Profile Magazine Q1/19

Michele D’Alessandro is on a mission to bring diversity to the STEM fields P8

Cecilia McKenney and the ambitious goal of recruiting 10,000 every year P60

shares how PayPal’s workplace initiatives are designed to inspire its people P66

—Doniel Sutton, SVP of People, PayPal

We are looking for the best and brightest. The ones who are passionate and self-driven. The ones who are willing to make a difference.

The 123s of College Degrees

Michael Szczepanek and his finance team are translating numbers into actionable insights that empower Northwestern University

18

How Tropicana Entertainment’s John Roskoph is guarding the gaming industry from potential threats in the digital age 77

The Talent Playbook

Tamar Lion describes her approach for providing talent management solutions for thousands of executives

73 Fashionable Approach

St. John Knits’ Christina Zabat-Fran shares why she isn’t afraid to venture outside her legal role to best shape her department

Roman Treuthart (Szczepanek), Cass Davis (St. John Knits), Tomislav Forgo/Shutterstock.com

Connecting More than Cultures

Jing Cesarone on how ChinaWise and ZHisland International USA are forming meaningful business connections for entrepreneurs in the United States and China

100

Recipe for Success

How Mark Doiron is fueling Fresh Thyme’s rapid expansion

114

The Golden State of HR

Dwaine B. Duckett breaks down how his strategy is empowering faculty at the University of California 172

All in the Family

Rene Veilleux on why the strength of Meherrin Agricultural is found in its culture of caring 180

Banking on People

Debbie Harsh is nurturing the culture and values that CenterState Bank was established upon to best serve employees, clients, and the community 188

CREATIVE

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Hang on to Yourself

Even now as David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album spins around the turntable, I think about checking my work email. Perhaps, I think, I’ll take a quick glance just to make sure there aren’t any fires to put out, or any messages marked “urgent” that need my immediate attention.

If you’re reading this, you’re most likely an executive, and I’m sure you’re familiar with that feeling—the conflicting sentiments of wanting to disconnect from your professional day-to-day but stay constantly connected to the career you’re building.

Over the past two years, I’ve spoken with many executives about the importance of a work/life balance. Jing Cesarone (P. 100), Amber Kennelly (P. 162), and Christina Zabat-Fran (P. 36) provide outstanding advice about how to disconnect from work and why it’s not only important for you, but also important for your family and friends. But there’s a different take on work/life balance that resonates with me as well, and that comes from Doniel Sutton (P. 66).

Her message isn’t directly about a work/life balance. Instead, she speaks about helping people become the best versions of themselves. In her personal life, she runs a fashion blog to inspire people to be creative and use trends they love to feel confident and empowered. And in her professional work at PayPal, she incorporates HR initiatives that encourage people to bring the best versions of themselves to work every day.

Right there, it hit me why focusing on life is essential. It’s easy to understand why working hard and always being available is a good way to get on the fast track, but what you experience in your personal life can directly impact what you bring to your professional life. You can be a marathon runner and bring motivation to the C-suite. A love of drawing can lead to formulating a simplified spreadsheet and better brainstorming. An avid reader can catch punctuation errors with ease, and a passionate fashion blogger can use the same styles they write about to influence a whole new strategy or HR initiative.

Subscriptions + Reprints

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Profile® is a registered trademark of Guerrero, LLC. © 2018 Guerrero, LLC

And listening to a David Bowie record can lead to the vision for an editor’s letter.

All the best,

Danny Ciamprone Senior Editor

TALENT

Whether championing technology, business, or diversity, Michele D’Alessandro focuses her efforts on helping people live better lives

By LIOR PHILLIPS

M Commitment to Inspire Change

Michele D’Alessandro grew up in Somerset County, the hub of central New Jersey. A stone’s throw from the heart of the nation’s largest metropolitan area of New York, the area is also a hotbed of the pharmaceutical industry. She was immediately drawn to math and computer science, earning degrees at Rutgers University in those fields, as well as an MBA. Although she has made her career in the STEM field—to the point of becoming vice president and CIO of manufacturing IT at pharmaceutical giant Merck—D’Alessandro knows that many women don’t have the same access or encouragement to pursue math and sciences.

“Both IT and manufacturing are in need of increased gender diversity, and that’s even more evident at the intersection,” she says. D’Alessandro also knows that there’s still a long way to go, and she wants to do everything she can to change it. “We’re starting to see early-career diversity, but the challenge

we have is that we haven’t had that pipeline strength reaching the more senior levels in the organization,” she continues.

When D’Alessandro entered the workforce, she knew she wanted to be part of a field rooted in improving the health of the community—even if it wasn’t necessarily a traditional path for a woman in business. In her first role working in software development focused on employee-health outcomes, she quickly rose through the ranks toward designing systems and architecture, as well as managing teams.

“I got to see the commercial side of pharmaceuticals, as well as the manufacturing side,” D’Alessandro recalls. “The more I got to see, the more I came to appreciate how technology could drive business change.”

Seeing both sides of the business allowed D’Alessandro a unique perspective, but she encourages young women to also explore and

Michele D’Alessandro VP & CIO, Manufacturing IT

Merck

“Sadly, many women self-select out of the STEM fields because they feel alone. So a big part of the role I play is actually linking with folks to encourage them and show them that women can be very successful.”

MICHELE D’ALESSANDRO

experience roles both intensely focused on a single business area and roles that focus on how the strength of technology can benefit the business at large.

“Often, these are the groups that have to run a lot of the solutions that the business IT folks develop. And if you’ve never done it, then you don’t have an appreciation of what it takes,” D’Alessandro says.

Each day, D’Alessandro’s role ranges from working with the leadership team to determining strategies to run her global IT team. Generally, the two cornerstones of Merck’s IT portfolio are the operational work that its teams are doing and the new project work, she says. Additionally, D’Alessandro leads an IT team to focus heavily on building resilience to prevent security breaches, as well as driving strategy to design and build out next-generation capabilities in areas such as smart manufacturing and paperless activities.

She takes a hands-on approach at both ends of her resources, going out among the various teams across the vast organization to create the best environment for each to be successful.

D’Alessandro also works on resourcing for financial and organizational needs to ensure coaching, mentoring, and building the next set of leaders—especially when it comes to expanding diversity throughout Merck.

While that diverse experience is key to D’Alessandro’s ability to help Merck run the best manufacturing processes for pharmaceuticals, inspiring diversity at business scale can make an even greater difference. “We’ve been demanding ourselves to take some risk at the more senior levels to drive diversity,” she explains. “There’s statistic, financial proof that leadership teams tend to be healthier from an interpersonal perspective when you diversify in gender.”

That push has come both in organically driving academic and curriculum work for women, as well as in actively stepping into senior-level teams to ensure diversity.

“Sadly, many women self-select out of the STEM fields because they feel alone. So a big part of the role I play is actually linking with folks to encourage them and show them that women can be very successful,” D’Alessandro says. That work is important at Merck, but D’Alessandro also shares that initiative beyond the company and takes a leadership voice at organizations and programs, such as the National Center for Women & Information Technology. “My goal is to get these successful women on stage, in front of groups, and get them talking more about their life experiences,” she continues. “Coaching and mentoring is absolutely crucial.”

Additionally, D’Alessandro serves on the advisory board for the big data program at her alma mater, Rutgers University. In that work, she can directly examine any gaps in building a pipeline to ensure more diverse STEM colleagues and, ultimately, a more diverse senior leadership base in corporate America, as well as what can be done to fill those gaps.

“I’ll work with the schools and find out what they’re missing in their curriculum,” she says. “We’ve learned academia needs to focus more on advanced analytics applied to a business setting. We have also learned the specialized curriculums in applied automation technology is a gap.” With that knowledge, D’Alessandro and the board, as well as other academic partners, are able to bring business case studies into the classroom and help students cocreate solutions.

Merck’s commitment to those diversity and education efforts is a major reason why D’Alessandro has been with the company for nearly twenty-five years. She started as a technical analyst in 1993 and has continued to showcase the influence and strength that women in leadership can provide in the industry. “Merck has been recognized for their approach to not only gender diversity, but also diversity

more broadly. Whether diversity of thought, culture, experience, nationality, ethnicity, geography, or any other factor, the company has been widely recognized for creating a diverse environment and ways of operating,” D’Alessandro says. Managers are also required to undergo sensitivity training, and leadership invests heavily in education and cultural resources, including leadership programs focused on diversity and inclusion.

D’Alessandro is especially proud of the way Merck treats its employees after a diverse group is brought into the fold. The company sponsors ten employee resource groups that bring people together under shared interests and passions. “It can be something simply activity-based, such as cycling events, or as profound as the Asia-Pacific Association,” she says.

Throughout her career, both in diversity efforts and technology, D’Alessandro is focused on helping people—whether internally at Merck, through aspiring women leaders at large, or the patients who are seeing the benefits of better Merck manufacturing. “We’re often not talking about technology issues. We’re talking about people issues,” D’Alessandro explains. “People need to see the change curve in order to process and perform their best as a whole, complex human.”

Looking ahead, D’Alessandro continues to strive for teams that are thriving and healthy for everyone, and she looks forward to the scales tipping for women in technology and diversity more broadly.

“Life sciences companies are facing unprecedented change with shifts in technology and moves toward personalized medicine. Merck recognizes these changes, and together we bring innovation into everything we do. Using capabilities such as automation, analytics, and collaborative industry platforms, Merck will not only ‘go digital,’ but truly ‘be digital.’” -Brad Pawlowski, Managing Director, Accenture Life Sciences – Supply Chain

EY is a global leader in advisory, tax, transaction, and assurance services and is building a better working world by helping clients like Merck solve their most complex issues such as creating growth, managing cost and efficiency, responding to market pressures and regulation, and resolving operational challenges in supply chain.

HCL values “Relationship Beyond the Contract” and is proud to be the strategic technology partner to Merck Manufacturing Division.

The Alignment Between Tax & Strategy

John Carr transformed process challenges into business opportunities. He not only changed his tax department, but also how Bruker develops its strategy for worldwide operations.

By JEFF SILVER

When John Carr joined Bruker Corporation in 2013 as its global head of tax, the Massachusetts-based scientific instrument manufacturer was in the process of becoming a more centrally controlled organization to better manage its more than ninety locations around the world.

Carr was specifically tasked with creating a more-efficient tax department that would act as a proactive business partner. Since then, he successfully improved the department’s processes and controls and created new working relationships with Bruker’s board of directors, its senior leaders, and business units.

Carr spoke with Profile about the challenges he faced, the strategies and solutions he developed, and what the impact has been on Bruker’s business operations.

What was the tax department’s status when you joined Bruker Corporation? I was brought in to address an inefficient, manually driven reporting process. The process took far too long, leaving precious little time for generating insights that would ultimately guide business decision-making.

What issues did you address to correct that situation?

Too much time was being spent on tax determinations, which constrained the time needed for adequate review and, as mentioned, generating insight. We improved the efficiency of numerous processes, which increased review time. The additional review time then uncovered other insights that informed tax planning, which led to better outcomes.

We also developed the tax team’s soft skills. That allowed them to move from a strict process role that was focused on preparing financial statements and tax returns to acting as business partners. We developed stretch assignments that forced staff to go outside

of their comfort zones and start developing trusting relationships with colleagues. That can be uncomfortable, but they learned to do more than sit in meetings and listen. They took active roles offering opinions, demonstrating their expertise, and helping the business identify new opportunities.

All of that happened in a very supportive environment. I encouraged them to take risks expressing their judgments and to learn from their mistakes. I also provided constructive feedback to help them in both their business and professional development.

What results came out of prioritizing new, more proactive business relationships?

One of our main priorities is to lower our global effective tax rate, which is higher than most of our peers. We’ve been able to generate an effective rate analysis by business unit that’s been very helpful in demonstrating how each unit impacts the tax rate. We also provide more guidance and suggestions for improvements that focus on business considerations—not just tax rates.

One example of excellent collaboration based on tax insights was the establishment of a principal company in a tax-favored jurisdiction in which Bruker was heavily involved. Implementation involved a series of extensive interviews and workshops we held with the business units to help everyone understand each other’s processes and to gain more insight into each other’s key drivers. Ultimately, we were able to determine the proper allocation of profits going to operations in each tax jurisdiction. The entire exercise enabled the business to understand complex issues related to developing and sustaining tax positions in the face of uncertainty.

Overall, we’re more nimble, can provide greater insights, and hone in quickly on the core drivers for any particular issue. We can show why the numbers are what they are. We can show strategies that enable us to tax efficiently and deploy capital across our

“At the end of the day, we’re all working toward optimized enterprise value and effectiveness. If restructuring to pay less tax will help reach those objectives and increase the value of shareholders’ investment, then it becomes hard to resist change.”

JOHN CARR

“Our technology isn’t just supporting our business. It’s driving it.”

Tax Transformation Services

Tax processes and technology have converged. BDO’s Tax Transformation Services Practice helps organizations leverage tax automation tools and strategies that minimize risk and add value to create best-in-class tax departments.

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worldwide enterprise. We’re able to accomplish these things with a much greater collaboration that enables us to avoid unforeseen consequences after the fact.

How did bringing the treasury function into the tax department change operations for Bruker?

Historically, the two functions interacted more formally and less frequently than we do now. We’re now able to act in a more strategic and efficient manner as partners with common goals and objectives. Recent US tax reform, for example, created opportunities to bring cash back to the United States. We can repatriate cash in a more coordinated fashion with a greater appreciation of some of the constraints imposed by our capital structure. It is a seamless and efficient strategic engagement rather than being a more complicated, cross-functional effort.

How have those changes contributed to creating enterprise value?

First, they created tremendous credibility with our business stakeholders. I set out and socialized a plan to address our existing challenges, provided regular progress updates, and showed that they were resolved. That well-thought-out, orderly, and systematic approach—along with a sense of urgency— gave stakeholders the confidence to pivot to strategic initiatives to address our effective tax rate.

The process also made them aware that our rate is dependent on where we do business and staying aware of the most tax-efficient jurisdictions. They saw that changes could be driven by business priorities and could be made without disrupting operations.

By working together, everyone gained an understanding of how the tax rate comes together and what part they play in it. All of those elements have great inherent value— including having decreased our effective tax rate by two hundred basis points since 2013. As far as a dollars-and-cents value, we measure our success by earnings per share. That’s what is left over after all business inputs and creditors have been paid. I obviously have an obligation to ensure that the tax authorities receive their proper claim. However, I also want to ensure that our shareholders receive the highest earnings possible. My guiding principle, then, is to provide good, solid judgment so that I pay the authorities what they’re entitled to under the law.

What was the most challenging aspect of implementing so many changes?

Change management itself has probably been the most challenging. Whenever those issues have come up, I’ve gone back to our shared mission and sense of purpose. At the end of the day, we’re all working toward optimized enterprise value and effectiveness. If restructuring to pay less tax will help reach those objectives and increase the value of shareholders’ investment, then it becomes hard to resist change.

BDO congratulates John Carr on his accomplishments and well-deserved professional recognition. As a long-standing tax partner of Bruker Corporation, we remain consistently inspired by John’s exemplary leadership and extraordinary vision. We look forward to our continued partnership with him and Bruker Corporation in the years to come.

By ARTHUR FORD

From sneaker culture to crafting innovative solutions in search of solving retail’s next challenges, Anthony D. Foti shares how he and his team pushed Foot Locker to new heights

“I can’t predict rain, but I can help build an ark,” says Anthony D. Foti, associate general counsel for Foot Locker, Inc., the New York-based specialty athletic retailer. Seemingly poetic, Foti is referring to the disruption confronting the retail space and the paradigm shift necessary to navigate the rocky waters.

E-commerce and advances in technologies, as well as consumer behaviors and preferences, are shifting faster than ever before. For example, Foti points out that traditional practices, such as purchasing inventory several months in advance, can result in goods that are out of fashion shortly after they hit store shelves.

“Social media has transformed local events into global phenomena with livestream participation,” Foti says. “Now, a new sneaker often hits the runway and is trending before we can procure units to satisfy demand. Speed to market shapes the efficacy of a product launch.”

The principal disruptor, though, is the consumer.

“There has been a secular shift in consumer preference that favors shopping online, but we are channel agnostic, so we are prepared to engage our customers in our stores, on the web, or via their mobile devices,” Foti explains.

To keep pace, Foot Locker is working toward utilizing predictive intelligence and retail analytics to augment its understanding of consumer behavior. The insights the team gleans will allow it to recognize trends sooner and customize its marketing campaigns.

Despite the boon it provides to the business, however, leveraging data is fraught with new risks. For example, compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation

“No matter what challenges confront us, this is the team I want to be working with to face them.”

ANTHONY D. FOTI

Anthony D. Foti Associate General Counsel Foot Locker, Inc.

Courtesy of Foot Locker, Inc.

(GDPR)—strict regulations for how personal data must be managed by companies doing business in or with the European Union—is paramount. “Data privacy and security are highly significant issues,” Foti says. “Even in our roles as strategic business advisors, lawyers still have to act as gatekeepers of the corporate conscience.”

Foot Locker’s legal and accounting departments collaborated to introduce innovation to equity compensation administration processes. One specific initiative leveraged both outsourcing and automation, and the company now uses an electronic stock plan administration tool to input and distribute grants and connect participants to a designated broker. The company’s proxy statement has also been transformed.

“We have always strived to position Foot Locker’s annual proxy statement—and all of our public reporting—at the forefront of disclosure trends,” Foti says. “But we have made sweeping changes in recent years to transform our proxy statements into more dynamic documents with color, graphics, and tables to streamline the disclosure and make the content more engaging. From a corporate governance perspective, we’re able to engage better with shareholders because the proxy statement itself is more engaging.” The company even received accolades from directors of peer companies impressed with the work product, Foti adds.

Foti’s previous tenures positioned him well for not only the challenges of retail, but also moving in-house. Beginning his career in private practice—predominately at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in New York—he represented Fortune 500 issuers and bulge bracket underwriters in securities offerings. After several years, however, Foti sought a new challenge. Through acting as outside general counsel for several public companies while at a law firm, he discovered he wanted to be part of

a team that was devising the strategy and making more long-term contributions.

“As outside counsel, I did the deal and then moved on to the next one for another client,” Foti says. “That was great work, and I enjoyed it. But as in-house counsel, I relish the opportunities to collaborate with professionals in varied disciplines across the organization on shared objectives. Now, I get to wear the jersey and be part of the team.”

To underscore the strength of that collaboration, Foti was part of a team that launched lunch-and-learn programs, a series of events that seek to highlight legal requirements concerning various activities relevant to each department. The sessions also emphasize the valuable support that the legal team offers to the organization.

“The training we provide is helping us transform how the legal department is perceived institutionally. We’re not just here to serve a policing function,” Foti says. “We try to see around the corners and search for creative solutions that balance business exigencies against legal risks.”

Consequently, the legal department has been able to institute numerous improvements that help the company cope with the intrepid pace of the retail environment. Not only are lawyers brought in much earlier on projects, but the department is also developing a template library for perfunctory commercial transactions. A new document-management system is also being implemented to track, administer, and store agreements and corporate governance documents.

Despite the inherent challenges of retail, Foti could not be happier about his move from Biglaw to corporate, as well as the people with whom he works. “The people at Foot Locker love the game and have a passion for sneaker culture,” he says. “No matter what challenges confront us, this is the team I want to be working with to face them.”

Fried

Frank congratulates alumnus Anthony Foti for being featured in Profile Magazine

&

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Associate VP of Finance

Northwestern University

Michael Szczepanek

Treuthart

The Scenarist of Higher Education

Michael Szczepanek actionizes financial literacy to advance an ambitious strategic plan at Northwestern University

By JENNY DRAPER

IIn a red-brick building on the southernmost point of Northwestern University’s campus, Michael Szczepanek and his financial team are translating numbers into the stories empowering one of the most prestigious research institutions in the United States. The university was founded in Evanston, Illinois, in 1851. Since then, it has grown to cultivate a global impact—made possible in part by the way the finance team takes the long view on protecting and furthering the prestigious institution’s legacy.

The private university’s total assets grew to $14.5 billion—an $836 million increase from the previous year, according to the 2017 financial report. With a triple-A credit rating, Northwestern is able to advance its plans with vigor—even when knowing that the returns might not be seen for quite some time.

“When we make big bets, our payoff occurs over the course of twenty, thirty, forty, one hundred years,” says Szczepanek, associate vice president of finance. “You don't see that in profit return. You see that growth in the eminence of the institution. My team has become instrumental in terms of having our leadership get the right information to make those decisions.”

In addition to strategic oversight, the board of trustees also provides a crucial lifeline as significant contributors to what has become one of the largest endowments in the United States. Northwestern continues to grow its research portfolio, reporting roughly $650 million in sponsored research awards received annually. It’s also known for its top-ranked Kellogg School of Management, Pritzker School of Law, Feinberg School of Medicine, Bienen School of Music, and Medill School of Journalism. It’s this prominence that Szczepanek keeps topof-mind in motivating his team to find financial solutions that can help further Northwestern’s reputation and goals, one of which being to reach as many students as possible, regardless of ability to pay tuition.

As

but also provide crucial leadership for the university.

“The mission of this institution could very well result in the next breakthrough in science or developing the next journalist who helps spur a revolution,” Szczepanek says. “Our work in financial aid is a key factor. If we find a way to save $50,000, it can be reallocated to get that student here to succeed.”

Alumni and friends of these renowned programs play a central role in the university’s progress. Recently, the giving program “We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern” surpassed $3.5 billion in new gifts and commitments.

That vote of confidence from the Northwestern community attests to the mission of academic excellence and discovery. For Szczepanek, the mission-driven organization motivates his team to dig into the extensive data needed to help leadership set an industrious financial strategy.

Historically, the team looked at financial results on an annual basis, but Szczepanek recently implemented quarterly and monthly tracking that helps them build a more comprehensive story.

