. Kerri says: “As a senior leader, I am addicted to the change that you can make and the impact you can have.” She was looking for a company whose values aligned with hers and an opportunity

to make an impact. “When the role at ANZ came along, it was a perfect fit. I like big teams. My team includes about 4,000 people spread across New Zealand. It was an opportunity to own my success and make a difference.” Ask Kerri what drives her, from a business perspective, and the answer is fairly straightforward: mortgage market share. At one point, ANZ’s mortgage market share was sitting at 22% of new mortgages in New Zealand. Kerri had her sights set on 30%, a seemingly impossible target.To motivate her team, she expressed the greater purpose behind the goal. Kerri explains: “I like to understand the people that are working for me. For instance, New Zealand is a small country, a country that a lot of people leave and go to Australia. There is this concern for New Zealand to grow and prosper since too many of the talented people leave. What I do with the front line is try to help them understand how the things we are doing, like helping people from New Zealand to get into their homes, is really important. This means going out and talking to them about why providing more mortgages to New Zealanders is important works. We are giving New Zealanders the ability to buy their own homes. This will increase both their individual and community affluence. So, I need to get my team on board with their hearts

Carol Wang

Lafarge

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and minds. I need to understand what makes them want to achieve on their own. Find out about what your team is concerned about and how their goals and the company’s goals are aligned. I think this is the most important thing in leadership.”

REPAY: Your Customers

Hear the phrase ‘making a difference’ and you may envision volunteer work, or assisting the underprivileged. While these exceptional women leaders do these endeavors with zeal, to them, making a difference also has a harder edge: impacting the bottom line, beating expectations, and delivering value. There is perhaps no better way to accomplish these goals than to surprise and delight your customers and clients. Ellen Walsh, a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers believes: “I have advanced at Pricewaterhouse-Coopers because I have been able to demonstrate my ability to build really good relationships with clients. We are in the client service business. It is about building trust. We work behind the scenes for our clients. It is about making them successful and making them look good.” As they have climbed the ranks, our senior executives kept their sights set on an important stake-holder: the customer.

Yvonne Greenstreet from Pfizer learned the importance of giving back from her mother. She remembers: “The most critical influence on my life has been my mother. She grew up in Ghana and moved to the UK in her teens. When she returned to Ghana, she set up an

Yvonne Greenstreet

Pfizer

adult education institute practically from scratch and built it into the institute that delivers the most education to the largest number of people in Ghana, which is an absolutely tremendous accomplishment. I really learned from her the notion of trying to impact your community and being a positive role model. She was able to achieve all of this while raising four children. Her perseverance and work ethic didn’t leave me with any excuses for not trying to make the best of what I have.”

Today, Yvonne is Senior Vice President and Head of Medicines Development for the Specialty Care Business Unit at Pfizer. In her role, Yvonne focuses on driving Pfizer’s late stage pipeline through the development process, achieving approvals, launching new medicines and supporting existing ones. In this position, Yvonne has the opportunity to make a positive impact on patients around the world. Pfizer’s late stage pipeline is exciting to Yvonne. For example, in 2011, Pfizer licensed an early stage medicine for sickle cell

around the world. In addition, the company recently received an approval for a pneumococcal vaccine for adults, which is set to have a huge impact on public health. Yvonne explains: “The decisions around the late stage pipeline are the types of decisions that I can drive in my current role. It is important for me to feel that in my role I can really make a difference. When I look back on my career, I am proud of the medicines I have been able to bring to market and that I have had a real role in progressing them through the pipeline. I am proud they’ve achieved significant commercial success and also feel a sense of pride in bringing new medicines to patients who otherwise wouldn’t have that opportunity. For me it’s a combination of being able to make a difference, having some substrate that allows you to make a difference, and to be working with people who have the talent and ability to allow the company to be successful. Ultimately, I look for opportunities that impact not just the business of Pfizer, but impact the world around us.”

Maria Camacho from Danone is passionate about family health. As the Marketing Manager for Aptamil, one of Danone’s leading brands of infant formula, Maria has found a role that aligns with her desire to help families meet their needs. As she says: “By working for Danone Baby, I am able to have a positive impact on families around the world. This is why I love what I do. I work on formulas that are for moms that cannot breast feed. I work on formulas for premature babies. I work on formulas for babies with allergies. When we receive a note from

anemia. For many years, there have not been many medical advances in the field, and it was a significant and unmet medical need. If it works out, Pfizer will release a medicine that is not only good for the company, but one that will make an enormous difference to patients

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a mom who had premature triplets saying that she didn’t know what to do and nothing was working with them and they took one of our formulas and now they’re thriving and growing, I cannot tell you how good I feel.”

