Smashing the ‘Glass Ceiling’ to Forge Diverse and Inclusive Organizations

Image: Visa Innovation

Corporate Challenge:  Modernizing the C-Suite to be more inclusive and diverse.
 
Ironbound Strategy: Powerful brands thrive by responding quickly to market changes with new and innovative solutions. Being innovative is the outcome of a top down culture that develops a strong internal pipeline of creative leaders.  Top talent and future executives choose to stay with organizations that value all employees, focus on creating the best value for customers, and an overall meaningful mission to better society. 
 
Ironbound Action:  Visa Inc, founded 1958 in Fresno California, is one of the world’s most trusted brands.  In an effort to build a better world, Visa is modernizing the 21stcentury of businesses to include greater equality.  In their 2019 annual financial report, Visa was one of the first publicly traded companies to disclose diversity and inclusivity as part of their internal recruitment practices.  To help promote more women in leadership, they launched the She’s Next initiative in 2019 toincrease female entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment in society.  Powerful brands are stakeholder capitalists – building a pipeline of innovative leaders by creating holistic value for employees, customers, and society.

*In 2019, Visa ranked #1 on Forbes World’s Best Regarded Companies and #5 on BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands.  

‡Women are a little more than 50% of white collar workers, but represent only 4.5% of executives – 2016 NBER Working Paper Series. 

† In January 2020, For the first time in American history women held more payroll jobs (50.04%) than men.