A walk around the university’s Evanston campus will reveal that capital strategy in action. In 2018, a $270 million investment resulted in the 96,135-square-foot Ryan

Fieldhouse and Walter Athletics Center, heralded by Yahoo sports journalist Pete Thamel as “the nicest athletic facility in all of college football.”

Last year, investments also enabled extensive renovations to the Welsh-Ryan Arena and, on the Chicago campus, the university built the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center. Developing its assets ensures the university’s legacy not only endures, but also expands. Outside of the Midwest, its impact reaches to the campus in Doha, Qatar, and academic branches in Miami, Washington, DC, and San Francisco.

“Higher education arguably has all the complexity of any large corporation and all the challenges of running a small-service business,” Szczepanek says. “The breadth of challenges is what makes it exciting. There are so many opportunities for our team members to test their ideas and develop their skills. Our team believes in the concept of continuous improvement and is looking to become the standard of excellence across and beyond higher-education finance.”

In fact, Szczepanek believes that finance departments everywhere contain crucial stories ready for leadership teams to leverage.

Northwestern’s vice president of finance, Michael Szczepanek and his team not only translate the numbers,

“We can have all sorts of charts that tell a wonderful story, but if we don’t simplify it for leadership or for our board of trustees in a way that helps them understand what’s important, then it’s meaningless.”

MICHAEL SZCZEPANEK

However, for those stories to be read and put into action, finance executives must not only translate the numbers, but also, as narrators, understand audiences.

“We can have all sorts of charts that tell a wonderful story, but if we don't simplify it for leadership or for our board of trustees in a way that helps them understand what's important, then it’s meaningless,” Szczepanek explains.

To help write Northwestern’s legacy, Szczepanek cites his own family history. His maternal grandfather was also an accountant for a railroad pension fund. His fundamental advice? “Be honest and make sure it balances,” Szczepanek recalls. The finance leader also points to one of his first jobs as a teenager in the fast-food industry, where he received an essential lesson in customer service.

“We have customers, and whether they’re students, faculty, or staff members, they rely on the services we provide,” he says. “The underlying principles of service—quality, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, and genuinely treating people with respect—go a long way.”

Szczepanek’s team recently combined student accounts and student loans into a one-stop-shop now known as student finance. The integrated approach provides students with direct access to their information, reflecting the changing dynamic of a student population that prefers real-time access on mobile platforms.

“I’m trying to build my teams to make me an obsolete part of the process,” says

Szczepanek, who also champions work/ life balance as a husband and father of two. “Sustainable success cannot be dependent on a single person or process. Flexibility and adaptability are essential.”

He developed his own technical aptitude by earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduation, he spent the first five years of his career as a senior associate auditor at one of the Big Four auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers. Then he joined another multinational giant, PepsiCo, and later arrived at the University of Chicago in 2009.

Within six years, Szczepanek’s role at the University of Chicago evolved as manager, senior manager, director, executive director, and treasurer. The series of promotions widened his purview from financial reporting to internal auditing, debt and capital asset accounting, and capital investment. There, the financial leader earned a second graduate degree with an MBA at the Booth School of Business.

As Northwestern’s associate vice president of finance since 2015, Szczepanek and his team continue to embark on strategic endeavors that are helping write the most compelling chapters of the university to date.

“Research institutions like Northwestern are here to make the world better,” Szczepanek says. “How many global companies can actually say that's their primary objective?”

Unique talent always stands out.

There’s no hiding special abilities and distinct contributions. That’s why KPMG is proud to recognize Mike Szczepanek as you continue to distinguish yourself in higher education.

kpmg.com

Jonathan Wright Is QPharma’s Mr. Ethics

Why the chief legal officer does what’s right—not just what’s legal—to protect the best interests of the company

By JEFF SILVER

He always planned on becoming a healthcare professional —just like his parents and fourteen physicians on his father’s side over several generations, including Buffalo, New York’s first black pediatrician. Jonathan Wright’s plans changed, however, when he discovered a greater affinity for the law. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Wright from pursuing a career in the healthcare industry in a different capacity.

Today, Wright is making a major impact as the chief legal officer at QPharma, the industry leader in cloudbased software and sales for life sciences. Wright has been able to address several significant business priorities since he joined the company in 2015. First, he helped streamline contract management and processing—activities that historically were influenced by the sales and marketing department. He succeeded at improving the existing systems and structures by enlisting his business colleagues as teammates in the endeavor.

“Changing processes that have been in place for several eras requires honest, in-person conversations to build trust,” Wright explains. “Without that, I’d just be the lawyer down the hall who’s telling everyone that the status quo isn’t good enough anymore.”

Relationship- and consensus-building is a recurring theme for Wright. In another instance, midway through assembling a Software as a Service (SaaS) agreement for one of QPharma’s major pharmaceutical clients, he was given full responsibility for completing the project. Although he had the necessary legal expertise, he

Jonathan Wright Chief Legal Officer QPharma

Jake Danishevsky

was faced with quickly needing to become a technical expert to address the specialized details of the agreement. Through a referral, he connected with Tony Diaz, one of the company’s IT specialists.

“This was an unusual alliance because Tony and I wouldn’t have normally crossed paths,” Wright says. “But this became one of my go-to relationships—someone I can always turn to in order to explain various technical issues. It’s teamwork at its finest.”

Recently, Wright completed work on preparing QPharma for complying with the European Union’s General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR). It requires companies handling personal information about any EU citizen to adhere to a set of stringent protocols intended to protect the privacy of the data and to ensure that extensive systems and services are in place to do so. That was “a little unsettling,” according to Wright, because the GDPR is not nearly as clear about how the requirements will be enforced as it is about spelling out the requirements themselves.

To gain internal cooperation, he directly addressed the hesitation that many people have when dealing with lawyers. “I made it clear that assembling what we needed to demonstrate timely GDPR compliance had nothing to do with assessing blame, finding fault, or forcing anyone to change their revenue generating practices,” he says. “That resulted in a very transparent dialogue and seamless collaboration toward gathering all the needed information.”

Wright is aware that he has cultivated what he calls a “Mr. Ethics” brand for himself. That means it is not uncommon for him to be in the position of saying what others may not want to hear, such as in 2017 when QPharma acquired MedStart, which manufactures the MedStart Cabinet—a kiosk that automates drug dispensing for physicians, increases reporting transparency, and eliminates conflicts with some organizations’ prohibition on physicians meeting with pharmaceutical sales representatives.

Although due diligence proceeded without complications, Wright routinely asked for additional certifications to ensure there were no “gray areas” that QPharma might inherit as part of the transaction. Eventually, he received evidence that included research documents and an advisory opinion letter between MedStart and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

that demonstrated appropriate action on a matter that had initially concerned him.

“You have to have the courage of your convictions to stand up and explain why what you’re pushing for is in the best interest of the company,” Wright says. “Giving in to fear or pressure to do otherwise can lead to missing risks that you knew might be there but didn’t adequately address.”

Wright also pledged to be wary of instances in which full compliance with the law can still lead to what he considers to be unethical behavior. If he is called into negotiations, for example, he makes a point of asking other parties if their lawyers were apprised of the ongoing conversation, or if they need to be. In collections situations, Wright will always opt for a personable, face-to-face meeting, to discuss amicable solutions over “legal strong-arm” tactics whenever possible.

“Business moves at such a fast-pace that, as lawyers, we sometimes get caught up in acting as business partners and forget—even momentarily—about legal responsibilities,” he says. “Therefore, we have to make ethics a conscious part of our practice.”

Although he may not have pursued the traditional healthcare route, it’s safe to assume that Wright’s relatives who are healthcare professionals are proud of the new legacy that he is creating.

OFF THE CLOCK WITH JONATHAN WRIGHT

This past spring, Jonathan Wright published his second book, The King of Lunches: How to Get Ahead by Breaking Bread. In his book, Wright provides thorough guidance for effective networking.

“Simple likability has a lot to do with whether or not you’re successful in connecting with others,” Wright explains.

He offers practical advice, such as why being proactive is essential. “People often hesitate to approach the ‘power dragon’—the person you want to establish a relationship with,” he says. “But inaction only magnifies the fear and anxiety. The more action you take toward what you want, the smaller those concerns become.”

BRIGHT IDEAS MATTER.

Jonathan brings vision and imagination to his role at QPharma, helping it accomplish its business goals.

Riker Danzig congratulates Jonathan Wright of QPharma, a resourceful and forward-thinking counselor, for his recognition in Profile Magazine.

Silicon Valley: Where Legal and Business Minds Merge

At ebay, David Lancelot shares why being a business leader is paramount in helping to drive strategy for a complex global organization

By DANNY CIAMPRONE

David Lancelot

Global Head of Legal; Associate General Counsel ebay Classifieds Group; ebay

David Lancelot makes his way across the stage at ebay’s San Jose, California, headquarters, speaking at another quarterly onboarding meeting for more than two hundred new company employees. It’s a walk he’s made many times over the last few years, as Lancelot will be introducing these new employees as a member of the leadership team for ebay Classifieds Group.

At first glance, Lancelot looks like many executives in Silicon Valley. He has a relaxed demeanor, casual wardrobe, and carries an inspirational message about innovation and leadership that has become a cornerstone to ebay’s culture—especially considering the company’s influence on e-commerce both in the United States and throughout the world.

Still, Lancelot is not your typical associate general counsel. In fact, his life experiences—including living in many different areas of the world—have culminated in a career at ebay that is as intricate as the company itself. Despite also serving as the global head of legal for ebay Classifieds Group, a division of ebay with online

classifieds businesses all over the world, little in Lancelot’s onboarding presentation is solely focused on the legal function.

“I think it’s critical for people to see that I’m acting as a business leader, as well as a lawyer,” Lancelot says. “I also talk about the fact that I’m an immigrant to the United States because I think these days it’s important to be clear about the value of immigrants. I say, ‘I’m a British American, and my father came to this country as an immigrant and worked his way up. Now, it’s my turn to work my way up. All of you have the opportunity to do the same at ebay.’ Then, I reinforce our values here: if you’re courageous, if you’re inventive, and if you’re driven, then you will go far at ebay.”

Lancelot’s travels, upbringing, and work ethic are major contributors to why he not only presents at these quarterly onboarding meetings, but also why he has a seat at the leadership table today at ebay. He also inspires new members during onboarding to know what they’re capable of achieving when it comes to their roles in complementing the business strategy.

Much of that comes from Lancelot’s upbringing. His maternal grandparents

“I think it’s critical for people to see that I’m acting as a business leader, as well as a lawyer.”

DAVID LANCELOT

are from South Wales. His grandfather worked at Port Talbot Steelworks and his grandmother in the office of the Maesteg Revlon factory, while his great grandfather and great uncle were coal miners. Born in Australia, Lancelot spent his early childhood in Greece before moving to the United Kingdom. His father then went to work for a construction consulting company in Chicago, where he told his family he would work while they waited for their American visas back in the UK.

As Lancelot would learn years later, though, his father was actually proving his value to the construction company and seeking a permanent role, which he earned, and eventually worked his way up to become CEO. “He told me from a young age that there are a lot of very smart people in the world, but hard work is what brings success,” Lancelot says. “He was also known at his firm as a leader with strong ethics and a very high moral standing.”

Proving one’s value has now become a focal point of Lancelot’s leadership approach. Joining ebay as a contractor, Lancelot worked his way up to become integrated with the business. In fact, he

At the “Becoming ebay” onboarding meetings, David Lancelot speaks with new employees as both a lawyer and a business leader.

Courtesy of ebay

describes his ascent to the leadership table as being a business person with legal skills.

“Proving your value and showing that you’re operating in a way that drives the business strategy is key,” he says. “Once you’ve proven your value, it’s about asking for your seat at the table and getting your seat at the table.”

That’s also essential for a division as complex as ebay Classifieds Group. As an international internet business, the division is run out of Amsterdam by a multinational team and spans the globe with ten brands in fourteen countries. More than three hundred million people use the ebay Classifieds platforms each month to find what they need in their local area. The business runs market-leading advertising supported classifieds platforms in countries as diverse as the UK, Germany, Denmark, Italy, South Africa, Mexico, Canada, Australia, and more.

“We’re dealing with the international legal and business complexity of all those different environments, as well as plugging into ebay’s sophisticated matrix organization—finance, HR, legal/government relations, tax, procurement, the Accounting Policy Group, and the Data Council,” he says. “I think we work quite well in that environment.”

Lancelot credits that to his team, as well as the sophistication of the diverse business and legal function. “You might be in a room of eleven people, where everyone is from a different country,” he says. “You might think that might not work because their cultures are so different, but these are all very sophisticated international business professionals, and through working with Classifieds and ebay for a period of time, we have built this culture of operating a very sophisticated business that’s been very successful with strong growth over a period of eight years now.”

There’s also a change in mind-set that Lancelot inspires when it comes to influencing business, which is giving legal a seat at the table. Lancelot says that in-house lawyers need to perform their role with ethics and in a way that protects one’s company. At the same time, they have to be integrated with the business, drive strategy, and bring value through the special skill sets that lawyers possess.

“Because of our functional nature, we often have a global perspective,” Lancelot explains. “Sometimes, we’re working with a country’s team who may not yet be up to speed on what is going on in Australia

or Germany. It then becomes our duty to cross-pollinate, to drive those ideas around the business, and to drive the global culture of the business.”

That’s why during those quarterly onboarding presentations, Lancelot also presents at a breakout session as part of a cross-functional team. Partnering with ebay’s chief accounting officer, and a member of the HR team, the group speaks about the importance of driving the business’ strategy and working together to achieve ebay’s goals—all while keeping its values and ethics top-of-mind.

“For me, people management is my most important job,” Lancelot explains. “You get exponential impact from having really great people on your team as compared to your personal impact, and I am very lucky for having been able to build the team that I manage as the Classifieds business continues to grow at a rapid pace. It is quite an honor to lead such a driven and engaged group of business people with legal skills.”

THE ROOTS OF SUCCESS

Family has always been a strong foundation for David Lancelot, from hearing tales of the steel production plants and coal mines from his Welsh relatives to having his father’s work ethic ingrained in him at a young age.

To this day, little has changed as a foundation in Lancelot’s life, as the first person he credits for his success is his wife.

“I think it was the same for my dad, and I think it’s the same for a lot of people in my position, whether it’s their husband, wife, or partner,” Lancelot says. “The fact that we are able to move all over the place, have kids, and that I’m still able to put in this pretty significant effort is all down to her. Every strong leader needs a great partner next to them. I also give a lot of credit to the ebay legal/GR team. My previous manager, and now the general counsel’s support, has been critical to my success at ebay, including the work that I do at Becoming ebay and integrating with the leadership team of the ebay Classifieds business.”

We congratulate David Lancelot and the whole ebay Classifieds Group Legal Team for their great work and accomplishments! It has been our privilege to work with David and ebay for many years.

A Repurposed Mind-set

Grant Dismore’s career led him to four continents on his journey from a route salesman to chief supply chain officer. A simple change in the way he thought about doing business unlocked those doors.

By PAUL SNYDER

VP, Chief Supply Chain Officer

Grant Dismore

Interstate Batteries

TThe road from working as a route salesman in South Africa, loading and unloading trucks, to vice president and chief supply chain officer of the largest aftermarket battery distributor in North America isn’t as long as it might seem.

Sure, it’s led Grant Dismore—who occupies that role for Interstate Batteries—through Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. Nevertheless, he says that once he learned to see his roles through a particular lens, a certain pattern emerged.

“From a technical perspective, the disciplines that make up most supply chains are the same, regardless of the industry you’re in,” Dismore says. “What has stood out and helped inform the way I operate is the impact of culture on business decisions and how all stakeholders are impacted by culture.”

Given his international background that includes tenures with Cadbury Schweppes, Coca-Cola Amatil, and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Dismore admits that he started his career with an ethnocentric approach to business.

“I thought, ‘This is the way it works in the western world, so this is the way it works everywhere,’” he recalls. “You quickly realize that’s not the case. You have to actively listen to people and truly seek to understand their perspective—both personally and professionally. Few people give culture any attention, but I’ve learned that it has such a dramatic impact on how we go about our business—whether it’s the culture of the country, the organization, or even a department within which we’re working.”

That’s not just a personal belief. It’s a core ethic that drives the work at Interstate Batteries. Dismore calls Interstate a “purpose-driven, values-oriented” organization that uses character, chemistry, and competency as the filter through which the company recruits, coaches, and retains talent. For someone who’s made the jump to the executive office, Dismore says that filter and core ethic is an asset.

“In the world of supply chain, you typically work with folks of an engineering mind-set—employees who are very structured, disciplined, and who see things as either good or bad, right or wrong,” Dismore explains. “At Interstate, we lead with heart. You can have discipline and structure, but you also have to be self-aware and understand the impact your decisions and behavior have on those around you.”

Interstate Batteries distributes batteries not just for automobiles, but also for multiple applications. With only four domestic battery manufacturers, maintaining sufficient capacity and ensuring that customer demands are always met is a constant challenge and a

“Conscious leadership is about working harder on oneself than it is about working on others. It’s creating a culture of selfawareness, trust, and care, where both individuals and teams thrive.”

GRANT DISMORE

A WORLD OF STORED POWER SOLUTIONS

Backed by 100 years of battery manufacturing expertise, EnerSys® is helping customers in 100+ countries keep pace with evolving industrial application demands. From telecommunications, utilities and material handling to medical, aerospace and defense, our stored energy products, services and solutions are powering industries worldwide.

focal point of those important decisions. Dismore says that manufacturing-capacity constraints within the industry lead Interstate to use third-party logistics and warehousing networks to ensure that batteries are where they need to be when technicians or consumers require them.

Given that a large share of Interstate’s distributors are family-owned businesses, the company works tirelessly to ensure its decisions not only keep those distributors happy, but also further work to engender loyalty of Interstate consumers moving forward.

“We have large distributors in major markets, but the smaller operations in rural America are just as important,” Dismore says. “We’re constantly thinking about how we can better support them and the important work they do.”

That consideration also plays into another important aspect for Dismore and his colleagues at Interstate Batteries— “conscious leadership.”

“Conscious leadership is about working harder on oneself than it is about working on others,” he explains. “It’s creating a culture of self-awareness, trust, and care, where both individuals and teams thrive. While business results and team member competency are always important at Interstate, we pay as much attention to relationships, authenticity, character, and chemistry.”

Slowing down to learn and grow to be a learner and not always a knower allows a leader to choose how to react instead of acting out of old habits, Dismore adds.

It’s that type of mind-set that has also garnered admiration, including from Shawn O’Connell, vice president, Reserve Power for EnerSys Americas.

“Grant has a unique ability to not only define the roles and responsibilities of the constituent members of a supply chain, but also

to inspire those same members to perform at a level that can only come by way of passionate engagement,” O’Connell says. “In a time of technology-induced detachment, Grant has retained the lost art of being a gentleman and true professional that inspires the finer elements of win-win and partnership.”

Now, for those looking to move into an executive position from a supply chain job like Dismore has, he recalls his first manager’s advice. “I didn’t realize the value of what he was teaching me at the time,” Dismore recalls. “He told me I needed to define what I wanted to be and to then intentionally seek out people that I respect in that position to ask them what it takes to succeed in the role.”

Dismore says this amounts to conducting a skills gap analysis, and adds that he spent much of his early career seeking out successful leaders to ask that same question.

“Answers such as, ‘knowing the value drivers of your function, business unit, or enterprise’ are typical,” Dismore says. “The nuggets are the insights you wouldn’t normally think of, such as needing superior linguistic skills. You need to be able to stand up, without solicitation, and speak intelligently and passionately about what you do. Most career decisions I’ve made have been geared toward closing those skill gaps that I identified by engaging with folks who were in the roles I wanted to be in.”

With a mission to advance the world’s supply chains, LeanCor’s three integrated divisions—LeanCor Training and Education, LeanCor Consulting, and LeanCor Logistics—help organizations eliminate waste, drive down costs, and build operational excellence. Whether it’s developing people, improving processes, or managing transportation, LeanCor has you covered at every aspect of the supply chain and beyond.

How to Reform Health Systems

Trinity Health’s Mike Hemsley

is an innovator in the reform of the healthcare business model. His work helps to ensure that the nonprofit can continue to serve those in need.

By PETER FABRIS

Much of the attention on healthcare today is focused on cutting costs. Unquestionably, that’s a key issue among healthcare leaders, but of equal importance is how to reform health systems to meet the changing needs of patients. As a result, those two issues impact each other and can have a profound effect on hospital operations.

To illustrate that, Mike Hemsley, deputy general counsel and assistant corporate secretary for Trinity Health, points to the transformation of St. James Mercy Hospital, a nearly two hundred-bed acute care hospital in rural New York State, which Trinity Health acquired. With many medical treatments no longer requiring extended hospital stays, the number of acute care beds nationwide has declined significantly. This was no different locally, and the institution struggled financially. With an inpatient census persistently far below capacity, numerous efforts to grow and attract physicians

and patients to an aging facility had been proven unsuccessful.

But shuttering a community hospital is a drastic step. After all, the hospital was a top employer and a civic mainstay for many decades. It would be more preferable to find other purposes for the facility so that it could remain viable by addressing nonhospital-based healthcare needs in the community. Trinity leaders, including Hemsley, looked for an opportunity to do that.

Trinity Health, a nonprofit Catholic health system operating ninety-four hospitals in twenty-two states, is a prominent organization in an industry that has been historically resistant to change. Throughout the system, executives face many challenges to reshape operations, including where and how care is delivered across its system. Their work may offer lessons for leaders in other industries facing fundamental change.