Some careers, such as healthcare, are natural fits to feeling like you have made a difference. But, it is also the case that you can find a deep sense of purpose in other fields. Marcia

offers networking events with clients, attending such events are good opportunities to enhance your abilities in this area. When appropriate, establishing strong relationships with clients is a tremendous way to strengthen your credibility and value.

REPAY: Next-GenerationWomenLeaders

Exceptional women leaders consider themselves to be stewards of the next generation. This is not just a nice thing to do. In fact, they view their role as steward as a key way to raise the value of their companies in the market. For them, as they rose through the ranks, women’s programs or senior female role models were scarce. Now, as senior-level women, they are committed to helping the rising female stars to navigate their way. Here’s how Mirjam de Blecourt, a Partner at Baker & McKenzie, is doing just that. Mirjam is not one to be sidelined by a challenge. “I like a positive environment: one where we not only talk about a problem but also propose a solution. That is why I try to teach all my associates to be problem solvers.” Mirjam is taking her own advice. Passionate about diversity and disappointed about the lack of women at the top, Mirjam took action. She drafted a law for the Netherlands requiring that at least one third of board members must be women (applicable to all companies with 250 or more employees) – the law was passed in January 2012. To keep the

To repay should not be dismissed as altruism.

For our executives, it is a key way they measure their success. Quite simply,

it matters to them to make a difference:

to help others succeed is a valued part of their legacy.

McIntyre, a Managing Director at RBC says: “I define success by being able to feel like I am making a difference in some way. It’s very hard in finance to go home and say ‘I’ve saved a life’, as a doctor can. But, at the end of the day, if I can say that I made someone’s life a little bit better or I have been able to create or to provide value to a client then that is success.”

Furthermore, if you are in a client-facing role, or aspire to be in one, these women advise you to strengthen your client relationship building skills. For example, if your company

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next generation women lawyer pipeline flowing, she also set up a training program for female lawyers.

Mirjam describes the formation of the program: “I helped form a group of 50 women partners who have been part of management teams of major law firms in the Netherlands. We became good friends and decided that we should do something about the lack of women lawyers at the top. We decided to take action. We wanted to take what we had learned throughout the years and pass that on to women in our field. So we set up a women’s development program in partnership with a training bureau, OSR. The women liked the program so much: they felt encouraged, empowered and stronger. The program was such a success that later, we set up an international program for Europe and now I am putting together a program for next-generation women leaders at Baker & McKenzie worldwide.”

Many of our executives stressed the importance of cultivating a pipeline of next-generation women leaders. For example, Rana Ghandour Salhab, a Partner at Deloitte, started a program for women employees at Deloitte in the Middle East, and Mary Zimmer, Head of International Wealth – USA and Correspondent and Advisor Services for RBC Wealth Management – U.S. started a mentoring program for women at a local university.

One woman summarizes this point well: “Women just need to be good to other women. They need to reach out

and be helpful. Anything – coaching, sitting down, spending time, having candid open conversations, or helping someone think through a problem and a solution. I think more senior women need to do that for more junior women because the senior-level women can see what’s coming. I call it being the career machete – to break down some of the barriers and prevent some of the slips and guide the person a little bit more effectively.”

With the help of women who are currently in leadership roles, we may find more women at the top of the corporate ladder in the future. It is this legacy that will undoubtedly change the presence of women in senior roles and in boardrooms. Even as a rising woman leader, it is not too early to start reaching out to other women to share ideas, advice and discuss solutions to some of the challenges you face.

The experiences and insights of our top female executives clearly demonstrate that it is important to REPAY others. There are many benefits to investing in the success of your community, team, customers and other women. These women find making a difference highly fulfilling and chances are, you do too.

So,WhatDoesthisMeanforYou?

In the next section, we provide an audit that will help you take charge and chart your own road to success. The final section concludes the report

by emphasizing the importance of the three core aspects how successful women executives take charge: to explore, own, and repay.

Advice from the Field Take Charge

Explore

“Know Thyself” What are your strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes?

“Be the ‘Go To’ Person” In which area do you want to be an expert?

“Make a Short List of Priorities” What are your top priorities at work and in your personal life?

Own

“Create Your Own Definition of Work-Life Integration” How will you integrate your work and personal life?

“Form a Board of Advisors” What steps will you take to build your professional network?

“Give it a Go!” What is a risk you will take at work in the next year?

Repay

“Leave a Legacy” How will you make an impact on your community?

“Be a Problem Solver, Not a Problem Identifier” What is an initiative that you will lead at your company?

“Be Good to Other Women” How will you help other women at your company succeed?

Audit:TakeCharge!

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TakingChargeCONCLUSION

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ConclusionThis report has followed the careers of sixty top female executives to reveal what exceptional women leaders do. You have seen the world through their eyes. They have been candid and direct about what worked for them and how they have built meaningful work and personal lives.

