Workplace Inclusion

A few weeks ago, MARS INC. contacted me, asking me to interview four of their Women in STEM.* Over the next few weeks, their interviews will be posting one by one. This interview is with Valerie Maldonado, Fruity Confections CBU Mars Wrigley Confectionery here in the US.

In a time when technology has transformed people’s lives in so many ways, financial services is one area where the full potential of the Internet era has yet to be realized. We’ve been hearing for decades about how the decline of cash and the rise of the digital economy will revolutionize financial services and usher in more convenient, accessible and affordable transactions. But so far, the traditional financial order remains firmly in place. While change is underway, the way most people move and manage their money hasn’t changed much since credit cards appeared on the scene 50 years ago. And there’s still plenty of friction in the system.

China is now the second largest investing country in the world, with it's outward foreign direct investment (FDI) rising 44 percent to $183 billion in 2016, according to the World Investment Report 2017 published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. China’s latest official statistics show that by the end of 2016, around 24,400 domestic investors had established some 37,200 FDI enterprises in 190 countries and regions.

At a reception at Bloomberg’s New York headquarters on April 17, Laura Zelenko, Bloomberg Senior Executive Editor of Talent, Diversity, Training and Standards announced that Bloomberg is already tracking progress in meeting ambitious goals and is providing media training for women and other diverse executives who are underrepresented on Bloomberg’s broadcast airwaves.

Embracing gender equality in the workforce has benefits for retention, supply chains, and other benefits accoridng to case studies by the World Economic Forum.

The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community, in collaboration with its partners in the National Business Inclusion Consortium (NBIC), has named Bristol-Myers Squibb to its annual Best-of-the-Best list of corporations in America committed to diversity and inclusion across all communities for a third consecutive year.

Bloomberg is recognized as a leader in driving gender diversity in its organization. What's impressive to me is their leaders' vision to not only elevate women’s voices within the organization, but also in the industry. They are leading change in bringing more female experts in news coverage, thus bringing new perspectives and changing mindsets.

What happens when we confront stereotypes head-on? Sometimes, it makes for uncomfortable—but important—conversations.