To develop the right transformation strategy for St. James Mercy Hospital, Trinity Health leaders studied the local

Deputy General Counsel, Assistant Corporate Secretary

healthcare landscape and opened a dialogue with state regulators and local civic leaders. Emerging from those efforts in 2015 was a plan to build a significantly smaller, new short-stay hospital coupled with behavioral health and substance abuse outpatient services, as well as Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

The new plan for the hospital came with an innovative financial and organizational structure in which Trinity Health took on the hospital’s debt and spun it off as an affiliate of another regional healthcare organization once the new facility opened. While the hospital continues to provide acute care services, with state financial support under a new state program to support healthcare transformations, the new facility is under construction and scheduled to open in 2019. Trinity Health will be responsible for the old site. The complex arrangement not only saved the institution, but it also improved the area’s healthcare.

“The result will be a rationalization of acute care beds in the market, but the area now has a better continuum of care meeting underserved community healthcare needs,” Hemsley says.

Such a drastic reorganization, however, isn’t easy to accomplish. It took coordinated efforts by executives in finance, legal, HR, and other functions within the organization. Hemsley and his colleagues also negotiated with state officials to navigate through myriad regulatory hoops.

Many healthcare institutions have to undertake such efforts that begin with existential examinations of their missions and can result in a drastically transformed organization. With more options such as urgent care clinics, basic medical services offered by pharmacies, day-surgery centers, and specialty clinics, patients have numerous choices for medical care beyond the traditional full-service hospital. These other options are often more economical to run with care more efficiently and effectively delivered. Hospitals that don’t adjust to the new environment face tough times.

“Community hospitals have to assess what it takes to be successful,” Hemsley explains.

Mike Hemsley

Trinity Health

Jeffry Komins

“Some organizations wait too long to do that and come into distress. Then, they are forced to make decisions with urgency with likely fewer options.”

Healthcare leaders and regulators examine the breadth of services available to a region more intently than ever to gauge how many hospitals and how many beds within them are needed. “To some extent, brick-and-mortar is less important now,” Hemsley says.

Novel approaches to service offerings and physical assets also have to be considered. “You have to be innovative and willing to take risks,” Hemsley explains. “Our job as counsel is to identify options and be navigators not only with regulations, but also with governance at the system level, local level, and with the political landscape of the local market.”

For example, some states’ regulatory schemes were developed before the evolution or expansion of multistate healthcare systems, which can encumber the efficiencies such systems seek to bring to their participating hospitals. In an era when healthcare is consolidating, such rules limit options.

Thus, Hemsley and his team’s engagement with lawmakers and regulators is an important pursuit. When working with local officials on proposed mergers and reorganizations of local hospitals and healthcare systems, Hemsley says diplomacy and tact is critical. “Healthcare is very personal to people,” he says. “They may complain about costs, but they’ll say that their hospital is very important. A community has a lot of pride in its hospital.”

Proposals for drastic change can be alarming to some, and negotiations over mergers and acquisitions or significant transformations can be complex. To reach a successful outcome, Trinity Health leaders need to demonstrate empathy for all stakeholders. “You have to advance the business goals of all parties,” Hemsley says.

The M&A frenzy in healthcare in recent years will continue as healthcare systems aim to get bigger to achieve economies of scale. Meanwhile, federal and state government continues to reshape the industry, including reexamining long-standing rules

that can restrict mergers. “Regulators are listening to healthcare leaders, but there is still a lot of work to do,” Hemsley says.

Recently, federal regulators asked for industry input on reforming the Stark Law, regulations that prohibit physicians from referring a Medicare or Medicaid patient to an entity providing certain health services if the physician—or an immediate family member—has a financial relationship with that entity. The Stark regulations restrict and complicate how healthcare systems can organize, offer services, and receive confirmation. Modifying or eliminating rules that may no longer be necessary in light of changes in reimbursement policy from fee-for-service to bundled care or at-risk arrangements would allow for more flexibility and efficiency in healthcare provider arrangements.

“Government is always cautious, but that they have asked for input on Stark regulations is a good sign that they too recognize these concerns,” Hemsley says.

Whether it’s influencing new regulations, executing M&As, or reorganizing large institutions, healthcare leaders such as Hemsley will have an important say in the complex reshaping of the nation’s healthcare. It’s a vital mission, especially when considering that nonprofits such as Trinity Health give high priority to treating those of modest means. Balancing that core mission with the need to maintain financial health for the organization tests the mettle of any business leader. For his part, Hemsley is enthused that, as a lawyer, he can add value to Trinity Health in its efforts to support its healthcare ministries and position each to succeed in meeting community needs in an evolving delivery system.

Buchanan Health Law

Dale Webber, Healthcare Section Chair at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, is proud to support Michael Hemsley and Trinity Health. Dale and his team help regional and national healthcare clients navigate their ever-changing world through legal, M&A, finance, regulatory, and government relations support. Buchanan is a flexible, easy-to-work-with firm grounded in authentic client-centric values.

When in Doubt, Find the Common Thread

At St. John Knits, Christina Zabat-Fran combines her legal experience with her ability to bring leaders together to help the business thrive

By MEGAN BUNGEROTH

CASS DAVIS

Photos by

VP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

Christina Zabat-Fran

St. John Knits

CChristina Zabat-Fran defies legal stereotypes. As the chief legal officer for iconic luxury women’s wear company St. John Knits, she shapes her department around what fits the company’s business and the industry—and she isn’t afraid to venture outside the role of attorney to accomplish that.

“What I find with business leaders is that they've all come to the table with their own experience of what a lawyer is,” Zabat-Fran says. “Whether that was a good experience or a bad one, or whether they’ve only watched lawyers on TV (the Law & Order type),” her role, she says, is to show those same business leaders that her work can help execute their visions in a variety of ways that they probably never considered.

St. John Knits is a legacy brand with a complex business history. Founded in 1962 by husband-and-wife team Marie St. John and Robert Gray, the company has changed hands, from private to public, and recently, in 1999, going private again and bringing back founding family members as creative consultants.

When Zabat-Fran joined the company in 2010, it had a legal department that was shaped alongside the changing demands of the company’s ownership and the retail space over the years. There was a lot of opportunity to bring a fresh perspective on how they should operate.

“It’s been a very important time for us to look at our current structure and ask: What are we doing? Does it make sense? Is it something that's built over time organically?” Zabat-Fran says. “There was a directive at the board level. They said, ‘If you got out a blank piece of paper right now, how would you build this company? What would it look like?’ Then you compare that to what we currently have in hand and ask, ‘Are there bridges to get there?’"

Zabat-Fran asked those questions of her legal department and determined that they could operate more efficiently while also sharing information in a more systematic way. Previously, the legal department had attorneys assigned to specific subject areas, which would sometimes result in one attorney being overwhelmed while another had a lighter workload.

“I wanted to look at how we function, how we share information, manage products, and how do we make it easier for one person to pick up where someone left off,” Zabat-Fran says. “Or, how do we structure

“This isn't positivity just for positivity’s sake, but telling people when they're doing something right will stick with them. It’s a great motivator.”

CHRISTINA ZABAT-FRAN

the way we communicate in our meetings so that something I'm learning with the sales team can inform our other attorney with the project she's working on that's addressing back-end processes?”

Zabat-Fran also ensures that the legal department sets its priorities based on the company’s priorities and what the rest of the C-suite needs. Every Monday, her team—which includes the general counsel, a director of legal affairs, a paralegal, and a legal assistant—meets to discuss what’s happening in the company and how they can contribute.

St. John Knits is a vertically integrated manufacturer, which means that every function of the business, from design to production to marketing, operates out of the Irvine, California, headquarters. That setup creates unique opportunities for the legal team, and every week presents new challenges.

“Maybe we have Nordstrom here for a buying session across the way. Maybe we're currently designing the fall line in the design studio. We are going through some safety audits with our manufacturing teams, to make sure everyone is supported and feeling comfortable,” Zabat-Fran says. “I encourage my team to get up and confer with other employees and walk around as much as possible so that we are present, we are there, and we really know what is happening.”

Being present throughout the company extends to the retail stores and into new ways that the company is reaching its core customer base online. Where some might expect that the legal team would just be “papering the deal,” Zabat-Fran says that they’ve been involved from the start as St. John Knits develops an omnichannel retail experience. Making their clothing available online is an important move, but must be undertaken carefully for a legacy brand with a reputation for quality and authenticity to uphold.

“I walk through our factory on the way to my office every day, and there is such a wonderful sense of pride and ownership here. It's important that we communicate that to our customers,” Zabat-Fran says. “We are a retailer, but we are also a manufacturer: we carefully twist our yarn, dye it, and knit it. We have made a lot of these beautiful dresses and iconic jackets from scratch.”

That attention to the entire product life cycle is the same attention Zabat-Fran brings to her work with the rest of the leadership team at

the company. She occasionally draws from her experience before law school working as a chief of staff for elected officials, a role that requires extensive proactive thinking balanced with the ability to put out fires as they spring up.

“I think it’s really important to show that as a general counsel you're a true partner with the business, not just a flagger of issues or a cost center, but a really inclusive leader,” she says. To do that well, she adds, requires a lot of listening and ensuring that all the voices on a team are heard. Zabat-Fran also injects positivity into her day-to-day interactions. She doesn’t shy away from criticism and holds her team to high standards. But she is also quick to point out when someone—from one of her legal interns to the COO—does something right.

“This isn't positivity just for positivity’s sake, but telling people when they're doing something right will stick with them. I think it’s a great motivator,” she says.

Connecting to people is the common thread of how Zabat-Fran approaches her work. She says that networking gets a bad rap, but there’s a major benefit in forming intentional connections. “Building meaningful, strong relationships has helped me be a better connector for people, be of better service, and help them get to where they want to go,” she says. “It is building that community, who they know and what they do, and it has really resulted in some fantastic things.”

Law Firm’s Complex Litigation Matter for Iconic Fashion Company Evolves into Role as Trusted Advisor

Greenberg Gross LLP worked closely with St. John General Counsel Christina Zabat-Fran on complex litigation that was favorably resolved. From there, the relationship evolved beyond the suit to include advising the company on a myriad of important issues. “Through litigation, we gained a deep understanding of not only the operations of the company, but also the goals of senior management, which enables us to continually assist the company in every possible way,” explains Greenberg Gross partner Evan Borges. “The firm has become my trusted advisor on critical corporate issues,” says Christina Zabat-Fran.

Jackson Lewis P.C. values our relationship with Christina Zabat-Fran, and we congratulate her on her well-deserved recognition. We are proud to be of service to St. John Knits for their employment needs. Like St. John Knits, Jackson Lewis has built its reputation by providing excellent service to our clients.

OFF THE CLOCK WITH CHRISTINA ZABAT-FRAN

One of the ways Christina ZabatFran keeps her approach to legal work fresh is by stretching her brain in creative pursuits. She’s an artist, a classically trained pianist, and has a black belt in tae kwon do. In college at the University of California, Irvine, she managed the art studio, and she learned how creating art often comes down to problem solving.

“There would be artists who say they want to make this gigantic sculpture out of lead and hang it from the ceiling. Or they want to cast their head out of cheese—that actually happened, a girl made a cast out of cheddar cheese,” Zabat-Fran says. “But with whatever creative, fascinating iterations, what I learned is it's not about the idea. It's about making it. Anyone can say, ‘I want to make something beautiful.’ But actually, making it is another thing.”

As a visual artist herself, Zabat-Fran has a deeper appreciation for what the creative teams at St. John Knits do, which motivates her to solve problems for them so that they can focus on the creative aspects of the work.

“I think art school is really downplayed as people who are just creative or have good ideas. But art school is for people who want to be problem solvers,” she says.

With new generations entering the workforce—combined with an improved economy and increasingly competitive business landscape—the war for talent has not only been reignited; it’s fiercer than ever.

The five executives in this section share their strategies in the battle to recruit and retain the best and brightest.

A Strategy that Can Decide the Never-Ending Battle

As one of the largest utility companies in the world, National Grid hires thousands of people every year. In a fast-paced and competitive environment, Keith Hutchison’s game plan for talent is raising the bar.

By Danny Ciamprone

by Webb Chappell

Photos

the southeast coast of Scotland, just outside of Edinburgh, is the small town of Dunbar, a quiet and scenic suburb with a population of about eight thousand. Even though he retired in 1989, it’s safe to say that many residents there today would still know Keith Hutchison’s grandfather, Walter, just by his affectionate nickname, “the gas man,” as he helped residents connect to energy sources— servicing their gas boilers, performing renovation work, or repairing any faults in the lines.

Back then, the population of Dunbar was roughly half of what it is now. Today, utility employees who followed in Walter’s footsteps still have an impact on residents, and that’s what motivates Hutchison every day in his role at National Grid, an international electricity, natural gas, and clean energy company.

“I remember thinking, what other company, what other organization could you work in that has such connection with all your neighbors and your community where people remember you for the job you did years after you retired? For me, the opportunity to work for communities in a completely different capacity was my motivator,” Hutchison says. “I saw how important that industry is based on my experience of watching my grandfather.”

Now, as the senior vice president of US human resources and chief diversity officer for National Grid, Hutchison has observed tremendous changes in the utility industry since his grandfather retired—especially when it comes to the war for talent in today’s workforce.

National Grid employs four generations within its workforce. Hutchison says that,

Keith Hutchison SVP of US HR, Chief Diversity Officer National Grid

statistically, millennials will transition to thirteen different companies throughout their career. Further research shows that someone born today has a 50 percent chance of living beyond one hundred years of age, meaning what works today for one generation can evolve significantly in a relatively short amount of time, he adds.

That’s why Hutchison emphasizes his team’s employee experience strategy. Over

the past two years, Hutchison and his team have invested in building strategic workforce planning capability, enabling Hutchison to create a workforce strategy for the US business.

He explains that there are three keys to the employee experience strategy, all of which are designed to help National Grid anticipate any challenge with a proactive solution.

Develop Strategic Workforce Planning

National Grid will make roughly $10 billion in capital investments over the next three years, so Hutchison needs to be able to identify the skills needed by the workforce, as well as how many employees are required. Then, having defined that volume, Hutchison’s talent acquisition team will determine prioritization.

That could mean looking internally to see who might be planning on retiring and identifying if they would like to work longer, or looking to the market as well as National Grid’s learning academy for technical training and development of new hires. It also means looking to new advances in artificial intelligence and automation, if applicable.

“In the future, we'll be looking for what will be automated or what we should be looking to automate that can be done with AI or digital means,” Hutchison explains. “Every year, we refresh the strategic workforce plan. We also have been able to use the strategic workforce planning to say we need to increase our head count due to workload, and here is the data that supports where these people are going to come from, the resources we need to compensate them, and how much we're going to have to pay for training and development.”

The Answer Lies in People and Predictive Analytics

One of the main areas for predictive analytics for Hutchison is being able to track employee movements on a monthly basis—number of hires, lateral moves, promotions—in order to develop strategies. For example, turnover rates are higher in National Grid’s call centers because many employees tend to be younger and view the role as a stepping-stone in their careers.

By using people and predictive analytics, Hutchison can see if one call center has a higher turnover rate than others and what the root cause may be, such as being located in a college town with younger demographics. “I can make an investment case to the US executive that in these areas we should over-recruit so that we have coverage for

our customers and still be in accordance with our key performance indicators,” Hutchison explains.

Using predictive analytics also means identifying what future benefits National Grid wants to incorporate. Analyzing turnover can identify if employees left based on benefit offerings, pay, or environment.

“Being able to feed all of that data into our people analytics groups allows us to come up with insights of what we might want to do differently that could curb a trend that may be more negative than positive,” he says. Hutchison adds that National Grid is still in the early stages of predictive analytics, but with implementation, there’s the possibility to develop an HR platform so that all of the data could be housed in one system.

Deliver the Best Possible Employee Experience

The concept of strategizing the employee experience is still relatively foreign for many organizations, Hutchison says, because of the lack of research on it. Now, Hutchison and National Grid are not only paving the way for delivering an outstanding work experience, but they’re also showing how that directly impacts customers, differentiating National Grid from competitors.

To ensure that success, it starts with the onboarding process. Hutchison discovered that new hires—those who had been with the company for less than two years—had a higher turnover rate than those who had stayed longer. Now, onboarding at National Grid is a process that can last up to eighteen months, which is part of the new orientation program launched last year.

“The goal was that every single employee who starts at National Grid has to attend orientation on their first day of employment, and that has to be as close to 100 percent as we can get it,” Hutchison says. “The challenge I got was, ‘How are we going to do that when we're bringing in people every day of the week, every week?’ I said, ‘Then we stop doing that. We hire them in waves. So, we will only bring people in every other Monday.’ Creating a positive employee experience, for me, is far greater of a priority than bringing somebody in to have a terrible first

“By focusing only on customer experience without investing in employees, you are never going to achieve your objectives.”

Meeting Employees

Where They Are

As Keith Hutchison explains, National Grid employs four generations in its workforce. As a result, Hutchison emphasizes targeting benefits in accordance with what’s most important for specific demographics.

For example, National Grid recently launched a student loan repayment program for employees that has been met with tremendous success.

“I don’t want to be following all the competition for talent; I want to be leading in areas as well,” Hutchison explains. “We recognize that student debt is a significant burden on many of our employees.”

Within two weeks of launching, Hutchison says that roughly eight hundred National Grid employees, who had collective debt in excess of about $25 million, signed up for the program.

“You can imagine just how much of a strain that was being placed on many of our employees,” he says. “And that’s not just for people who are new hires— millennials and Generation Y—that are coming into the workforce. For many, that’s parents who signed the loans over to themselves rather than have the loan in the name of their son or daughter who’s going to college.”

Additionally, National Grid is also launching a new Caregiver Program. This benefit will give employees access to high-quality child and elder care, along with programs and resources to support employees and their families.

Eligible employees will have access to back-up child and adult/elder care, educational advising for students of all ages, support for children who need extra help, and many other additional family support resources.

CREATING A BRIGHTER TOMORROW

Our world is changing. Changing how we live and work. How we make decisions today. How we plan for our future.

At Mercer, creating a brighter tomorrow is at the heart of our business. Our 23,000 colleagues are helping more than 115 million people worldwide achieve their health, wealth and career goals. It’s how we make a difference. It’s how we make tomorrow, today.

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few weeks because they’re trying to learn about our company and how we're structured only to then find out later on at new hire orientation what the clear answer was.”

When the program was launched last year, employee feedback was already strong at 84 percent saying they were “very satisfied” with the onboarding process. Since then, that number has risen to percentages in the mid-90s.

Hutchison now sees the customer experience intersect with the employee experience. Hutchison and National Grid want customers to have an exceptional experience, which means creating that experience first for employees with whom they’ll be working directly.

“By focusing only on customer experience without investing in and paying equal attention to employees, you are never going to achieve your objectives,” he says.

“National Grid’s success is a testament to the company’s agility around strategic changes and shifts in employee needs, supported by flexible benefits and smart technology,” adds Richard Wolfe, CEO and cofounder of Empyrean Benefit Solutions. “By leveraging an adaptable and engaging benefits experience, National Grid is driving positive results for both their employees and customers.”

After all, the stakes in the war for talent are too high to jeopardize in such a competitive landscape. With this employee engagement strategy in place, the results have been dynamic. Not only can National Grid predict any challenges in the workforce, but Hutchison and his team are now attracting the next generation to the company.

“We have fathers, mothers, grandfathers, uncles, and aunts who work in the same company as their family,” Hutchison says. “Union colleagues in National Grid come to us all the time to ask, ‘How do I get my son/daughter/ niece/nephew a job at National Grid?’”

Mercer is honored to partner with National Grid in creating a diversified benefit offering to meet the needs of its employees. We congratulate Keith Hutchison and his team for cultivating a workforce that enables National Grid employees to Live Brighter and to focus on the moments that matter most.

Benefits administration without compromise

Benefits administration is a constant balancing act to provide employees with the right options, manage costs and expectations, and keep your HR team on track.

With Empyrean, you’re supported by the most modern and adaptable benefits administration technology platform — helping you stay balanced without sacrificing functionality, experience, or service.

Empyrean is connecting benefits and enriching lives with scalable solutions that enable your strategy and meet your needs without compromise.

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

By recruiting, retaining, and developing top talent in the highly competitive healthcare industry, Kety Duron is helping City of Hope create a world without cancer and diabetes

By Lior Phillips

Los Angeles, City of Hope—an acclaimed nonprofit clinical research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases—has emerged as a destination place for world-renowned doctors, nurses, and researchers to develop leading-edge treatments. “We bring tomorrow’s discoveries to the people who need them today,” explains Kety Duron, the organization’s chief human resources and diversity officer.

Those are lofty goals, but Duron is confident that City of Hope can achieve them. In fact, she shares a quote attributed to Nobel Prize-winner Dennis Gabor for inspiration: “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” Now, whether helping City of Hope overcome the war for talent, a nationwide nursing shortage, or responding to the needs of different generations working side by side, Duron is doing her part to ensure that City of Hope is a leading place to work.

At one time, Duron never considered a career in healthcare, let alone in human resources. In fact, she grew up on the island of Cyprus and planned to become a college physics professor. She came to Los Angeles after graduating with a degree in physics from the University of Athens in Greece and expected to pursue a graduate degree before returning home to teach.

Craig Takahashi

Duron took a job in human resources at UCLA Health while preparing for her college entrance exams. Because of that experience, she not only decided to change career paths, but she also ended up working for UCLA for nearly three decades.

“I was immediately impressed with the VP of human resources at UCLA,” Duron recalls. “She was passionate about the people and was focused on making their journey a success.”

The vice president went on to become a mentor for Duron and encouraged her to return to school for her MBA instead of pursuing physics. That first experience taught Duron that HR could make a major difference by influencing the organizational culture and ensuring high workforce engagement, retention, and productivity.

After more than twenty-five years with UCLA Health, Duron implemented that same mind-set to the role of vice president of human resources at Stanford Health Care. She then returned to Los Angeles, where she considers home, in June 2016 to become the chief human resources and diversity officer at City of Hope.