Now, after reading their stories, it is time to chart your own path forward. Their journeys have implications for you – the next-generation woman leader. Their insights, advice and experiences suggest that success requires you to take charge in three areas: you have to explore what matters to you, own your decisions and repay the support you have received.

Recognize that you have the ability to craft your own unique journey. Nathalie Wright, Director of the Division of Large Enterprises and Alliances at Microsoft summarizes: “Be self-assured about what matters to you and be vocal about what you want.” You have an exciting opportunity in front of you: to take charge of your life and build the personal and professional journey you desire. Over the course of your life, you will be presented with many opportunities, challenges and decisions. You will be faced with unexpected twists and turns. Through this report, we are urging you to reflect on what your priorities are, what type of company is a good fit for you, and what you want to accomplish, so that you can proactively

approach important decisions. We hope this report will enable you to take actions that align with who you are and what you want to achieve.

This report has shown what has worked for a particular group of women executives who have “made it.” We highlighted a diversity of women so that you could pick and choose different stories and pieces of advice that resonate with you. We hope that their insights will help you, the next-generation woman leader, achieve your full potential and take charge of your work and personal life.

TakingChargeACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

38

We would like to thank the 60 exceptional

women leaders who were interviewed for this

project and shared their insights with us:

Charlotte Fondin, A.P. Moller-Maersk

Siri Quisman, A.P. Moller-Maersk

Therese McGrath, ANZ

Kerri Thompson, ANZ

Susan Yuen, ANZ

Seow-Chien Chew, Bain

Julie Coffman, Bain

Veronique Pauwels, Bain

Anne-Marie Allgrove, Baker & McKenzie

Beatriz Araujo, Baker & McKenzie

Mirjam de Blecourt, Baker & McKenzie

Samantha Mobley, Baker & McKenzie

Claudia Prado, Baker & McKenzie

Liz Espin Stern, Baker & McKenzie

Jane McAloon, BHP Billiton

Juliet Bullick, BlackRock

Jane Leung, BlackRock

Acknowledgements

Anne Weisberg, BlackRock

Mary Anne Wiley, BlackRock

Carol Chan, Credit Suisse

Beatrice Fischer, Credit Suisse

Patricia Horgan, Credit Suisse

Niki Kesoglou, Credit Suisse

Maria Camacho, Danone

Corinne Chant, Danone

Tracey Edwards, Deloitte

Fabiana Gadow, Deloitte

Rana Ghandour Salhab, Deloitte

Stephanie Quappe, Deloitte

Agnes Grimont, GDF Suez

Sonia Artinian, Lafarge

Catherine Langreney, Lafarge

Carol Wang, Lafarge

Melba Foggo, Logica (now part of CGI)

Rianne Jans, Logica (now part of CGI)

Amanda Mesler, Logica (now part of CGI)

Suchitra Prabhu, Logica (now part of CGI)

Erin Chapple, Microsoft

Nathalie Wright, Microsoft

Sandra de Castro, National Australia Bank Group

Hilary Crowe, National Australia Bank Group

Yvonne Greenstreet, Pfizer

Adele Gulfo, Pfizer

Diem Nguyen, Pfizer

Kristin Peck, Pfizer

Susan Silbermann, Pfizer

Donna Coallier, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Ellen Walsh, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Mary Ellen Brown, RBC

Marcia McIntyre, RBC

Mary Zimmer, RBC

Jennifer Cook, Roche

Elissa Crowther-Pal, Westpac

Gina Dellabarca, Westpac

Sonja Doyle, Westpac

Victoria Poole, Westpac

Rebecca Riant, Westpac

This report would not have been possible

without the commitment from our ICEDR

corporate partners and the following

companies who supported the research:

A.P. Moller - Maersk

Accenture

ANZ

Bain & Company

Baker & McKenzie

Barclays

BHP Billiton

BlackRock

Boeing

BP

Bridgestone Americas

Cliffs Natural Resources

Coca-Cola Amatil

Credit Suisse

Danone

Deloitte

Deutsche Bak

Four Seasons

GDF Suez

Hess

HSBC Holdings

Kirin Group

Lafarge

Li & Fung

Logica (now part of CGI)

Mannaz

Microsoft Corporation

National Australia Bank Group

Pearson

Pfizer

Philip Morris International

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Qantas

RBC

RBS

Roche

Royal Dutch Shell plc

Standard Chartered Bank

Vale

Westpac

From start to finish, many people were

instrumental to shaping this research.