“My goal is to make City of Hope the best place to work,” Duron says. “From a talent strategy perspective, it is important that we continually attract the best talent while we develop, engage, and celebrate our existing talent. As the talent gaps continue to grow in healthcare, it is critical that we develop talent pipelines and grow our own talent. Working with our community to educate youth on careers in STEM and designing curriculums with local universities to deliver

the right skills are some of the strategies that we are cultivating.”

That’s of critical importance—especially as the competition for talent is at an all-time high, Duron says. “We have made City of Hope a home for leading scholars with promising discoveries and rising stars with big ideas who want the chance to develop new solutions and deliver new cures,” she says. “We are highly focused on curing cancer and diabetes, and every recruit can make a difference in research and treatment methods, lives improved, and lives saved. As the chief human resources and diversity officer, it is my role to set the talent strategy and proactively plan for our talent needs. We are best able to do that by working closely with the leaders across the enterprise and serving as their thought partners.”

Kety Duron Chief Human Resources & Diversity Officer City of Hope

Craig Takahashi

“My goal is to make City of Hope the best place to work. From a talent strategy perspective, it is important that we continually attract the best talent while we develop, engage, and celebrate our existing talent.”

to our client and colleague

Another key focus of City of Hope is diversity and creating an inclusive environment where talent can thrive. City of Hope established diversity resource groups for veterans, young professionals, LGBTQ, and more to ensure employees feel that they are part of the bigger community. That work has led to national recognition, including being named the leader in LGBTQ healthcare equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in 2017.

As Samuel H. Golter, one of City of Hope’s early leaders stated: “There is no profit in curing the body if, in the process, we destroy the soul.” Those words continue to be the guide for City of Hope’s approach to patient care. “We are committed to treating the whole person not only by providing the best medical care possible, but also by providing

that care in an atmosphere of kindness and compassion,” Duron says.

To ensure that from a workforce standpoint, Duron says that first impressions make lasting impressions. That’s why she works to ensure that an employee’s first impression is the right one. “Every faculty member and employee we onboard will bring others with them,” she says. “Our own workforce serves as ambassadors in referring new talent to City of Hope.”

With every step, Duron fully embraces the organization’s mission, vision, and values, always going out of her way to recognize the work of others and celebrate their successes. “As leaders, we have a responsibility to set the example and embody the behaviors we want others to demonstrate,” Duron says.

Kety Duron Chief Human Resources & Diversity Officer

Nicholas Brill Partner, Healthcare and Life Sciences Odgers Berndtson

Culture of Authenticity

Equinix’s Larry McAlister on what it takes to build a meaningful culture and how it has been a key differentiator in attracting top talent to the company

By Will Grant

McAlister is quite familiar with a common problem presented to human resources, regardless of the industry.

“I’ve been at other companies when leadership comes and asks, ‘Can you work on the culture?’ What they mean is the culture is bogus,” McAlister explains, adding that he’s typically asked to repackage the existing culture and sell it back to employees. It’s a strategy, he says, that isn’t designed to work from the outset because not only will that strategy not achieve buy-in from employees, but it’s also not an authentic approach to solving the real problem—engagement.

The vice president of global talent management at Equinix, the global interconnection and data center company, faced an altogether different challenge upon coming to the company in 2014.

“Here, we really liked the culture, and we felt that it was strong,” McAlister says. “If we didn’t have it defined authentically, then it would be diluted because we were growing so quickly.”

McAlister and the leadership team believed it was necessary to define all of those qualities that made fast-growing Equinix such a desirable place to be and use it to further inspire both current employees and potential talent seeking to join the dynamic company. In the process, McAlister helped reshape a litany of HR approaches that have affected more than his department. Being multinational, they’ve impacted the company culture worldwide.

Throughout that strategic process, McAlister routinely returns to the word authentic . He says it’s the only way any culture can be allowed to thrive. “I feel like people have talked about culture as a way to make employees feel differently about the company,” McAlister says. “My vision was, ‘let’s make it as authentic as possible and bake it into everything that we do so that it’s not just something that’s on a poster or employee badge.’”

Larry McAlister VP, Global Talent Management Equinix

As a result, McAlister elected not to go the usual route of working to market culture back to employees. Instead, he worked to move culture “off the wall and into people’s lives.”

“It started with more or less a one-page handwritten document,” McAlister recalls. He met with executives to lay out exactly what made the culture at Equinix special. McAlister then took the ideas to about five hundred different Equinix employees all over the world to get their feedback. Once completed, this one-page document—The Magic of Equinix—was launched at the strategic leadership off-site and then at an all-hands meeting. As a result, they had cultivated the blueprint for the successful culture.

McAlister says the values in The Magic of Equinix are inherent in the rest of his responsibilities at the company, and they also made it apparent that some restructuring

of processes were needed. “We believe the most powerful connection in the company is between the manager and employee. So, we took away all of the things in the way of those two having an actual conversation: rankings, ratings, and forms,” McAlister explains. “We absolutely trust you to have real conversations and plan together for the future.”

Instead of what McAlister viewed as processes that weren’t value added, managers were asked to talk to each of their employees quarterly to focus on growth and making career progress. Every six months, employees take a Perceptyx pulse survey that takes less than ten minutes, yet has been invaluable in charting company engagement.

“We’re able to show that when people have quarterly conversations about their alignment and future growth, then scores

go off the chart,” McAlister says. “We really feel that quarterly conversations are the true north of engagement here, and that really feeds into our culture.”

McAlister says the goal is to reestablish the idea that conversations about performance don’t have to be inherently punitive. Instead, they can be focused on growth and development.

“Quarterly conversations are a great example of how Larry has effectively maintained consistency of purpose while incorporating learnings from new data to drive meaningful actions that improve the business,” says Brad Wilson, SVP of professional services at Perceptyx. “Larry has been a great partner over the last four years.”

That focus on relationships has also crossed over into talent acquisition. McAlister says finding people who fit with Equinix’s culture is just as important as finding high-performing employees. “We really believe fitting in and adding to the diverse culture makes the whole company successful,” McAlister says. “One of our values is ‘Put We Before Me,’ and that means succeeding as a team.” Those high performers who also align with Equinix’s culture excel at lifting up everyone around them— not just themselves.

Equinix also took recognizing employee excellence to the next level with its Magical Mentions program, which aims to observe excellence in values and culture. At quarterly all-hands meetings, one employee is recognized and allowed to fly to any location in the world where Equinix has an office. They make a video and report back about how the “magic” lives there. Employees have recognized each other more than 14,000 times using Magical Mentions, and McAlister says keeping culture front and center is yet another way of demonstrating the authenticity of the company’s values. It also illustrates that they’re embedded in the company’s DNA.

Additionally, ensuring that employees understand what Equinix is about is an initiative that the company considers vital. The Equinix Ambassador Program “serves as an amazing platform for people—especially new members—to learn important facts about the company, culture, and customers through a training session,” McAlister says. It’s the most important and popular class that the company offers to its employees.

“This is the business. This is the culture. You should feel free to be able to talk about us and share it at a dinner party, grocery store, or on social media,” McAlister says.

The company-wide focus on culture seems to be paying off exponentially for the rapidly growing data center and cloud company. Equinix has steadily increased its number of hires over the past few years, and McAlister says potential hires are taking notice of the company being a destination place.

“Our brand and awareness have really been off the charts the past four years,” McAlister says. “Our Glassdoor and career site is 600–700 percent more popular than four years ago.”

The talent processes are also infused with that culture. “We had a 91 percent response rate in the last pulse survey and an increased number of people responding,” McAlister says. “Our engagement and belonging index is higher. That’s really telling us a good story. Those key indicators are all trending in the right direction.”

Looking ahead, McAlister says the company is focused on better defining what it truly means to belong at Equinix. And he and his team want to build on that from the inside out. But McAlister says that no matter the initiative or push, it’s the homegrown nature of the ideas at Equinix that are responsible for its success. “We’ve said from the beginning that any competitor can copy our business model, but they can’t copy our culture. That’s our strategic differentiator,” he says.

“We’ve said from the beginning that any competitor can copy our business model, but they can’t copy our culture. That’s our strategic differentiator.”

The Flight of the Phoenix Workforce

Lori Bays on finding and developing the best and brightest talent in Arizona’s capital

By Will Grant

City of Phoenix is embarking on a significant hiring challenge in the coming years. By 2030, about 20 percent of the US population will be sixty-five or older, and 50 percent of the workforce will be comprised of millennials by 2020, according to the US Census Bureau. Today, Phoenix only has a millennial population in the city’s workforce at 27 percent of the whole. Currently, 13 percent of the city’s nonsworn workforce could retire, and retirement eligibility is even higher in the police and fire population.

As the chief human resources officer for the City of Phoenix, Lori Bays is poised to confront the city’s hiring challenges head-on. Bays has amassed an impressive résumé in public sector experience at the city and county level, and she now oversees HR strategy and services for a city staff of about fourteen thousand employees that provide roughly four hundred different services via thirty-six different departments. With an emphasis on datadriven results underlined by legitimate compassion, Bays is helping to spearhead a staggering number of initiatives aimed not only at recruiting top talent for the city, but also ensuring that the current workforce feels that same sense of value in their contributions.

Some of Bays’s most valuable experiences in taking on her current role for the City of Phoenix came while serving as chief administrative officer for Salt Lake County in Utah, where she oversaw a staff of about seven thousand and a budget of roughly $1.3 billion. It’s here where she learned the most valuable lesson of her role.

“We hear it all the time from elected officials and management in the public sector: ‘Our employees are our greatest asset,’” Bays says. “It’s absolutely true. But to understand what that means, you have to really dive into the HR function and work to understand everything it takes to attract, Paul

Lori Bays CHRO City of Phoenix

City of Phoenix

By the Numbers:

1.6 million+

total city population

27% of the workforce are millennials

13 percent of the nonsworn workforce could retire

14,000 employees make up the city staff that provide about

400 different services provided in 36 different departments

retain, and develop a workforce that’s going to help you achieve your mission.”

While working for Salt Lake County, Bays also led an initiative that shows promise for Phoenix. The Metrostat initiative helped the county review its performance metrics for both public and internal usage. The initiative highlighted areas of strong performance, as well as areas of needed improvement. Internally, it provided concrete conversation drivers for management to make sound decisions and allocate resources wisely.

Bays explains that once you start working in that manner, it becomes difficult to work any other way. Data-driven analytics remove the emotional and often reactive nature of difficult and important decisions and, instead, focus on the reality. “HR is an ideal environment for that process to work,” says Bays, adding that type of strategic impact in Phoenix is already being felt.

Bays also takes a more business-minded approach when it comes to seeking out job candidates. Rather than wait for résumés to roll in, the city acts in a way more befitting of a recruiting firm or headhunter. “We’ve started developing an internal recruiting team that will go out and do specialized outreach for unique or hard-to-fill positions,” she says. “They look for people who may be good candidates for a position we have available.”

Since Bays joined the City of Phoenix in 2017, the sheer number of projects the city is focusing on to spur improved hiring and maintain current high performers appears to be ahead of the game in terms of traditional thoughts about the stereotypical, “slower moving” public sector. For Bays, it begins with recognizing the importance of every city position and the capacity to find true meaning in their work.

“An operations and maintenance worker in one of our water treatment plants is the person contributing to public health across our city, affecting the quality of life,

“I want to help steer a large ship in the right direction and inspire a work environment where all fourteen thousand employees believe in the city’s philosophy.”

improving the entire community, and they have to understand that,” Bays explains.

As generational needs continue to evolve, Bays is intent on aligning those needs within city positions. “A lot of people who are in the job market these days aren’t just looking for a job that fits them well. They’re looking for an organization that fits them well,” Bays says. “They’re looking for meaningful work, opportunities for future success—whether they’re promotional or a variety of different experiences.”

Bays adds that she sees great value in the city’s tuition reimbursement plan should a city employee wish to expand opportunities or change careers but keep the same employer. The City of Phoenix is

also looking to highlight policies it may have already had in place but weren’t necessarily well used across city departments. “We’ve had a telecommuting policy in place for a long time, but it’s not as widely used as it could be,” Bays says.

When it comes to more flexible scheduling, leave options, and continuing education possibilities, Bays explains that it’s imperative for management to set the tone around work/life balance.

“A person on a team is never going to feel like they can have work/life balance if they see their manager doesn’t,” Bays says. “We have to make it known that this is important to us as an organization, and me as a manager, that employees have a balance. It’s better for them. It’s better for the city.”

Bays’s unique combination of concern for her fellow employees and more business-minded approach to enhancing HR for the City of Phoenix can come down to one word for the CHRO: empowerment. “I want to help steer a large ship in the right direction and inspire a work environment where all fourteen thousand of our employees believe in the city’s philosophy of ‘good work matters’ and go home and say, ‘I made a difference today. I felt valued today.’ That’s what’s important to me,” Bays says.

Working Together for a Healthier Community

Congratulations, Lori Bays, from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona!

We’re fortunate to have Lori Bays advocate for improving the quality of life of the people she serves. Her work to support the needs of the upcoming generational workforce will ensure that the city will be in strong, capable hands for decades to come.

Cigna partners with businesses to help lower their medical costs by improving employee health. We work with employers and their employees, offering customized wellness plans, health improvement coaches, online resources and more. Working together, we can help lower the cost of health care. Learn more at Cigna.com/Business.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona congratulates Lori Bays on her recognition as an outstanding chief human resources officer. We are proud to partner with the City of Phoenix and support Lori’s forwardthinking initiatives. Her mission to improve the quality of life of the people she serves is admirable.

On the Search to Recruit

10,000 a Year

Cecilia McKenney shares how a partnership with Cielo, as well as several key workplace initiatives, give Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness an advantage in talent recruitment and retention

By Danny Ciamprone

war for talent was coined in the late 1990s and is recently seeing a resurgence. Today’s saturated business landscape combined with technological advancements have both fueled and added complexity to the competition between companies and leaders to attract and retain the best and brightest.

The other side of the double-edged sword is a drastically improved economy since the Great Recession of 2008. Unemployment rates in the late 2000s and early 2010s neared about 10 percent, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. As a result, little pressure was placed on increasing wages. Today, the unemployment rate is at one of its lowest points—just about 4 percent nationwide— according to the latest statistics from the bureau. Now, a competitive business landscape, advanced technology, and an improved economy have combined to rekindle a battle

between companies across all industries for attracting and retaining talent.

“Today, we are competing against other employers to fill jobs,” Cecilia McKenney explains. “Wages are going up, and that means you have to balance what your value proposition is as an employer around wages, benefits, workplace flexibility, and the employee experience. I see the war for talent as getting more intense before it eases up.”

Perhaps no other industry is feeling that pressure for talent quite like healthcare. As the senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness—a clinical laboratory with more than forty thousand employees that offers services for cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, and neurological disorders—McKenney takes on the annual goal of recruiting about ten thousand new employees every year.

But she doesn’t have to take on such an impressive feat alone. Her ally in the war for talent is Cielo’s CEO Sue Marks. Cielo is a leading strategic recruitment process outsourcing partner headquartered

Cecilia McKenney SVP, CHRO

in Wisconsin. However, the relationship between McKenney and Marks actually started years earlier during McKenney’s tenure with PepsiCo.

After PepsiCo spun off the Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) in 1999, McKenney took over recruiting for PBG. Because of the large scale of PBG, McKenney says recruiting was a constant challenge. She and her team looked for a partner who could help them source and screen talent. They selected HRFirst, where she met Marks. Eighteen years later—with Marks now at Cielo and McKenney at Quest Diagnostics— the two are picking up where they left off in leading efforts for talent recruitment.

“Cielo treats us the way we treat our customers with similar values,” McKenney says. “Quest is about everyday excellence and putting forth the patients' needs as the primary mission for what we do every day. I would say that Cielo really does that for us. They are very much of a partner in how we go to market and really want to embrace our values in how they source talent for us.”

Some organizations may be hesitant to outsource talent recruitment, but McKenney says outsourcing is often a misnomer. Instead, it should be viewed as a partnership with another company.

“We partner with Cielo on the important work of hiring ten thousand people a year. That difference makes all the difference,” McKenney says. “They have a level of expertise, both in technology and the platform they have called SkyRecruit, that cultivates and nurtures communities of candidates.”

McKenney explains that Cielo also has the capacity to spend full-time on recruitment, which means she and the HR team can focus on another major aspect of the war for talent: retention. “I'd rather have us be focused on the 45,000 employees and have the HR team focus on how we make every day for them at Quest feel delightful,” she adds. “By partnering with Cielo, they can spend the time on finding the new ten thousand employees, or potential employees, to bring into Quest each year.”

When it comes to that retention, McKenney assesses the needs of a changing workforce, especially when it comes to generational differences. Today’s US workforce comprises about 35 percent of millennials, according to the Pew Research Center. One of the main challenges for McKenney is how to make the workforce more flexible, which millennials rate significantly high when it comes to criteria for a job search, she says. In fact,

Quest Diagnostics

Trion, a Marsh & McLennan Agency, LLC company congratulates Cecilia McKenney on her accomplishments and wishes her continued success.

ABC has had the pleasure of working with Cecilia for many years. Her knowledge and skills are world class and we look forward to continuing to work with her.

Trion is proud to work with Cecilia and Quest Diagnostics to develop innovative solutions that simplify benefits and risk management.

Spencer Stuart congratulates Cecilia McKenney for her tireless work supporting transformative healthcare at Quest Diagnostics.

Phone 877 652 6712 | www.trion.com | trionsales@trion-mma.com

ABC is a highly specialized national benefits consulting firm that has experience working with some of the largest enterprises in the world for over thirty years. The firm focuses on developing and executing best-in-class solutions for its clients’ benefits needs across a variety of disciplines. ABC’s practice lines consist of Group Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Executive Benefits, Captive Reinsurance, and International Expatriate Benefits.

www.spencerstuart.com

American Benefits Consulting 99 Park Avenue, 25th Floor New York, NY 10016 212-716-3400 www.abcsys.com

Off the Clock with Cecilia McKenney

Contributing her time and efforts in giving back to others in the community is a personal passion for Cecilia McKenney.

She is currently on the board of trustees for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese, where she lends her expertise in HR to help the organization ensure that the agencies under the stewardship of Catholic Charities operate at the highest quality of levels.

“As a nonprofit, they’re even more challenged for talent because they don’t have the resources,” McKenney says. “I think that giving back with one’s time and talent is really important.”

Additionally, McKenney and her family support a scholarship at Franklin & Marshall College that provides financial aid for students. They also support a local parochial school with a scholarship, and more than forty students have received scholarships from the fund that she and her husband run for the St. Patrick’s School in Bedford, New York.

“Wages are going up, and that means you have to balance what your value proposition is as an employer around wages, benefits, workplace flexibility, and the employee experience. I see the war for talent as getting more intense before it eases up.”

about 77 percent of millennials say flexible work hours would make the workplace more productive, according to a recent study from Bentley University.

Now, McKenney is working with leadership on how to bring more flexibility into how Quest operates, such as allowing employees to have work from home options, flex time, and health days instead of sick days. She also points out the outstanding vacation and time-off benefits that Quest offers, which she has been told by employees have been deciding factors in choosing to stay with Quest if other offers from competitors emerge.

Additionally, McKenney stresses the importance of capturing the hearts and minds of high school and college graduates to help bring in new ideas and fill frontline jobs, as well as ensure that employees are enjoying the workplace experience through big and small initiatives. For example, McKenney says that while it’s vital to get the day-to-day right—benefits, pay, environment—it’s also important to meet the longer-term needs of individuals.

“You have to think about your workforce as a very diverse group of people,” she explains. “Some will value the family fall festival event where they get to bring their children. That might be wonderful for some families, but perhaps the on-site gym or the flexibility in the workplace is more

appealing to others. We have to think about the employee experience and the diversity of our employees and the value proposition touching all of them.”

McKenney and her team also put a strong emphasis on supporting employees in their first year. Across industries, turnover is often highest within the first six to eighteen months for new employees.

“That is our biggest pain point as it relates to hiring, and we think that deploying some analytics around which candidates are likely to stay is the key to that,” McKenney says. “What we've done is we've studied our best year-one hires over the last three years and identified what's common about those yearone hires. We are going to use that as part of the screening process so that we can hire people that have a higher propensity to stay.”

McKenney says that the initiative will be deployed in late 2018 in partnership with Quest’s operations leaders and the Cielo team, all of whom have been instrumental in the strategic initiatives surrounding that war for talent.

“Our business is about serving patients and customers that need assistance with a lab test or a battery of lab tests, and that's very personal,” McKenney says. “So, we want every employee to lead with ‘I care’ and then make that connection for one person and one test at a time.”

STRATEGY

At PayPal, HR is Tailor-made

As the SVP of People, Doniel Sutton draws from her personal love of fashion to inspire others to bring their best and brightest selves to work every day

Words by DANNY CIAMPRONE

Photos by GILLIAN FRY

Doniel Sutton SVP of People

PayPal

Sutton makes her way to a few locations throughout Southern California, pausing occasionally for a photo or two showcasing her latest fashion inspirations. With the bright and vibrant Golden State landscape serving as her backdrop, Sutton shares that fashion has always been a passion of hers, but for reasons that may not be obvious.

“I really want to inspire women to feel good about themselves,” she says. “I like to celebrate women and encourage them to take risks with fashion—whether that’s incorporating a bold color or stepping outside of their comfort zone to experiment with different styles. Ultimately, what we choose to wear is not only a form of creativity and personal expression, but it’s also a reflection of who we are and how we feel inside.”

When she’s not creating content for her fashion blog about her latest inspirations, Sutton can be found at PayPal’s headquarters in Silicon Valley. In addition to being named one of Savoy Magazine ’s Top Influential Women in Corporate America in 2016, Sutton was most recently recognized with a Bronze Stevie Award for Human Resources Executive of the Year. She was also honored as one of Black Enterprise ’s most powerful executives in corporate America.

Just as life imitates art, the way Sutton describes her passion for fashion is the same emotion she uses when describing her leadership approach as PayPal’s SVP of people.

“I receive a lot of personal gratification from helping people reach their highest potential and become the best version of themselves,” she says. “I’ve been fortunate to achieve the level of success I have because others in positions of influence have been willing to invest in me. I feel a sense of obligation to pay it forward and help

advance the careers of the next generation of leaders.”

Now, Sutton is introducing a new style of HR innovation at PayPal that is turning heads in Silicon Valley and across the business world with a hands-on strategic approach that focuses on creating a culture of caring for all employees.

“Building a culture takes time, and it’s a long journey. There’s no foolproof way to tell when you’ve achieved your desired state, but you’ll know if you’re on the right track based on how you feel,” says Sutton, adding that because PayPal is constantly acquiring other companies, it reinforces the importance of having a unified culture. “Our goal is to bring everyone along in that journey and help them understand and connect with PayPal's mission and our values to drive inclusion, collaboration, innovation, and wellness.”

Those core values not only make up the framework of PayPal’s culture, but they’re also key elements in Sutton’s HR strategy and initiatives that all relate to doing what’s best for people.

“As part of that strategy, we’ve been a long-time partner collaborating with PayPal in designing and delivering integrated leadership development solutions,” says Carolyn Robertson, vice president and business development consultant for Right Management. “The strength in our relationship has always been our ability to incorporate PayPal’s best thinking about its culture, core values, and people into our recommended approach. We care deeply

about PayPal’s mission and understand the important role global leaders across the organization play in executing PayPal’s vision. Sutton and her team are focused on what’s critical to driving PayPal’s business: their people.”

Helping others was a passion Sutton discovered early in her career. Growing up in the Midwest and studying finance during undergraduate studies, Sutton realized that becoming a CPA wasn’t going to be fulfilling. An internship during her first year in graduate school helped her discover that her real passion was in the field of HR. “I felt such a connection to not only the work, but more importantly the people, and being able to see the solutions come to life in a very real way,” she says. “I got such satisfaction from that.”

Now, that compassion and insight have formulated into an innovative HR plan for PayPal that makes it even more of a destination workplace for today’s best and brightest.

The Importance of Conscious Inclusion

Actively seeking diversity of thought and valuing uniqueness is especially important to the culture of PayPal, and Sutton has made it a priority for employees to actively understand one another. As a result, Sutton and her team launched the conscious inclusion initiative.

“We are taking a very innovative approach to how we're launching this,” says Sutton, explaining that there are two, ninety-minute facilitated sessions for employees to connect face-to-face and discuss what they want to achieve culturally. “It's a huge commitment, and I'm really proud of the way we're going about it because it is quite cutting edge as compared to what some of the other companies are doing.”

Over the years, Sutton and PayPal’s leadership team committed to building a global team of employees that reflect the communities where they work and live, as well as the diversity of the customers the company serves.

Initiating an Agile Workforce

PayPal encompasses nearly twenty thousand employees in more than fifty offices around the globe, which means collaboration and incorporating an agile workforce are necessities for how individuals are assembled to execute on strategy. Due to PayPal’s numerous acquisitions, inspiring an agile workforce that can respond to change in a timely manner is key.

“Within the people organization, we invite a lot of feedback from our business partners and we’ve adopted some of their core agile product development principles as a best practice for how we deliver better service and support to our internal customers,” Sutton says. “For any initiative, it's really about engaging the right stakeholder groups early in the process to collect feedback and make adjustments in order to effectively implement a service or tool.”

Sutton says there is still work to be done in this area across the people organization and for PayPal overall. Nevertheless, the company is heading in the right direction, which in turn has provided more high quality experiences for employees, as well as the company’s customers.

The Rise of Data and Analytics

One of the greatest strides Sutton made at PayPal when it comes to HR initiatives comes from the use of data and analytics. Once a manual process, new automated workforce insights tools allow data far beyond gathering head count.

Now, Sutton and the leadership team capture a wide array of employee data through their insights platform and other HR channels. As a result, there is an opportunity to turn that data into actionable insights, Sutton explains. For example, the PayPal data-analytics team developed a model to predict and identify potential retention risks by leveraging data across compensation, performance, and operations.

“In this example, leveraging our data in new ways enables us to take proactive measures to prevent the risk of attrition from occurring,” Sutton says. “We can now proactively assess promotional opportunities or even initiate a development conversation. The key is turning data into an actionable insight, which really gives us the advantage to be more effective and add value as strategic business partners to our customers.”

Here’s to Health and Wellness

Sutton launched several programs to support employees when it comes to their health and wellness, all of which revolve around the desire to live by the company’s values that are woven into all of PayPal’s endeavors.

Starting in 2018, PayPal began offering assistance to employees who face catastrophic events, such as natural disasters or personal tragedies. It is not a loan, and employees can apply for funding to help make the process of rebuilding as painless and as quick as possible. Since its launch, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been requested.

PayPal also extended paid bereavement time from five to twenty days for employees who lose their domestic partner, spouse, or child. Sutton praises PayPal’s leadership team, as she says these decisions came about organically as a result of wanting to improve the lives of employees.

Sutton and her team also introduced on-site childcare or reimbursement for off-site care for parents in PayPal’s India office. “This is a great way to encourage that morale and collaboration, and it really reinforces the core values,” she says.

Despite the recognition Sutton has received for these initiatives, she will be the first to credit her team, and just like the intricate threads of high fashion, nothing can come together successfully without collaboration top-of-mind. Just as she inspires everyone with fashion to see themselves at their best and embrace their own unique style, she brings that same mind-set to her role at PayPal.

“I’m often struck by the difference that exists between what we think of ourselves versus how others might view us, so I make a concerted effort to be authentic in my interactions at all times and with everyone,” Sutton says. “In those interactions, hopefully people perceive me as open, inclusive, full of humility, with a lot of passion for what I do.”

Right Management, a talent development partner of PayPal’s for twelve years, is pleased to recognize the accomplishments of Doniel Sutton, PayPal’s SVP of people. Doniel’s people team is focused on driving forward a culture of collaboration, innovation, wellness, and inclusion. Right Management is honored to be a part of these efforts through delivery of our Emerging Leaders Program, an eight-week leadership development experience that includes assessments, coaching, and executive involvement. We look forward to continuing our work with Doniel and her team as they leverage talent development to inspire an engaged, productive, and loyal workforce. Learn more at www.right.com.

Driving Growth Through Innovative Talent Development

How Right Management’s Tamar Lion inspires talent transformation for companies around the world

By JENNY DRAPER

Emerging from the last decade of economic hurdles and digital upheaval, Tamar Lion is at the forefront to reshape the world of work. As the vice president of talent management for Right Management, Lion is helping Silicon Valley leaders adapt to and prepare for a new environment that is increasingly dependent on the human factor.

“There’s an emerging social component frequently missing from a traditional business mind-set,” Lion explains. “These days, we learn so much from our interactions and experiences with one another that we need to cultivate and value these as contributors to our learning and development. We are focused on disrupting traditional views of training and creatively introducing contemporary solutions that match these new, emerging ways of working.”

As a result, Lion partners with global organizations and leaders to transform business results by creating a culture of ongoing learning and growth. She applies a strategic mind-set to the leadership development pipeline of an organization by building symbiotic relationships between an organization’s business goals and its talent strategy. When successful, that alignment leads to the right people ready for the right challenges at the right time.

Today, Lion has worked with more than three thousand leaders across various industries. A hallmark of her approach is partnering with various Fortune 500 companies to create sustainable business growth through people-first strategies that reshape the workforce and its leadership, which requires an ability to build effective individual relationships and trust quickly.

“Part of helping people evolve as leaders is homing in on how we can help bring forward their authentic selves and how they build trust and connection,” Lion says. “We all bring different stories and struggles to work that aren’t always obvious on the surface, but those experiences make us who we are and create opportunities to connect on a deeper level. When we do this, we know effective relationships grow, and our ability to inspire others increases. This is when meaningful transformation occurs.”

As a first-generation American, Lion credits her family as inspiration for her empathetic approach to leadership development. Her grandparents—both Holocaust survivors—walked for three months from Romania through Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Germany before reaching France to escape persecution. Lion recounts inspiring stories of how her grandmother, a seamstress, fashioned shoes from discarded tires found along the way, as well as her grandfather’s perseverance in the four labor camps he endured before he was twenty-one years of age.

But despite reaching France, their journey to escape persecution did not end there. They boarded a fishing ship to Palestine, and after twenty-nine days at sea, a British Army plane picked them up, along with hundreds of others, and brought them to a work camp in Cyprus. They remained there, sleeping in tents alongside thousands of others from 1946 to 1948, until the State of Israel was established and they were released.

Tamar Lion VP, Talent Management Right Management

Their remarkable journey has inspired Lion’s own strong work ethic. As a child, she helped out at the restaurant her grandparents opened in the United States before entering the workforce at the age of fifteen. Those experiences ingrained in her a sound understanding about the importance of independence and a strong work ethic from holding a variety of jobs—from selling used cars to working in retail stores to managing law offices and accounting firms—all fostering advanced people and leadership skills.

So, it only seems fitting that Lion landed at Right Management in 2001, as the talent and career consulting firm champions “people” as its first core value, followed by knowledge and innovation. It’s where she has spent the last eighteen years bringing out the best in people on an individual and organizational level as part of the global workforce evolution.

Since its founding in 1980, Right Management is the global career and talent development expert within ManpowerGroup, delivering outcome-based leadership assessment and development solutions at a time when talent shortages mandate innovative talent strategy. Supported by ManpowerGroup’s expertise in the future of work—combined with the capabilities of a vanguard leader—Right Management is known for scalable, global delivery in talent and career management, with responsive and flexible design and support. The company’s clients span industries such as financial services, healthcare, entertainment, technology, and e-commerce.

“I’m working on global talent development initiatives that inspire leaders to collaborate across large, matrixed environments and build successful organizations that scale and replicate,” Lion says. “I spend a lot of time connecting with my clients to understand the unique context of their culture in the global environment.”

As a lifelong learner, Lion embraces Right Management’s mission to inspire a culture of learning within each organization it serves, which fuels the agility that companies need to adapt to the evolving needs not only of its customers, but also its employees. “The face of talent is different today in terms of what people expect—how they want to feel rewarded or contribute to success,” Lion says. “Organizations are complex systems, but they’re still made up of people.”

Change management is essential in the talent and career management life cycle, says Lion, who collaborates frequently with heads of innovative organizations. Her partnership with senior business leaders includes facilitation, coaching, and advisory roles, all of which are designed to support and cultivate apt navigators of change with the right skills and strategic focus needed to embrace opportunities and lead their organizations into the future.

“Establishing trust with key leaders is fundamental,” Lion says. “Every engagement I work through is about understanding what’s important for the business and how we can help facilitate a pathway to success for realizing those goals.”

To do so, Lion brings clarity and prioritization to the leadership development pipeline of an organization by establishing a clear connection between business goals and the talent strategy. The puzzle begins with the diagnostic process, as Lion first identifies an organization’s big picture talent gaps and desired growth trajectory. Next, she works with the organization’s leaders to design specific strategies that mobilize talent in support of company objectives, from developing an engaged, skilled workforce to planning a stronger chain of succession.

In fact, she recalls a rewarding experience partnering with a global client encountering leadership skills gaps due to a rapidly growing business. Lion’s team created a series of targeted development initiatives to accelerate the leadership impact of high potential people managers through enhanced coaching and cross-functional collaboration skills. As Lion explains, the client was seeking a strategic thought partner that could design and fully implement a progressive talent development approach at scale with a diverse global audience.

“I remember thinking, what a great opportunity my team and I had to make an impact on this thriving business and at an individual leader level,” she says. After providing more than 1,800 participants with a variety of leadership development opportunities, including assessments and coaching, impact studies showed an ROI of more than four to one per participant.

To this day, Lion stays connected with many of the leaders whom she has coached and supported along the way. She also

“The face of talent is different today in terms of what people expect— how they want to feel rewarded or contribute to success. Organizations are complex systems, but they’re still made up of people.”

TAMAR LION

cites the emails and LinkedIn notifications from leaders who continue to grow and evolve in their careers as the reward for her contributions. “Those moments underscore the impact and the power we have as people to empower and support others,” Lion says. “When someone is at a critical stage—whether in life, their career, or other times—we all have the opportunity to help them through those transitions in a meaningful way.”

At Right Management, many of her initial client engagements have grown into much longer relationships with work surfacing throughout the organization—some of which last more than ten years. And with the help of Lion and her team, those companies are armed with the right “people-first philosophy” that will help them thrive as employers of choice, no matter what the future holds.

American Builders Quarterly highlights leaders and projects on the cutting edge of today’s US building industry. For editorial consideration, contact info@americanbuildersquarterly.com

The High Stakes of Cybersecurity

As the VP of cybersecurity at Tropicana Entertainment, John Roskoph is strengthening the gaming industry’s digital perimeter while considering how technology can propel it into the future

By RANDALL COLBURN

As the world becomes more connected—with our mobile devices learning to link with everything from cameras to speakers to air conditioners— the complications surrounding cybersecurity and the increasing threats of a devastating hack are more prevalent than ever. Just last year, in fact, a casino found its high-roller database thrust into the cloud via the Internet of Things (IoT) through the connected thermometer in its lobby’s fish tank.

John Roskoph, vice president of cybersecurity and CISO for Tropicana Entertainment, shares that example when discussing the impact of IoT and wireless connectivity on the gaming industry. Tropicana owns and operates eight casinos and resorts, with locations in Atlantic City, Aruba, Indiana, Missouri, and more. Although some major institutions have the resources to leverage advanced technology, Roskoph says regional casinos are still catching up.

It was only somewhat recently that New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement approved a regulation that all gaming facilities in Atlantic City must have an information security officer. It was the passing of that regulation that set Atlantic City’s Resorts Casino Hotel in search of its own CISO—one that eventually drew Roskoph to Resorts Casino Hotel after his previous position as senior manager of information security at Comcast. After nearly two years there, he took on his current role at Tropicana.

Having built a career in security and technology, Roskoph saw an opportunity to help cultivate cybersecurity programs in an industry that was just beginning to realize the need for CISOs. He explains that, historically, casinos have been viewed as targets by hackers due to the fact that they’re “vendor-driven and vendor-dependent.” Casinos work with a variety of multimedia and entertainment companies. So, it can be difficult to stay up-to-date on what weaknesses could potentially provide an access point for hackers.

“There are components that get placed out on the casino floor or in the hotel that have Wi-Fi or IoT components. There have been times when the digital signs we install on the floor had built-in Wi-Fi components with default settings that we had to ensure were turned off prior to deployment,” Roskoph says.

Since stepping into the industry, Roskoph has implemented a number of fundamental security solutions, as well as risk assessment and education programs. Education, Roskoph notes, is especially important in the industry because many people on the casino floors are interacting one-on-one with vulnerable technology.

“The people working these gaming tables have been there for five, ten, fifteen years,” he says. “You never had to worry about technology on a blackjack table or a craps table, but now these areas are becoming more technology driven.”

Education also comes in the form of mandatory online training that includes phishing exercises and explorations of common scams. Roskoph says those trainings transcend the workplace. Many hacking efforts can be routed into the personal inboxes of employees, so keeping them on their toes is essential.

When it comes to educating the broader spectrum of the industry, Roskoph also notes several simple, quick fixes that smaller casinos can take to help prevent potential hackings. One is to move the perimeter down to the host level. “Don’t just focus on next-generation firewalls,” he

John Roskoph VP Cybersecurity, CISO

Tropicana Entertainment

Courtesy of Tropicana Entertainment

“The people working these gaming tables have been there for five, ten, fifteen years. You never had to worry about technology on a blackjack table or a craps table, but now these areas are becoming more technology driven.”

JOHN ROSKOPH

says. “This way, you get more visibility on what’s going on at the user level. If a malicious link is clicked or malware gets into the environment, then it’s easier to stop these components from spreading.”

Routine patching of the infrastructure is also essential, as is getting software off of older operating systems. “There are several gaming applications that still rely on Windows 2003 and XP,” he says, adding that this makes apps more vulnerable. “It’s important to put more pressure on the vendors to upgrade.”

Roskoph’s work isn’t solely preventative, however. “When you’ve come from a company where the whole model is based on the internet, multimedia, and interactive technology, you can leverage what you have learned to use technology as a business enablement platform instead of just something to secure the organization,” he says.

Tropicana is now in the process of developing an all-inclusive app that will allow users to manage their entire experience from hotels to activities to gaming. One further wrinkle that could have a major impact on the app’s design is the recent approval of sports betting, which Roskoph says will open the door to a number of interactive online components. “You no longer have to sit at a table for eight or nine hours to enjoy the gambling experience,” he says.

For Roskoph, that app is just one introduction to the vast amounts of possibilities in the gaming industry. “My take is that Tropicana could slowly evolve into a technology company that supports gaming and hotels, rather than a hospitality company that leverages technology,” he says.

Roskoph views that evolution as one that could eventually encompass the entire industry and, as such, he advocates for more community involvement among his colleagues. “What I’d really like to see is more information sharing, for us to get together more often, and go through brainstorming sessions because the gaming applications themselves and the technologies developed are really leveraged across the board,” Roskoph explains.

That, he believes, “could make us better as an industry.” It could also help crystallize the next evolution in the intersection of gaming and technology—one that could very well change the way we place our bets.

PCM congratulates John on this highly merited recognition. His passion and innovation in IT security make him a tremendous asset to Tropicana Entertainment. PCM understands that working together has never been more important. We are proud to partner with John and Tropicana Entertainment, sharing a vision of innovative security solutions.

“If you want to be relevant, you have to change.”

In the thick of an ever-evolving technological revolution, Aflac’s Virgil Miller says the only thing a company can do is evolve with it

By PAUL SNYDER

It was a quote from former General Electric executive Jack Welch that helped influence Virgil Miller on the way that Aflac provided insurance coverage to its customers.

“He said, ‘If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near,’” says Miller, EVP and COO of Aflac US and president of Aflac Group. “If you want to be relevant, you have to change. When you consider the speed at which technology is moving it’s not a matter of if, but it’s a matter of when and whether you are acting fast enough. We have to act, and we’re going to be deliberate about it.”

Internal change is more than just the topic du jour at Aflac, the national insurance giant that sells voluntary insurance. It’s at the heart of an effort that multiple business

owners worked with the executive team to bring its connection with customers and clientele right to their fingertips and away from the onerous paperwork of yesterday.

“Now, you can go online, submit the product and benefit you’re looking for, and we’ll turn around and create a benefits package for you with the rates, all the necessary information, and the ability to interface with us immediately,” Miller explains.

That overhaul to the way the company works includes an enterprise proposal system, as well as an online invoice tool and the buy-in of more than 3,400 employees that Miller oversees. The fact that this process has taken years to accomplish isn’t necessarily surprising, but Miller says the customer’s appetite for more information that’s quick and easily accessible has to keep the project ongoing to keep up with technology.

“We worked with several industry experts, went through journey mapping, looked at each of our constituents, interfaced with our employers, and interfaced with those that sell Aflac,” he says. “Adoption has been great, and those who have used the new system love it. But they also want new features. So, you may want to move on to another part of the journey map or touch points, but you still have to have the resources that continue to advance the capability of what you originally rolled out.”

That journey-mapping helped Miller and those at Aflac create a reliable road map not only of where they need to take their technology, but also what their customers will expect as one day changes to the next. Being able to maintain pace with a quickly changing environment is an accomplishment in itself, but Aflac also has to ensure that the countless points of data that go into the company’s system—both from its customers and its own systems—remain safe.

Beyond working with security experts to ensure the company’s data and the customer’s data is protected, Miller points out that the system upgrade prompted Aflac to be more considerate about the data it gathered from its customers.

“We try to let the business owners help drive requirements,” he explains. “You don’t just collect data for the sake of having it. We meet with all the business units and constituents to learn the business cases they need with the data, or how they plan to leverage it. What does it mean to the company? What does it mean to the customer? We learn what is really needed as opposed to being intrusive to the customer.”

Aside from assuaging the concerns of customers as data moves from paper to the cloud, Miller says the technological upgrades also mean providing reassurance to Aflac’s own employees. In a tale that’s now almost cliché considering Aflac’s use of the term “robotics” in its digital upgrades, employees at the company were understandably concerned about losing their jobs to AI.

“Employees will ask, ‘Am I still going to be relevant?’” Miller says. “So, we began to share that vision of what the future will look like, what new jobs will look like, and what new skill sets will be relevant. We partner with colleges and local providers to develop that new course curriculum and invest money to have our employees sign up for the courses.”

Now, instead of Aflac advertising how the company is turning increasingly digital,

Virgil Miller EVP, COO; President Aflac US; Aflac Group

“One of the first things someone asked me when I took on a leadership role was whether Aflac would consider moving into an agile world. At the time, not a lot of people knew what that meant. Nowadays, that’s not even a question.”

VIRGIL MILLER

At EXL, we’re experts in more than analytics, operations management, and technology. We’re experts in you, and your industry. This gives us the context to look deeper to identify and capitalize on opportunities to outperform.

We call it Digital Intelligence: the all-important combination of digital and domain knowledge, human and technology, coming together to create breakthrough results.

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the message it puts out to employees states: “In the future, we’re going to need someone skilled to develop and build these systems, or provide audits around the work to ensure the robotic work is done correctly.”

“We advertise increasing skills to help employees get their new skills ready,” Miller says. “People get excited around that.”

That communication is key to being at the head of a major national company. Miller recalls starting his journey at Aflac in the customer service division before working his way up to his current role. Although he now oversees three different customer budgets, multiple teams, and massive infrastructure upgrades, Miller says it’s important to remain accessible to all his teams and individual employees.

“My favorite part of the job is ensuring that the people that work in my organization collaborate not only in terms of building teamwork, but also building that future state,” he says. “I love seeing people grow in their careers. I wouldn’t be doing anything else. This is what I was put here to do.”