An incredible collection of professionals

came together to champion this research,

shape the interview questions, conduct

and transcribe interviews, contribute to

the videos associated with the research,

and offer feedback, editing and ideas that

greatly impacted the final report. For their

effort, we are deeply indebted to: Susan

Adams, Diane Kellogg, Betsy Myers, Parker

Stanzione, and Toni Wolfman from Bentley

University; LouAnn Muir, formerly of Fidelity

Investments; Katie Taylor from Four Seasons;

the team from ICEDR; Jeremy Kourdi and

Julie Kourdi from Kourdi Ltd; the team at New

England Transcript Services of Boston; Alan

Hyatt, Paula Loop, Thomas McCarthy and

Paula Theus from PricewaterhouseCoopers;

Zabeen Hirji and Martin Shoesmith from

RBC; the team at Sametz Blackstone

Associates Inc; Kevin Carlson from Seed

Multimedia; and Belinda Abbott and Lynn

Rasmussen from Westpac.

We would also like to thank the incredible

collection of HR professionals who

nominated the outstanding women leaders

and championed this research at their

organizations:

Deniz Kirdar, A.P. Moller-Maersk

Nicola Hutton, ANZ

Mark Jankelson, ANZ

Karen Welt Steeves, Bain & Company

David Coleman, Baker & McKenzie

Vicki Kelley, Baker & McKenzie

Jo McConnell, BHP Billiton

Suzan McDaniel, BHP Billiton

Larry Kaye, BlackRock

Anne Weisberg, BlackRock

Michelle Gadsden-Williams, Credit Suisse

Paula Ashfield, Danone

Karen Dominick, Deloitte

Michel De Vlaminck, GDF Suez

Sonia D’Emilio, Lafarge

Paul Phillips, Logica (now part of CGI)

Colleen Daly, Microsoft

Emily McKeon, Microsoft

Craig Stephens, National Australia Bank Group

Tanya Clemons, Pfizer

Jennifer Allyn, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Helena Gottschling, RBC

Jan Wilmott, RBC

Michael Griffitts, Roche

Manuela Wäfler, Roche

Belinda Abbott, Westpac

Lynn Rasmussen, Westpac

Lauren Ready is the Director of Talent

Management Initiatives and Marketing at

ICEDR, a global network of more than thirty

world-class companies and over twenty-

five business schools focused on talent

management, leadership development and

strategic change. Lauren’s current research

concentrates on exceptional women leaders.

Lauren has extensive experience managing

programs around the world for executives.

At the Young Presidents’ Organization

(YPO), she coordinated over sixty leadership

development programs for CEOs and their

families. Prior to joining YPO, Lauren worked

About the Author

Lauren Ready

Director of Talent Management InitiativesICEDR

TakingChargeAUTHOR

39

at Harvard Business School, where she

partnered with faculty and staff to manage

Executive Education programs for global

business leaders.

Lauren is an active researcher and writer.

She is the co-author of ‘What Executives

Really Need to Know about Employee

Engagement’ (Accenture Institute for High

Performance, 2011) and the author of ‘Talent

Management Takes Action’ (ICEDR, 2011).

She holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School

of Management and a BA in Economics

from Middlebury College. Lauren may be

contacted at lready@icedr.org

About ICEDR

ICEDR is the premier global network of

more than thirty world-class companies

and over twenty-five exemplary business

schools focused on the areas of global talent

management, leadership development and

strategic change.

Through ICEDR, partner companies and

business schools engage in the highest-

quality exchange in the areas of:

• Global talent management

• Leadership development

• Strategic change

CorporatePartners

A.P. Moller - Maersk

Accenture

ANZ

Barclays

BlackRock

Boeing

BP

Bridgestone Americas

Cliffs Natural Resources

Coca-Cola Amatil

Danone

Deloitte

Deutsche Bank

Four Seasons

GDF SUEZ

Hess

HSBC Holdings

Kirin Group

Li & Fung

Logica (now part of CGI)

Mannaz

Microsoft Corporation

National Australia Bank Group

Pearson

Pfizer

Philip Morris International

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Qantas

RBC

RBS

Roche

Royal Dutch Shell plc

Standard Chartered Bank

Vale

Westpac

PartnerInstitutions

AGSM Executive Programs

Bentley University

CEIBS

Columbia Business School

Cranfield School of Management

Duke University

FDC—Fundação Dom Cabral

HEC Paris

IESE Business School

IMD

INSEAD

London Business School

MIT Sloan School of Management

Michigan Ross School of Business

NYU Stern School of Business

Penn State Smeal College of Business

Richard Ivey School of Business

SNU Business School, Seoul National

University

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stockholm School of Economics IFL

Executive Education

The University of Hong Kong

The Wharton School, University of

Pennsylvania

University of Chicago Booth School of

Business

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

USC Marshall School of Business

Vlerick Business School

To learn more about ICEDR, visit

www.icedr.org

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

TakingChargeICEDR

40

1666 Massachusetts Avenue

Lexington, MA 02420 USA

Phone: +1.781.862.6633

www.icedr.org