Given the stakes of Aflac’s undertaking— that is, remain relevant or fade away—Miller needs a large team collaborating to accomplish that feat and keep Aflac in the good stead of the millions of customers it helps cover.

“Every single one of our jobs will change at some point,” Miller says. “One of the first things someone asked me when I took on a leadership role was whether Aflac would consider moving into an agile world. At the time, not a lot of people knew what that meant. Nowadays, that’s not even a question. We live in an agile world. Now, it’s a matter of keeping up.”

EXL congratulates Virgil Miller of Aflac and thanks him for the continued partnership and role in jointly winning the AECUS Insurance RPA award. Virgil is a true leader and champion of transformation strategies. He has created a culture of innovation and accountability to meet Aflac’s goals for excellent, low-cost customer service.

More than Meets the Numbers

Oceaneering International’s Witland LeBlanc shares how he and his team helped navigate the complexities of tax reform, as well as why giving tax a seat at the table is instrumental to business success and strategy

By DANNY CIAMPRONE

Two years ago, Congress passed the most sweeping rewrite of the US tax code in more than thirty years.

When those changes took effect on December 22, 2017, few companies were prepared, let alone knew the long-term impact of tax reform.

On one hand, certain changes were celebrated by many companies, such as the reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent. But some provisions are still in a gray area, such as creating a quasi-territorial tax system, which encouraged certain US companies to bring back earnings from foreign subsidiaries. The provision does not create a pure territorial tax system, meaning international tax planning will still remain quite complex.

One of the major impacts, however, won’t show up in any legislation—the increasing necessity for having tax leaders at the business table. As Witland LeBlanc explains, a tax specialist who identifies as a generalist

as part of the leadership team strengthens a company’s core business strategies.

“I've always thought of a good tax person being someone who is part-time tax and part-time finance focused, because you have to deal with a lot of accounting and business issues,” explains LeBlanc, who adds that his role also includes being a part-time treasury, legal, and HR practitioner. “I've always viewed myself in that light. If you can't, then you're just one of those tax guys who sits in the corner and files returns.”

He and his team have been instrumental in helping leadership at Oceaneering International—a subsea engineering and applied technology company based in Houston—not only understand the complexities surrounding the tax reform bill, but also in solving numerous challenges outside the numbers.

The vice president, tax and treasurer, for Oceaneering International spoke with Profile about the impact of tax reform, and why tax getting a seat at the business table is more important than ever.

What are some of the challenges you and your team are taking on as a result of the tax reform bill?

Number one, there hasn't been a lot of guidance that has come out from the US Department of Treasury or the IRS, so we're still piecing it all together like other companies and public accounting firms. There are certain items that read one way, but then you read more into it and analyze various potential implications.

For example, everybody thinks that the new US tax rate going down to 21 percent and the idea that we're now under a more quasi-territorial tax system regime is beneficial because you can bring back all of your earnings tax-free. Then when you get into it, there are lots of little nuances that may result in no longer being territorial because you may have additional US taxes that can’t be offset with foreign tax credits.

I think the challenge for us has been the swiftness of the change. I don't think anyone was expecting it to change on December 22. There are a lot of companies like us. We won’t know what a normalized effective tax rate is going to be for another year or two.

There is so much complexity around reform for tax leaders, let alone those in leadership who aren’t in the tax function. How do you go about sharing strategies in ways leaders in business can understand? You really have to gain the trust of your operational functional groups. What you have to find is people that talk in layman’s terms. That is the problem I think with a lot of tax departments.

There are probably many tax departments in the world that are highly technical. But what they cannot do is look at the business, understand the business, and then come up with a plan that makes sense. We look at things from a “does it make sense” approach.

How do you know when tax and treasury are viewed as a true business partner?

When you get invited to meetings rather than trying to force your way in. Once you have gained that trust and they know you are there to help and look at things from different angles that they might not have thought about, then I think that's when you know you've been successful.

One of the ways you were able to do that too was by improving automation at Oceaneering. Where did you see those areas for improvement?

Witland LeBlanc VP, Tax & Treasurer Oceaneering International, Inc.

“There are probably many tax departments in the world that are highly technical. But what they can't do is look at the business, understand the business, and then come up with a plan that makes sense. We look at things from a ‘does it make sense’ approach.”

WITLAND LEBLANC

From a treasury perspective, we created a centralized credit and collections group starting in 2017. What we did was take some of the existing resources throughout the company— mostly from a collection perspective—and train everybody as to what's the best way to analyze credit. We looked further into D&B, what it could do for us, and then realized we were not using the tools to their full capability. We were able to go into the system and input certain factors to perform automatic customer stress tests in order to generate monthly reports. These reports highlighted whether customer creditworthiness was getting better or worse.

Many of those tools are in conjunction with your strategy to be proactive in solving issues rather than reactive. Can you give me an example of that?

Over the past couple of years, the oil and gas related service markets have been down. As some of our customers were having financial difficulties, we were experiencing a number of bad debt writeoffs. If we would have had the tools in place that we have now, there probably wouldn't have been that many surprises. That doesn't mean that we wouldn't have had the write-offs, but we would have had earlier visibility.

You’ve blazed the trail. We’re proud to follow.

Leaders like you inspire others to reach new potential. That’s why KPMG is proud to recognize Wit LeBlanc with Oceaneering International, Inc. for paving a new path for others to follow.

kpmg.com

Panasonic Plugs in to M&A

How Elizabeth Sanders is steering the global electronics leader away from a focus on consumer product and toward B2B businesses, with an M&A strategy focused around AI, data, and the Internet of Things

By DANNY CIAMPRONE

AAbout one hundred years ago, Panasonic introduced an improved attachment plug, a revolutionary conductor at the time that magnified the convenience of at-home electricity. Ever since then, the global electronics company headquartered in Japan has continued to innovate. From the introduction of the first three-tube radio in 1931 to color televisions in the early 1960s to plasma displays, there is little in the tech world that Panasonic hasn’t directly influenced.

Now, Panasonic is on the verge of the next frontier in innovation, but not by the traditional means—television, audio equipment—that consumers would expect. Instead, Panasonic’s leadership is setting their sights on higher-margin products, such as electric vehicle batteries, battery storage, photovoltaic cells, high-end cold storage, remote monitoring, and even smart cities.

“We are going to continue to innovate,” says Elizabeth Sanders, chief counsel— transactions, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for Panasonic Corporation of North America. “We are moving into the next one hundred years as a tech innovation company, so we’re going to be looking to increase our presence in disruptive technology, including the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, data, and predictive analytics.”

Sanders has been integral to Panasonic’s new strategy, particularly when it comes to the M&A function resulting in expansions into new territories. In 2017, Panasonic acquired California-based Arimo Inc., a leader in deep learning and behavioral AI. Through the acquisition, Panasonic was able to use Arimo’s data science expertise in solutions it provides to its business-to-business customers. It also helped Panasonic accelerate the growth of its AI and IoTbased solution business to further promote a digital transformation.

Another major acquisition for Panasonic came when it purchased Hussmann, a

Elizabeth Sanders Chief Counsel—Transactions, M&A

Corporation of North America

Panasonic

US-based refrigeration firm, which was a major opportunity for Panasonic entering the US food distribution industry and further expanded the company’s portfolio in the business-to-business sector.

“This deal was transformative,” Sanders says. “Panasonic, being in a time of great change, is scaling back consumer products and moving into products and services for corporate and government customers, so more B2B than the consumer electronics era. Hussmann was a huge part of that. It was a very important move for the company.”

Before Sanders joined Panasonic Corporation of North America in 2014, the company had not engaged in much M&A activity in the United States. Once recruited, not only did Sanders have to introduce a new function to Panasonic, she also had to educate all departments about the value of M&A.

“We did a few relatively small acquisitions in businesses that were complementary to lines we were already in, particularly in the LED screens area,” Sanders says. “The way to build out that function is to connect with our team heads and the different disciplines and different specialties. You have to connect with the business leadership team to understand what their goals are, what success looks like, and then you connect with everyone from the human resources department to tax, IT, finance, intellectual property, and real estate. When issues arise, you really have to help train people in real time as you go forward to understand what the terms should be in the agreements.”

M&A is among the most complex legal fields, especially when it comes to large corporations, such as Panasonic. As a result, communication is vital between departments. “One of the things that sometimes happens is that people don’t get full information, or they don’t have a chance to think

about the issues appropriately,” explains Alexei Cowett, partner for Venable LLP. “Ensuring that the team is well-informed provides input and understanding, which is really important because if you don’t have that, then people are left out of the loop.”

Venable works with Panasonic on a variety of M&A matters, and Cowett has been working with Sanders for the past two years. He says it’s that type of transparency and communication from Sanders that has been instrumental in reducing complexity surrounding M&A matters.

“Liz is incredibly good at what she does, and not only manages the project from the legal perspective, but she also has a great business sense as well,” he says. “She views herself as a business person at Panasonic who is responsible for managing the legal function on projects.”

Sanders has always been drawn to the legal field of M&A because it allows her to be a generalist and involved in a variety of business functions. In fact, in her fourteen years with Siemens Corporation prior to joining Panasonic, she oversaw a variety of acquisitions that ranged from $5 million to $100 million to massive global deals. Even though Siemens encompasses a variety of industries that vary from Panasonic, Sanders says the issues surrounding M&A are similar. “You need to go through due diligence and to the extent that if it’s not adequate or you feel like there are things missing, then you need to look to the contract to ensure that you are protecting the interests of the company by including adequate reps and warranties and indemnification provisions,” she says.

One of the factors that drew Sanders to Panasonic was CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga’s willingness to create change when it’s uncomfortable. In today’s digital-first world, all tech companies are seeking the next way to disrupt the industry, which Panasonic

THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY

Outside of M&A and further developing Panasonic’s new portfolio, the company puts a critical importance on diversity.

As Elizabeth Sanders explains, there are several programs currently taking place, including internships with area schools in Newark, New Jersey, which is the site of the company’s North America headquarters.

“In our hiring and in our internships, we are always looking to maximize diversity because we believe that diversity of thought increases performance and engagement and makes us more reflective of the community in which we reside,” Sanders says. “For me being a senior woman in the practice of M&A, I continue to be one of the only women in the room, which is actually surprising because after all this time I would have thought that it might have changed. But it hasn’t really changed as much as I would have expected. I am keenly aware that we need to be focused on diversity of thought in order to create opportunities and also be genuine members or our community here in Newark.”

As a mother of two, promoting women in leadership positions is also especially important for Sanders. She is part of Women Connect at Panasonic, which encourages women to pursue leadership opportunities and also offers advice for helping to achieve a work/life balance.

“To younger women who are just having children, I like to say stick with it, because I think in the end it’s worth it,” Sanders says. “You have your career. You have this thing that’s yours. You worked for it. It means something to you. I really encourage women to not give up on that, and my husband is extremely supportive of my career.”

“The natural transition for Panasonic is to lead the way with growth for the next one hundred years.”

ELIZABETH SANDERS

has been at the forefront of, especially when it may be uncomfortable for a team’s leadership to voyage into the unknown.

“If you find it uncomfortable, get used to it. I think that’s good advice for everybody,” Sanders says. “The way that we do things is changing so rapidly. If you think about transportation, automated vehicles, electric vehicles—so much of it is disruptive technology.”

Now, with an impressive portfolio of companies through M&A that includes security solutions and satellite communication services, Panasonic is on the verge of that next frontier with smart cities through its CityNOW project, which incorporates connected cars and roads and helps reduce energy consumption.

The concept was first initiated for Fujisawa, Japan, for about one thousand households. The city is planned around energy, security, mobility, and wellness. It also features EV charging stations, security systems, and smart-home technology. By connecting the entire city, the goal is to reduce water consumption by 30 percent and reduce carbon dioxide levels by roughly 70 percent.

The same is now taking place in the United States in Colorado Springs, Colorado. When the city and Colorado Springs Utilities launched a smart city initiative, they turned to Panasonic for helping with the city’s needs. With Panasonic’s portfolio, Colorado Springs is starting to use technology in conjunction with IoT to help improve quality of life for citizens.

For Panasonic, this voyage is a continuing path to disrupting the industry, just as it has been since its founding in 1918. “The natural transition for Panasonic is to lead the way with growth for the next one hundred years,” Sanders says.

“Panasonic is a company that is doing some great things, and Liz is helping them do that,” Cowett adds.

Congratulations

to Liz Sanders for being recognized as an industry leader and innovator.

We applaud Liz on her achievements and we are extremely proud of our partnership with Panasonic.

Venable’s corporate team provides counsel on a wide variety of corporate and transactional issues: mergers and acquisitions technology transactions and outsourcing antitrust matters regulatory compliance

Engineering a New Approach

How VTech’s Kenton Erwin drew from his background to develop a unique, data-driven process for diffusing disputes with patent trolls

By JACOB WINCHESTER

Kenton Erwin doesn’t mince words when he shares how he became the only in-house attorney in the United States for a lean-spirited, multinational company that reaches nearly $2 billion in global revenue.

“I meet lawyers all the time who are smarter and more experienced than I am, but I try to be the most responsive lawyer,” says Erwin, general counsel for VTech Communications, Inc., a global supplier of electronic learning products from infancy to preschool, as well as the world’s largest manufacturer of cordless phones and baby monitors. “Many lawyers might disagree with this, but if I can get something completed quickly to a level of 98 percent perfection, then spending the extra hours seeking 99 percent perfection is not a better choice than moving on to the next project with so much work to do.”

In return, few would mince words, though, about Erwin’s tireless innovation in his role as general counsel for VTech. Over the course of his tenure, he’s developed several unique legal processes for the

company, including a pioneering patent risk control process aimed at defending the company’s multitude of product lines from patent infringement claims. After all, when the mission of one’s business is to manufacture the devices that bridge the world’s communication gaps, there just might be a few trolls lurking under the bridge.

“Patent trolls were running amok and hitting VTech with infringement claims and requests for licenses,” Erwin explains. “These patent trolls are nonpracticing entities that own a patent and they want to enforce it, but they don’t make anything themselves. They’re out there using the patent offensively to try and turn it into money by claiming that VTech is infringing on it. Sometimes, we might find we are infringing and that we may owe a royalty. Other times, we find that we aren’t, or that the patent is invalid, but they’re hoping— much like extortion—that we’ll pay to make the situation go away because it’s a cheaper option than litigating.”

To ward off those patent trolls, Erwin drew from his experiences as a Vanderbilt University engineering undergraduate and

Kenton Erwin General Counsel

VTech Communications, Inc.

cleverly culled concepts from an intensive seminar he attended early in his legal career. The instructor during that seminar taught lawyers how to use probability risk analysis to evaluate any dispute and assign it a financial settlement value.

Erwin was fascinated by the process at the time due to a lifelong love of math and science, but he had only previously used the concepts to evaluate simpler, more typical lawsuit scenarios. “All of a sudden at VTech, I had this flash of inspiration and realized I could use probability risk analysis and try to figure out if these patent trolls were right or not when they say that we owe them X dollars. And X could be a very big number, so it was worth trying to figure out,” Erwin explains.

Working with Jay Nuttall of Steptoe & Johnson, VTech’s outside IP counsel, Erwin and the VTech team discovered from the defense side that they could take steps to establish rationally and systematically what the numerical chance was that VTech might owe a given company royalties. From there, Erwin pitched the process to Nick Delany, VTech’s US CEO.

“Nick was a spreadsheet wizard, and once I was able to convince him that the theory was right, he sat down with me and—in a case with many complex factors, risk elements, patents and patent claims, and hundreds of accused product models with sales periods varying up to ten years—made this spreadsheet that must have been miles long. It was a thing of beauty,” Erwin recalls. “It showed the real case value was far less than what the troll demanded. The patent trolls we hit with this analysis would sit back and say, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this.’ And our executives loved it because it was a tool we developed to greatly reduce the company’s exposure to these potentially large patent claims.”

Additionally, Erwin convinced VTech to enroll in the services of innovative, San Francisco-based patent risk management provider RPX Corporation, which he discovered had compiled extensive data about

“All of a sudden at VTech, I had this flash of inspiration and realized I could use probability risk analysis and try to figure out if these patent trolls were right or not when they say that we owe them X dollars. And X could be a very big number, so it was worth trying to figure out.”

KENTON ERWIN

Jane Erwin

the patent trolls and their patents. RPX also buys patents to prevent its members from facing infringement claims.

“They have a massive database of intelligence on these patent troll companies, including whether they’re in financial trouble, or whether their patent is under challenge by other defendants and if they will settle for a smaller amount,” Erwin says.

“VTech’s normal approach would be to dismiss this service outright as too expensive, but I was able to show them economically that it was in our interest to subscribe. Now they love them and renew every year.”

Though he may be the only in-house attorney at VTech’s US-based headquarters, Erwin couldn’t have accomplished these distinguished initiatives alone. As he explains, VTech is fortunate to have highly skilled paralegals, who shoulder an impressive workload, and VTech benefits from the high-quality legal services provided by Nuttall and the Steptoe & Johnson firm, as well as VTech’s local law firm in Portland— Tonkon Torp.

“Both firms are very aware of VTech's drive to reduce costs, and they provide services to us on a very cost-effective basis. We have long benefited from their practical and skilled insights,” Erwin says.

OFF THE CLOCK WITH KENTON ERWIN

Now on the cusp of retirement from VTech, Kenton Erwin—in addition to crafting short stories, poetry, and wood slab furniture in his spare time—has set his engineering insights on a new initiative: grape cultivation.

In 2015, he founded Epona, now a fruitful virtual wine retail business and winery, and he’s focused on testing new varieties of grapes more suited to the environment of the Pacific Northwest.

“I belong to a group of research professors and amateurs that are breeding new grapes,” Erwin says. “The reason to grow these modern varieties is that they ripen earlier and they have great disease resistance, which the classic European wine grapes don’t have. I never have to spray my grapes. They look beautiful, and the fruit is great.”

& on the Hill At Home

As the general counsel of BioScrip, Kathryn Stalmack spearheaded an abundance of successful initiatives, the most important of which may be her work with Congress to amend the 21st Century Cures Act

By LIOR PHILLIPS

Kathryn Stalmack knew she was taking a leap of faith when she decided to take an in-house position with a $1 billion publicly traded healthcare company. She also knew that her determined work ethic and passion for healthcare would help her not only succeed in the face of a turnaround, but also find a way to make a difference.

“I was always laser-focused on leading by example to achieve the right results, whether it was at home or in the office,” Stalmack says. “I used my personal skills to connect with others and gain their trust and respect. My reputation is by far the most important thing I have. You don’t have to be

the smartest person in a meeting, but you do have to listen, keep an open mind, and have good judgment in providing legal advice that serves the client’s best interest.”

Beyond learning how to become a sound decision-maker, moving into the corporate world gave Stalmack a new perspective on helping others do the same. “You have to know what resources you have to assist the company to make the right decision,” she says.

It’s a notion that has held true throughout her eighteen-year career, as well as in her work influencing policy. In fact, that ability ties closely to her decision to work in healthcare. If she was going to be able to wield that strength, doing so for the benefit of patients seemed to be the obvious route. Stalmack

now uses that work ethic and focus throughout her career, leading to her current role as senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary of BioScrip.

Stalmack joined BioScrip in 2015 after eight years at one of the largest healthcare firms in the country, Polsinelli PC. In that position, she acted as outside counsel for BioScrip, among other responsibilities. When BioScrip’s CEO called to let her know that the then general counsel was planning on retiring, Stalmack knew she would want to step outside of her comfort zone and step into her first role as general counsel.

BioScrip is the largest independent national provider of home infusion services, operating across eighty service locations and with more than two thousand

employees. In addition to the traditional legal focus of a general counsel, Stalmack extends her decision-making strength to act as a company-wide strategist. “I’m deeply involved in the company’s strategic initiatives and day-to-day business decisions,” she explains. “I want to help add value to our business model and focus on improving the patient’s experience to make us the number one infusion provider in the country.”

BioScrip functions, Stalmack explains, as a hospital without walls. As patients with illnesses come out of hospitals and return to their homes, BioScrip’s drugs and clinicians help them recover in their own homes rather than a hospital. “If a patient is very sick—say with a massive infection—then the riskiest, most expensive place for them to be to receive antibiotics is in a hospital,” she says. “We put them into the comfort of their own home, where it is also a tenth of the cost of a hospital stay. Plus, the data demonstrates that patients clinically do better at home. It’s where they want to be and where it’s the safest to be—period.”

In addition to helping improve the lives of many who rely on BioScrip’s services, Stalmack works closely with government officials in Washington, DC, in order to offer expert opinion on legislation and help influence education on the benefits of home infusion to members of Congress and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). That is always accomplished with an eye toward the needs of the patient.

A key example of that came when Stalmack worked closely on the 21st Century Cures Act and later changes to the law, which resulted in allowing critically ill patients to receive the life-sustaining drugs they need at home.

The Cures Act was signed into law in late 2016 and designed to help promote innovation and accelerate medical product development. Among the roughly one thousand pages that encompassed the final bill, about fifteen pages involved the home infusion industry.

In those fifteen pages was language that had an unintended consequence of cutting

Kathryn Stalmack SVP, General Counsel & Secretary

BioScrip

the home infusion reimbursement rate—by nearly 95 percent—of certain medications intended for critically ill patients.

While it provided for a new services benefit to make up for the reduction, it would not go into effect until 2021. CMS historically never paid for the services benefit of home infusion, including all the clinical and other types of service that go into mixing the drug, packaging it, and delivering it to the patient’s home. The industry was also not allowed to bill CMS for the nursing services needed in the patient’s home, Stalmack says.

As a result, the Cures Act would make it unaffordable for the home-infusion industry to treat those patients, and therefore, would keep them in the hospital. Those longer hospital stays would also cost Medicare millions of dollars. “It was devastating, and it devastated the home infusion industry,” Stalmack says. “But not only that, it also blocked patient access to care that cost less and provided them with better outcomes.”

Rather than recover comfortably in their own homes, heart surgery patients, for example, would need to go into hospice or have an invasive surgery when they could be having a home infusion of the drug. When these unintended consequences came to light, Stalmack and BioScrip’s CEO Daniel Greenleaf started a coalition with other home infusion companies and spent the following year attempting to change the legislation. “We hired the best lobbyist and outside counsel we could find to fight this important lifesaving initiative,” Stalmack says, adding that BioScrip retained Andrew McKechnie of Peck Madigan Jones and David Farber of King & Spalding. “Working with David and Andrew turned our nightmare into a dream come true when the industry was able to fix the legislation. We could not have done it without them, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.

“We were on the hill driving the impact of patient care home with members of Congress,” she continues. “Dan and I teamed up with the National Home Infusion Association and industry stakeholders, met with Congressional leadership, and spent time at fundraising events to educate Congress

of the benefits of home infusion and that the federal government will end up paying more if the problem is not fixed.”

Stalmack and others also met with the CMS and brought with them a nurse who attended the first heart transplant in 1972, who explained why home infusion is better for the patient and saves the country millions, if not billions of dollars. “We had people all over the country lobbying,” Stalmack says, adding that the task was to bring a truly diverse and informed perspective of home infusion to politicians in order to do right by BioScrip’s patients. “Congress stepped up and got it done, and I am grateful for that. Our patients are grateful, and our industry is grateful.”

After a concentrated campaign, the BioScrip leadership team helped lead Congress to amend the Cures Act so that it now provides for a transitional rate to bill CMS for the services benefit so that the industry can continue to care for those critically ill

patients in the safest and most cost-effective site of care—their home.

“Not many attorneys get to say they took part in an effort that saved patients’ lives. But by getting Congress to pass the Cures Amendment in little over a year, I got to be a part of a very important campaign,” she says. “Hands down, it was the proudest achievement of my entire career.”

Despite that tremendous victory, Stalmack knows she cannot rest on her laurels. Congress has enacted the new benefit, but the work must continue to ensure CMS implements it correctly. Thankfully, Stalmack has a tireless commitment to helping her company and the patients they serve, and she won’t rest until the task is complete.

“Kathryn is exactly the kind of client we love to work with at Peck Madigan Jones. She was proactive, strategic, and added immense value to our successful lobbying campaign.”

Kathryn Stalmack and her team at BioScrip worked with Congress on the Cures Act amendment.

Solving the Complex Puzzle of Integration

Oclaro’s Lisa Paul on why collaboration between strategy and culture is essential for successful business transformation

By WILL GRANT

Lisa Paul isn’t an expert at aligning strategy with culture by happenstance. On the contrary, she’s an expert because she decided to be one.

The executive vice president of human resources for the optical design and manufacturing company Oclaro, which recently signed an agreement to be acquired by California-based Lumentum, says that her expertise wasn’t a result of picking the perfect school or path that would most likely get her on a fast career track. Instead, it’s the result of her desire to constantly be challenged and to learn.

“I’m not a good person in a status quo position,” Paul says with a laugh. “If I get in those positions, then I change them. I’m always after something new.”

Paul’s résumé is indicative of professional reflection and the desire to wade into untested waters to continue to be challenged and find new ways to grow and transform businesses through people and strategic integration for companies of varied sizes and backgrounds. She says a reoccurring theme that has followed her on her career path comes down to acquisition and integration.

From an HR perspective, the success or failure of those integrations is the difference between a dream-come-true and an

unrelenting nightmare. The people caught in the middle of an integration, Paul believes, are often forgotten in the wake of more black-and-white planning. It’s here where Paul has found success in helping companies focus on people, process, and culture.

However, working to improve the people portion of that integration is difficult, Paul says, because of the challenge in quantifying often seemingly unquantifiable characteristics and abilities. As a result, they’re often left unaccounted.

“In the Industrial Revolution days, you’re figuring out how to produce a certain number of widgets as fast as possible on an assembly-line; it’s fairly formulaic,” Paul says. “In the age of knowledge, you don't have a clean accounting of skills and capabilities. It’s the most difficult of decisions and the most critical, so getting people to spend enough time in that area is really difficult.”

Throughout her career—including in previous tenures at Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems, and Flextronics—Paul discovered that learning to accept that uncertainty is essential in a successful acquisition process. Sometimes, it comes down to taking risks on mixing talent and other processes.

“It makes people uncomfortable because it’s not as easy as figuring out the formula for the combined revenue or gross margin,” Paul says. “It’s getting people to engage, stay

focused, and make decisions, while also understanding that there’s no perfect answer.”

Coming to Oclaro provided Paul with what with she refers to as the best experience in being able to see her own work reflected in the company’s redirected focus. She joined Oclaro after the company came back from the edge of bankruptcy and was beginning a turnaround. Paul was working to move the company into a growth mindset. Oclaro was essentially a company comprised of acquired companies, and a true company turnaround would mean a united vision and purpose.

A three-year strategic planning process was initiated to focus on growth. To support the three-year strategic plan, Paul and her team brought in fifty of the company’s top leaders from around the world—including from Japan, the UK, and Italy—to UC Berkeley Executive Education at the Haas School of Business for an effort that focused on developing strategic capabilities to drive and deliver on Oclaro’s priorities, improve collaboration, lead change with a growth and global mind-set, and question the status quo.

“This was bringing everyone here and getting them into a learning environment, as well as doing it with support and a learning framework,” Paul says. “That helped us think differently and explore together

Jeff Singer

Lisa Paul EVP, HR Oclaro

“The speed of business, especially in tech, is so fast. The one thing we do all have in common is that change is a constant, and there’s no one right answer.”

LISA PAUL

what this strategy really means and how we might approach it.”

The following year’s strategic plan included the experience from UC Berkeley, and the “One Oclaro” framework was developed—a multifaceted initiative that streamlined and defined Oclaro’s culture and vision. The executive team and key leaders then shared the plan with employees around the world through focus groups and roundtables. That unification was not only successful, but it also completed Oclaro’s turnaround. Once a company on the verge of bankruptcy, Oclaro is now combining with its main competitor, Lumentum, to drive market scale.

Paul says she took the role at Oclaro knowing consolidation was inevitable, but for her, it was worth the experience. “It’s important to celebrate the good work that’s been done, because it wouldn’t have been possible three years ago,” Paul says.

Oclaro also provided Paul a return to a smaller company after spending time in large organizations. It was a chance that she relished to reexamine leading integration efforts on a more personal scale. “How do you solve some of these requirements when you don’t have critical mass or expertise? For me, I am all about learning through experiences and utilizing resources,” she says.

That means cultivating and maintaining a personal network that Paul says has paid off exponentially. Paul served on the board of directors and was president of the Northern California Human Resource Association. She is also on the advisory board for Emtrain, an employment and online learning and enterprise training system company. She sees strength in learning from others who are experts in their own right and sharing her experiences.

“The speed of business, especially in tech, is so fast. The one thing we do all have in common is that change is a constant, and there’s no one right answer,” Paul says.

Learning to embrace change, Paul says, is another lesson she continues to learn time and again. As she eyes the future, Paul says she’s confident that her need to continue to challenge herself will land her where she prefers: a company looking to transform.

“I like the challenge of figuring out how to put the puzzle pieces together and move forward,” she says.

UC Berkeley Executive Education congratulates Lisa Paul for her transformational work at Oclaro. It has been a pleasure to partner with her to shift to a “One Oclaro” culture and develop leaders that question the status quo, drive change, foster innovation, and lead with a global mind-set.

Paving the Path Between North America and China

As the founder of ChinaWise, Jing Cesarone successfully links Chinese and American businesses, while inspiring entrepreneurs everywhere. Now, she’s helping to connect even more entrepreneurs as the president of ZHisland International (USA).

By DANNY CIAMPRONE Photos by GILLIAN FRY

Jing Cesarone Founder and CEO; President ChinaWise; ZHisland International (USA)

TThere’s no single way to define Jing Cesarone. Even a lengthy list of adjectives only begins to scratch the surface. A few traits, though, are immediately apparent: driven, resilient, and tenacious come to mind, and Cesarone herself would also be quick to add “dramatic.”

“I’m a very quick-action person,” Cesarone says. “If I decide to do something, then I do it right away.”

But if there is one phrase that could define her, then it’s the one she read every day in her high school dormitory in China inscribed above her double-deck bed: “Where there is a will, there is a way.” It’s a phrase she has carried with her throughout her personal and professional life. From finishing second in her province out of 100,000 students to earning a full scholarship to the University of Illinois to working with Fortune 500 clients, it all culminated in 2001 when Cesarone founded ChinaWise—a leading business advisory firm headquartered in Chicago that helps North American and Chinese enterprises generate business together.

Growing up in China and having lived in the United States for twenty years, Cesarone has tremendous experience in understanding the cultural differences of each country. She also has a great deal of proficiency working for companies in each country, including China Daily, Siemens, and Xinhua News Agency. As a result, Cesarone saw the opportunity to help introduce Chinese businesses to North America that she knew wanted to expand their global reach. That ambition led to the founding of ChinaWise.

One of the keys that separates ChinaWise from other business advisory firms is not only the company’s cross-functional expertise and engagement, but also its ability to form real connections for business transactions. A crucial aspect of that as well is understanding the cultural differences between North American and Chinese businesses.

It’s navigating this cultural mind-set, Cesarone explains, that other business advisory firms tend to overlook. Cesarone says that although American business decisions tend to be made based on marketing trends and data, China is more relationship-driven. “They have to know you personally for quite some time, know your integrity, and then they will start that relationship,” Cesarone explains.

To help align those differing mind-sets, Cesarone goes well beyond acting as a bridge between businesses in North America and China. Instead, it’s her devotion of time, commitment to every detail throughout the process, and creating a scenario mutually beneficial to both parties that are the key differentiators.

“You can be a bridge, but you don't know what happens afterward, so I'm a part of the team. That’s what drives both sides to meaningful collaboration.”

JING CESARONE

“You can be a bridge, but you don’t know what happens afterward, so I’m a part of the team,” she says. “That’s what drives both sides to meaningful collaboration.”

Cesarone has been a team leader for a number of international projects. She successfully led the market entry in China for Canada Wild Blueberry products and licensed more than five hundred hours of video content to Chinese television stations and media companies. Additionally, she helped a US publicly listed retailer, Build-ABear Workshop, enter the China market.

To this day, one can almost guarantee that if an opportunity to promote cross-cultural interchange emerges, Cesarone will be there. She organizes the annual Omaha Dialogue, which brings together hundreds of acclaimed Chinese and American business leaders to discuss investment strategies. She launched a partnership with the CDA Council to start a pilot program in China to analyze and understand China’s early education program, as well as introduce Child Development Associate Credential to early educators working with children from birth to five years old.

Additionally, she founded the UEnjoy Club to help inspire and empower women, has won the Corporate Woman of Achievement Award from the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), and served as diversity director for the Chicago chapter. She is the chief advisor for POWER Beijing and moderated a panel on the importance of work/life balance. She also organized a conference at the United Nations’ headquarters on sustainable development, stressing to attendees to “leave today with a better understanding of the relationship of business and sustainable development, and with a renewed sense of commitment towards our planet, each other, and future generations.”

With that tireless work ethic, Cesarone further exemplified her commitment to strengthening networking between China and North America with ZHisland, an exclusive invitation-only network for business leaders and senior executives. The organization includes more than six thousand core members, and the total business revenue of ZHisland members is equivalent to 16 percent of China’s GDP. Founding members include Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba; Liu Chuanzhi, chairman of Lenovo; and Wang Jianlin, founder of Wanda Group.

Recently, ZHisland launched its US operation, ZHisland International USA, with the goal of connecting US entrepreneurs and business leaders with the most impactful business network in China. Cesarone, who is now president of ZHisland International USA, says over the past seven years there has been an increasing number of Chinese companies coming to the United States. As a result, creating a link between companies is essential, especially with the emphasis China places on building strong relationships.

“They need to learn from each other, and most importantly they need to help each other to think more clearly, to be more strategic, because they are all entrepreneurs who think alike,” she says.

Cesarone now has her sights set on growth for the network in the United States. The first initiative is to encourage initial members to build nationwide networks of entrepreneurs who are interested in doing business with China and building relationships with Chinese entrepreneurs both in the United States and in China. Next, Cesarone says it’s about truly working with members to facilitate collaborative business deals.

“It has to be something concrete, meaningful, and business-result oriented,” she says. “As ZHisland entrepreneurs, that’s who they are. That’s why it’s a very good fit for the culture. So, I need to find similar entrepreneurs on the US side to connect them together. They are business-driven, they are business-focused anyway, so that’s a very similar culture. That’s why I naturally fit into this platform. It’s not a loose networking platform. It’s a get business done, get deals done platform.”

That way of thinking comes from Cesarone’s own upbringing and her “where there is a will, there is a way” mantra. For entrepreneurs, she says, success comes from within—something she discovered early on from her own personal growth, dedication, and persistence in building a learning community through shared best practices and success stories.

“It’s not easy to do it by yourself,” she says of starting a business. “By building the group together, you can forge ahead. Someone who is not an entrepreneur will never understand that entrepreneurs truly love what they do, and they are passionate about it. I truly enjoy every minute of it. When I have difficulties, I enjoy the challenge. If I don’t have a challenge, I won’t be excited.”

THE DELICATE BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND LIFE

Jing Cesarone says that while many may see her as working nonstop—be it in the office or via business travels—she will be the first to stress the importance of a work/ life balance, especially with three children between the ages of ten and fourteen.

She makes sure to set boundaries between work and life, and she also delegates both at home and at work. Additionally, she takes care of herself spiritually and physically, as she spends time with her family and enjoys swimming, writing, and reading, which she encourages other entrepreneurs to find for themselves in enjoying a life outside of work.

She’s spoken routinely about the topic, including at the women’s leadership event in Chicago, Power: Opening Doors for Women, as well as in China at the inaugural POWER Beijing program. In China, the culture has just started shifting in recent years to focus more on the importance of a work/life balance. In fact, at a recent ZHisland conference in China, entrepreneurs identified three major topics Chinese entrepreneurs are facing, and the first was how to achieve a work/ life balance.

Cesarone says there are different stages when work/life balance varies in value, and when her children were younger, she spent all the time she could with them. She also credits her husband for supporting her when she started ChinaWise, as well as their outstanding teamwork in both taking on any challenge—be it in business or in life.

“I think to build a system of family and work, you have to have good people supporting you as a team,” Cesarone says. “In work or life, you need positive energy.”

Every Number Tells a Story

How Steve Schrader went beyond finance to help Fuyao Glass launch its US operations

By JEFF SILVER

It’s one of the largest automobile-glass producers in the world. Up until 2014, though, Fuyao Glass Industry Group Company LTD had nearly all of its manufacturing facilities located in China. During the 2008/2009 economic downturn, however, many domestic glass manufacturers in the United States either closed or stopped reinvesting in their businesses. Thus, Fuyao Glass recognized an opportunity to establish its presence.

So, in 2014, the company bought two sites: an existing 1.3 million-square-foot float glass plant in Mt. Zion, Illinois, as well as a 1.4 million-square-foot former General Motors assembly plant outside of Dayton, Ohio, that was closed in 2008 by GM. Fuyao immediately started installing new state of the art production equipment at that plant, and mass production began in late 2015. Part of that production is bending, shaping, and assembling output from the Illinois plant before it is sent to various automobile manufacturers.

Steve Schrader, the company’s chief financial officer, played a key role in establishing Fuyao’s US presence, which includes business lines in laminated glass (for OEM

windshields), tempering glass that safely shatters into small pieces on impact for most of the rest of the vehicle, encapsulation (glass-sealed with rubber-like sunroofs), and replacement windshields.

“Launching manufacturing from scratch in a new country is a challenge,” Schrader says. “That’s true even for Fuyao, which already has experience and expertise to understand cost issues down to the smallest production line details.”

The company’s US operations are replicating finely-tuned production processes already in place in China that will ultimately make the Dayton site the largest auto glass plant in the world. To support those efforts, Schrader views his role as encompassing two different realms.

The first is monitoring and guiding financial strategy. During the preproduction phases, that included comparing actual costs to forecasts for capital projects, operating and administrative expenses, and payroll and hiring costs. He also developed tax, auditing, banking, and insurance needs, and established relationships with external partners. Additionally, Schrader was solely responsible for cash management, including ensuring compliance with Chinese government restrictions on the amounts that could

be sent as part of the internal financing that covered substantial portions of the subsidiary’s cash needs.

The second aspect of Schrader’s role extended beyond typical financial considerations. His team assessed key daily production data—output, quality, and equipment downtime levels on all shifts and production lines—against overall objectives. Then, the team analyzed any discrepancies and helped develop solutions.

“We’ll eventually have twenty-four production lines running around the clock,” Schrader explains. “That creates a tremendous amount of data related to costs, but that same data has to be leveraged to come up with practical solutions and improvements.”

That’s made possible, in part, because Fuyao focuses on highly detailed reporting and monthly meetings with upper management to review key performance indicators. Schrader says attention goes beyond the overviews in that most executive teams expect to examine specifics at the invoice level for accounts payable and receivables.

That detailed analysis paid off. The company had its first monthly profit eighteen months after mass production began. “Hitting those numbers so early says a lot about the company,” Schrader says. “Fuyao knows exactly what’s required to deliver a high-quality final product, so we were benchmarking our efforts against their established Chinese factories, which set the bar very high.”

In addition to Fuyao’s leadership taking notice of that success, so too are Schrader’s peers, including Larry Keyler, managing partner of RSM Detroit. He says Schrader has been a visionary for Fuyao and has the ability to anticipate issues, which has allowed for proactive and meaningful solutions.

“His keen understanding of the business processes and technologies has provided a platform for optimal production efficiencies,” Keyler says. “Leveraging these

Steve Schrader CFO

Fuyao Glass America, Inc.

Craig Wilson

“Launching manufacturing from scratch in a new country is a challenge. That’s true even for Fuyao, which already has experience and expertise to understand cost issues down to the smallest production line details.”

STEVE SCHRADER

skills, knowledge, and understanding into the financial strategy and reporting process has positioned the company for a solid foundation for future growth and success.”

One challenge that came as a surprise, though, was completing the hiring process. In the United States, Fuyao had about eight hundred employees at the end of 2015 but needed an additional 1,200 in 2016 for newly awarded OEM programs. A low unemployment rate in the region, especially for manufacturing jobs, made that difficult. The company realized it had to act more aggressively, Schrader says, so it increased salaries for production employees by 15 percent.

“The employment situation stabilized after we reached two thousand employees and, in 2017, turnover and absenteeism went down substantially,” he says. “That allowed us to be more consistent on production output, yield, and equipment availability.”

As the company moves closer to 24/7 production, Schrader says that full staffing may reach three thousand, which will facilitate even greater efficiency and productivity.

Addressing cultural differences was another aspect of establishing Fuyao in the United States. It’s not surprising that merging American and Asian perspectives took

some getting used to, but there were also elements of company culture that had to be taken into consideration. For example, some staff members who were Chinese and came to work in the United States—who Schrader describes as Fuyao’s best and brightest— have been with the company for decades and have precise ways that they expect objectives to be accomplished.

“When we started, my staff was almost all Chinese,” Schrader says. “That presented me with a tremendous learning experience.”

Schrader was also able to find common ground through his belief that numbers tell a story, which is usually crafted to address the specific concerns of particular audiences. Combining that perspective with the company’s detailed reporting practices helped him to create a holistic and comprehensive context to explain the particular elements that contributed to various results and what follow-up steps should be taken to support or correct them.

“Whether you speak English or Chinese, numbers are a universal language,” Schrader says. “They helped create a bridge between us and made it easier to feel that we’re all on the same team and working together to reach the same goals.”

rsmus.com

An Appetite for Impact

At

Clif Bar & Company,

Cristen Lunt energizes an innovative business model that fuels social good

By JENNY DRAPER

IIn 1992, Clif Bar & Company founder Gary Erickson created a better-tasting energy bar following the inspiration of a 175-mile bike ride. Eight years later, he and his wife Kit Crawford walked away from a $120 million offer to sell the company in order to remain private and operate in service of five aspirations: sustaining the business, brands, people, community, and planet.

In the seventeen years since that decision, the company’s accounting leader, Cristen Lunt, has been along for the ride as the organic food company charted its rapid rise to become a household name among adventure seekers everywhere. As the vice president of accounting and corporate controller, Lunt guided Clif Bar & Company to a ten-year compounded annual growth rate of 16 percent.

That sustained growth stems from Clif Bar’s five-aspirations business-model philosophy, Lunt says. The family- and employee-owned company runs on five aspirations or bottom lines, and Lunt’s team pinpoints ways for leadership to grow the business and brands alongside an equal commitment to people, planet, and community.

“We’ve gone from a small start-up to a medium-size company, and that’s challenging and exciting,” Lunt says. “It’s such a great place to work, and we’re learning new things every day. We are a high-growth company, and we continually evolve to meet the demands of our customers and business model. By having multiple bakeries and offices in different time zones, we are making bars twenty-four hours a day.

So from my perspective, we are reliant on strong process, policies, and procedures.”

Guided by the five aspirations, Lunt’s team streamlines and secures the business to allot resources for philanthropic opportunities in and outside of the company.

“At Clif Bar & Company, we see ourselves as owners rather than employees, and teamwork is our secret ingredient to building a successful and thriving business,” Lunt says. “When we go into our communities and do volunteer work, we leverage our team to help build successful and thriving communities.”

Lunt joined Clif Bar as a senior accountant in 2001. That same year, the company launched its community outreach initiative, Clif Corps. The giving and engagement program empowers employees to donate Clif products, money, and time—even during work hours. The program reached a milestone total of 100,000 hours of community service in October 2017.

“Community is a really important aspiration for Clif people, and we have goals each year for employees to volunteer a certain number of hours individually,” she says. “We have an outstanding matching program—raise up to $2,000 for a nonprofit organization and Clif Bar will match that. We do a lot of volunteering as a team, too.”

All-company volunteer days include park restoration and community gardens, and an annual golf tournament has raised more than $500,000 for underprivileged youth. Employees promote nonprofits, such as Meals on Wheels, and partake in “Cool Commute” and “Cool Home” internal programs, which help incentivize eco-friendly alternatives. Since 2008, Clif Bar has scaled its charitable efforts with the “In Good Company” initiative that unites other companies to build larger development projects for communities in need.

Ranked among the “Top Women in Grocery” by Progressive Grocer magazine in 2017, Lunt is fueled by the company’s holistic mission, and she wields her fiscal expertise gleaned over her twenty-two-year career to keep these programs running strong.

Cristen Lunt VP of Accounting, Corporate Controller

Clif Bar & Company

On behalf of Grant Thornton LLP, we congratulate Cristen Lunt of Clif Bar & Co. on her exceptional leadership, accomplishments and commitment to the company’s future.

“We’re leveraging automated processes within our ERP system to process transactions faster,” Lunt says. “At first, I knew everything that was happening. I would review, print, and sign every single check. But as we’ve grown in size and complexity, we’ve replaced manual processes with automation and strong controls to ensure that our finances are accurate and give our team bandwidth to focus on steering other pieces of our five aspirations business model.” For example, all of the accounts payable processing is paperless, and funding is 90 percent electronic, Lunt adds.

Lunt began working as an auditor at Maze & Associates after earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting at St. Mary’s College of California. In 2000, she certified as a public accountant while overseeing accounting for a local division of Tetra Tech. In less than three years at Clif Bar, she was promoted to controller and again to her current roles in 2013.

Now, she’s helping Clif Bar navigate international expansion, and Clif Bar’s products fill store shelves across fifteen countries, including in the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Last June, Clif Bar announced a new location in the Netherlands. Lunt’s team spent the year prior setting up the site’s tax and legal structure to conduct business in various currencies and countries. They also worked in collaboration with IT for the launch of the new foreign entity.

“We are focused on growing our international business because there’s a lot of potential,” Lunt explains. “We needed to understand how Clif Bar Europe operations would transact within an efficient, systematic process that ensures compliance with value-added tax, transfer pricing, local reporting, income-tax requirements, and filing of our regulatory compliance reports.”

Lunt also laid the groundwork for Clif Bar & Company to move part of its manufacturing in-house in 2016 with two owned-and-operated bakeries: one in Indianapolis and the other in Twin Falls, Idaho. This transition has meant in-house production for two of its popular brands, CLIF Bar and Z Bar.

OFF THE CLOCK WITH CRISTEN LUNT

When Cristen Lunt is not streamlining Clif Bar’s finances, she is volunteering as a member of the board of regents at her alma mater, St. Mary’s College of California. She joined the organization in 2014 and has since created a scholarship endowment for the women’s cross country team.

“Part of my success through high school and college was having an outlet,” Lunt says. “Running on the cross country team gave me the confidence and strength that helped me later be very successful in my career. It was important to me to give back to St. Mary’s community in some way.”

Lunt raised $65,000 in an investment account, and all of the interest earned over time can be used by the cross country coach for scholarships for women athletes.

With more than a thousand employees, Clif Bar’s investment in its people is not only good for communities, but also for business. Repeatedly named among Outside magazine’s “Best Places to Work,” Clif Bar fosters high employee engagement through impressive amenities. For example, employees get two and a half hours of paid exercise each week and on-site gyms with free personal training, counseling, and life coaching services.

“When I first saw the opportunity at Clif Bar, it really resonated,” Lunt says. “They believe in work/life balance and not just running a business off of how much money you’re making.”

Grant Thornton LLP understands that an organization’s success is built on more than just talent. It takes leadership, passion and commitment to achieve growth. We are proud to recognize Cristen Lunt, who exemplifies these pillars of success through her exceptional work at Clif Bar & Co. Congratulations, Cristen!

Science for the Art of

How Neil Kleinberg is bringing FinTech M&A due diligence software into the twenty-first century via DiliVer

By JENNY DRAPER

As a four-time entrepreneur, Neil Kleinberg is on the front line of what he describes as the secretive and artsy world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Yet his repeat success throughout his twenty-five-year career has also exposed him to the inherent pains of the full M&A transaction life cycle—the inspiration behind his latest award-winning venture, DiliVer.

The financial technology (FinTech) M&A due diligence software company inaugurated a new enterprise-wide, metrics-based scorecard solution that’s earning accolades, including the prestigious TOP 10 FINTECH SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS—2018 award from CFO Tech Outlook in May. The annual award is given to companies that have “opened the doorways toward new opportunities to literally rewrite tomorrow and can drive the industry forward in entirely new ways.”

“We’re making a mark on the M&A community,” says Kleinberg, DiliVer’s founder and CEO since the company launched in 2014. “Any time you try to disrupt an established environment, validation from reputable, independent sources tells us we’re moving in the right direction, and it is always appreciated.”

Kleinberg invented the DiliVer intellectual property that helps solve “the outcome problem,” referring to the historical lack of post M&A transaction success for combined entities being formed. “This problem may be largely attributed to the widely accepted but highly inefficient M&A deal paradigm, which has a deal team and transaction-focused mindset, and which uses a general purpose and process-driven software tool set to conduct the transaction,” Kleinberg says. “To solve this problem, DiliVer promotes a new paradigm that introduces a combined entity and outcome-focused mindset and an industry-specific and data-driven software tool set.”

From a practical perspective, DiliVer replaces the buyer’s outdated M&A due diligence checklist with a two-tiered scorecard that uses Kleinberg’s proprietary algorithms and key performance indicators to measure the seller’s current enterprise performance, as well as its future growth potential.

In an era when M&A innovations target software products rather than consulting services, DiliVer’s solutions are built from a FinTech M&A platform that comprises three main aspects: a business excellence framework, a process model, and a data model. “When you put those three parts together, it helps companies grow faster through both organic means and inorganic or M&A transaction means,” Kleinberg explains. “The platform principles, guidelines, and rules apply to two different perspectives, whether you’re a buyer evaluating a candidate seller, or a seller wishing to position themselves to become more attractive to a potential buyer as part of its exit strategy.”

Neil Kleinberg Founder & CEO DiliVer LLC

In addition to precipitating better outcomes, DiliVer’s software also provides additional M&A transaction life cycle benefits, including a less painful and more accurate due diligence process. When combined with other M&A software packages, this combination creates better deal sourcing, valuations, and post merger integrations. “We’re trying to add as much modern technology as possible to complement the M&A artwork,” Kleinberg says. “We’re getting better results and relieving a lot of suffering.”

DiliVer’s dexterity across industries reflects Kleinberg’s own career, which spans IT, financial services, national security, healthcare, judicial, public safety, and telecommunications. He warmly describes his evolution from “lead geek” as a technology engineer to management consultant to executive to industry disruptor as the source of crucial insights he needed to apply the principles of performance measurement to vertical markets via enterprise software.

His track record reveals his proof of concept. Prior to DiliVer, Kleinberg served as the director of corporate development at a market-leading enterprise software company after orchestrating the strategic acquisition of his own CRM solutions company, VerticalFalls Software, by Sage in 2007. Previously, he also founded two highgrowth tech companies: EIC, a management consulting firm, as well as NTC—a specialized high-radio-frequency electronics firm.

Kleinberg earned a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering and a master’s degree in computer science at Johns Hopkins University. Outside of DiliVer, he is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, where he teaches M&A, entrepreneurial finance, and corporate governance. He’s also an advisory board member and mentor for many of Hopkins’ organizations, which pairs the CEO’s penchant for next-gen FinTech with his passion for preparing future entrepreneurs. In the Washington, DC, area—near DiliVer’s headquarters in Annapolis, Maryland—Kleinberg mentors at the local chapter of the global accelerator and launch program, the Founder Institute, and is an ambassador at The Center for Advancing Innovation. He has also been a member of an exclusive forum of tech space CEOs, the MindShare Alumni Network, since 2015.

“Usually, start-up founders don’t know what to look for in a mentor,” he says. “Part of the message I tell them is, ‘Don’t try to please everyone. Don’t make adjustments according to the last person you listen to. Find one lead mentor who is proven in your space and who is consistent in their approach from business concept all the way through building and growing your company, rather than multiple mentors with a mixed bag of advice.’”

That continuous exposure to diverse, groundbreaking ideas fuels Kleinberg as he builds his elite FinTech M&A company. From an overarching corporate perspective, in addition to core productivity and efficiency, creativity and effectiveness is a central component to DiliVer’s

brand mission of delivering M&A due diligence solutions to its varied customer base, which includes strategic acquirers, financial acquirers, and all growth stages of sellers. It inspired DiliVer’s cultural mantra, “Science for the Art of M&A,” which Kleinberg cites as one of the company’s key differentiators as it pursues FinTech M&A integrated solutions.

“As a leader, it’s critical that I properly motivate our creative team of superstars to embrace the company strategy for visibility and accountability,” Kleinberg says. “Only as a team working closely together can we innovate and accomplish great things consistently for sustainability and prosperity.”

The DiliVer team is gradually enlightening M&A advisory firms and ecosystem software vendors about the new ways to incorporate its purpose-built FinTech M&A tools into their best financial, legal, and

operational M&A due diligence practices. DiliVer also uses its own scorecard software to measure how it is achieving its goals and meeting its objectives.

“What we provide to customers is exactly what we do for ourselves,” he says. “It all comes down to authenticity. The best leaders walk the walk with their team and their customers. You must be credible. You have to get things done, but you have to do things right. The personal integrity of each individual creates the overarching integrity of the business.”

Kleinberg’s own credibility is evident. His expertise in business optimization, performance measurement, and data analytics is paving the way for new verticals and geographies in DiliVer’s lineup. Looking ahead, he anticipates DiliVer will reach about fifty employees serving more than six hundred customers and generating more

than $20 million in revenue within the next few years.

“The long-term vision is to integrate DiliVer’s M&A due diligence software with other M&A software packages under one tent,”Kleinberg says.“That’s the unicorn opportunity.”

As the early stage company expands, DiliVer will continue to cure some of the most significant pain points in the M&A community as the new gold standard of due diligence.

“We’ve already been approached about being acquired once our next version of software gets us into the cloud with mobile extensions and third-party integrations,” he says. “From a potential acquisition viewpoint, it’s mainly the question of finding the right partner so we can achieve not just the mission of making DiliVer a hallmark of the FinTech M&A market, but also making the new integrated solutions a norm for this market.”

A Fresh Take on Health and Wellness in the Midwest

Mark Doiron brings more than three decades of international grocery experience to the rapidly growing Fresh Thyme Farmers

Market

By LEO HERRERA

Depending on where you live, you’ve either noticed a major shift in people’s eating habits, or you’re only starting to notice now, says Mark Doiron, chief merchant of Fresh Thyme Farmers Market and a food-industry veteran.

He jokes that food trends typically start on the West Coast, hop over to the East Coast, then “ten years later come to the Midwest.” Doiron doesn’t intend for this to be negative, though. Instead, he speaks from experience, and how Fresh Thyme Farmers Market is changing that trend for the region.

After spending the majority of his life in Maine, Doiron and his family relocated to Downers Grove, Illinois, where he says the timing was perfect to join Fresh Thyme Farmers Market. With more than five thousand employees across seventy-two locations, Fresh Thyme has grown rapidly in four years and is now

uniquely positioned for the Midwest market. With a mission to offer natural and organic food at affordable prices, the brand aims to deliver a more customer centric, healthy grocers alternative to eleven states and growing.

“It’s only in the last five or so years that this has started to come to the forefront,” Doiron says.

Doiron’s experience in the food industry is vast. He began his career in food working on an apple orchard at the age of thirteen and worked at the local supermarket as a bagger during high school. Doiron climbed the ranks, and after college, he left an internship with a computer company after finding passion in the interaction between customers and the food industry.

Having enjoyed previous tenures with Delhaize America, Sure Winner Foods, and Schnuck Markets, a recruiter encouraged Doiron to look into Fresh Thyme Farmers Market as a destination. “Having worked in conventional supermarkets for so long,

the whole concept of Fresh Thyme was really intriguing to me,” he recalls.

As Doiron explains, more people are putting greater emphasis on their health and wellness, which has caused conventional supermarkets to struggle to keep up with the pace of consumer demands. That’s where Fresh Thyme is meeting the demand—both when it comes to choices offered, as well as in the facility itself. The design is aimed toward customers who are beginning their own journey of wellness, from the store layout to the products on the shelf.

“People are less interested in long shopping experiences,” Doiron says. “We keep everything in the center low profile. We pride ourselves on being the best at produce.” There’s even a natural living section, Doiron adds, which carries more than eight thousand items, including everything from vitamins and nutriceuticals to natural body care, protein powders, bone broth, and more.

After joining Fresh Thyme, Doiron was tasked with helping to strategize for Fresh Thyme’s growth by developing clear processes and finding new efficiencies. As he explains, natural and organic foods are more expensive, so with produce, oftentimes the supply chain cost is more than the cost of the product. As a start-up, Fresh Thyme didn’t have the luxuries enjoyed by major brands, such as television campaigns or international enterprise systems. Despite that, and even with Fresh Thyme still growing, Doiron says it’s a focus on culture and developing real relationships with people that is making a difference and giving Fresh Thyme the advantage.

“People are gravitating toward local, fresh, organic, and natural foods.”

MARK DOIRON

Mark Doiron Chief Merchant Fresh Thyme Farmers Market

Our Food Choices MAKE A DIFFERENCE

As consumers continue to gravitate toward healthier selections, Fresh Thyme is providing an array of organic and natural foods.

“When you do the right things with people—hire, train, develop, and encourage them—the rest falls into place,” Doiron says. “We are a people business that just happens to sell natural, organic food.”

Contributing to those efforts is the Fresh Thyme team, who Doiron speaks highly of, as well as the organization’s customers and business partners. He refers to Fresh Thyme’s employees as teammates, and he says the company invests a significant amount of energy into training and development, providing the team with an abundance of benefits and encouragement.

When it comes to developing partnerships, Doiron trains his team to be masters in the art of negotiation and value creation. “Your greatest leverage in any negotiation is if you have built a relationship and there’s trust,” he explains.

Fresh Thyme saves on costs by creating partnerships through grassroots initiatives: giving back to the community, buying from local breweries and farmers, helping raise money for their cause, and more. All of these initiatives align to ultimately create value for the customer. Doiron also emphasizes that it’s

healthy food and healthy values that function as the key differentiators for the organization. “The average family can shop at Fresh Thyme because we really make a commitment to being priced competitively,” he says. “We’re a farmers market seven days a week.”

Staying relevant in the food industry also requires constant analysis and movement. Fresh Thyme needs to continue its emphasis on staying on top of food trends. For instance, the benefits of cauliflower are becoming more well-known thanks to televised endorsements, which can go viral quickly. To help meet that demand of customers buying produce on their smartphones, Fresh Thyme recently added home delivery through mobile.

“If we stand still, we will not be a thriving business,” Doiron says. “It’s a recipe for going out of existence. The world is changing.”

Nevertheless, Fresh Thyme is keeping pace and growing at an exponential rate. Although food trends tend to start on the coasts, it’s in the Midwest where Fresh Thyme is successfully taking on the responsibility to improve health and wellness. “People are gravitating toward local, fresh, organic, and natural foods,” Doiron says.

Jake Armour Photography

Fueling New Beginnings at Key Energy Services

As the company emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it’s Eddie Picard’s management style that is helping to develop fresh financial insights and solutions

By JEFF SILVER

There are not many energy industry professionals who are quick to cite George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as role models who acted as “humble servants of tremendous character, who weren’t driven by ego but by service and putting others ahead of themselves.”

Still, Eddie Picard’s approach is different from many leaders. Coming from a Big Four accounting background, he has developed a unique management style that forges close relationships with colleagues and has played a substantial role in helping Key Energy Services successfully emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The result is a more efficient and profitable company that provides comprehensive onshore energy production services.

Picard says it is quite common for senior executives to lose authentic connections with peers and subordinates. That may occur because of workload, title—which

can intimidate others—or something as simple as personal ego. Picard, Key Energy’s vice president and controller, points out that no matter the reason, it can hinder a team’s ability to fully understand and effectively resolve business issues.

“Supervisors have to be able to manage and connect with people at all levels,” Picard explains. “It helps avoid the risk of worrying more about our own status than about problem-solving for the betterment of the group.”

Picard learned to be authentic and approachable in his relationships with all employees by modeling his behavior from supervisors whom he admired over the course of his career.

They knew each team member by name, encouraged them to participate and to speak openly and honestly in meetings, and actively discovered ways to help improve team members’ professional and personal well-being. “Staying approachable and treating people with respect and dignity has opened many doors in my career because it fosters trust, facilitates open dialogue, and creates opportunities to resolve issues,” Picard says. “People end up sharing important information that you wouldn’t know about otherwise.”

He has evidence that his approach works. In one instance, he learned that a line of business at Key Energy was turning away customers that the company needed soon after its bankruptcy filing. A colleague initially dismissed the information, but later took the time to investigate and confirm the details Picard reported. The same colleague eventually moved his office from the executive suite to the operations floor and began dressing more casually in order be more approachable.

On another occasion, at a leadership team meeting, ideas were requested to help grow earnings. Picard was the only participant to offer a recommendation, suggesting the addition of a full-time vice president to focus on coiled tubing—a line of business related to hydraulic fracturing that had been cold stacked during the energy downturn. The idea was rejected, but Picard continued to develop relationships, build trust, and revisited his suggestion. Nine months later, the new position was created, and coiled tubing came to represent more than 70 percent of Key Energy’s 2018 earnings plan.

As part of the bankruptcy process, Picard and his team were also responsible for implementing fresh-start accounting for the company, a substantial project that required two months of late nights at the office—about the same amount of time that it took for Picard to gain the team’s trust and respect.

“My immediate concern was to keep the team together and to mold them into a high performance finance organization,” Picard recalls. “No

“Staying approachable and treating people with respect and dignity has opened many doors in my career because it fosters trust, facilitates open dialogue, and creates opportunities to resolve issues.”

EDDIE PICARD

Eddie

Controller

Picard VP,

Key Energy Services

Courtesy of Eddie Picard

amount of assuring them that bankruptcy would make us stronger would accomplish that. I had to connect with them as a real person who truly cares about them.”

Picard began addressing long overlooked departmental issues, including overdue promotions and salary increases.

“When I told the team that I do what I say I’m going to do, they looked at me as if to say, ‘We’ve heard this before,’” Picard says. “When I came back with approvals, they were very surprised.”

One of the steps toward becoming a high-performance finance organization was to change how the company’s general ledger is managed. Previously, each department reconciled its own accounts without reporting back to the finance team. Picard assigned two individuals to review account reconciliations from each department and ensure that all accounts within the general ledger were complete, reasonable, and aligned to the highest levels in the reporting structure. This uncovered and addressed several existing issues, as well as created a more efficient and fully integrated process.

In addition to having helped guide difficult decisions related to layoffs, adopting spending controls, and divesting business that was unrelated to Key Energy’s core competencies, Picard often provides what he describes as career and life counseling questions. When those situations arise, he is guided by his faith—which calls for treating others with dignity and respect—and by what he has learned as the father of five daughters and two sons.

One of his core nuggets of wisdom is advising younger team members to consider that they “become their experience.” Much the same as he has advised his college-aged children, he tells them to think about what they want to become so that they can position themselves to gain the appropriate knowledge and experience to move in the desired direction.

“Having a large department is very similar to having a large family,” Picard says. “As children get older, their questions become more significant and more complicated, but you can’t avoid them. You have to be open to being challenged, to be vulnerable, and to keep the lines of communication open.”

How WalkMe Enabled SelfService for HR at Hershey

The digital adoption platform simplifies any organization’s digital assets for the overwhelmed user, including for employees at The Hershey Company

By CHARLENE OLDHAM

The Hershey Company employs roughly 15,000 people around the world, but just a few years ago, the multinational candymaker was using an HR platform that dated back to a time before some of its youngest employees could sink their teeth into that iconic milk chocolate bar.

“HR was actually working off a system that hadn’t significantly changed for twenty years. It was highly customized, couldn’t really do everything we wanted it to do, and certainly couldn’t get to any futuristic, on-demand support, or advanced employee self-service,” recalls Sean Kirlin, Hershey’s director for HR operations.

So in 2016, Hershey embarked on a massive resource planning and platform change that encompassed a number of areas, including HR. As a result, employees had to master a new system, SuccessFactors, to handle everything from changing dependents on insurance forms to hiring someone new in their department. That shift affected everyone from Hershey’s HR business partners to managers and production workers.

“It was a huge change for us, and we were hoping as part of it to remove HR business partners as a middleman for common

Sean Kirlin Director of HR Operations

The Hershey Company

Courtesy

transactions and enable manager and employee self-service,” Kirlin explains. “It was a monumental change management task not just in changing the system, but also changing the roles within transactions.”

In those situations, many companies may turn to traditional change management methods such as instructional videos and knowledge articles. Hershey’s HR team knew that would not be enough to shepherd everyone through such a significant shift. Rather, Hershey imagined an innovative approach to this HR transformation that would provide employees with real-time guidance through a new system—one that would empower them to perform the newly expanded set of processes and transactions.

That’s where WalkMe comes in. WalkMe is a pioneer of the digital adoption platform (DAP) that acts as a real-time road map to help users navigate web-based programs, software, and systems. Through the platform’s Walk-Thrus, users can navigate an online process from start to finish following clear and straightforward directions given in the Walk-Thrus tip balloons overlaid on the screen. Walk-Thrus have become an effective means for support, training, and promotional purposes.

Now used by thousands of enterprises globally across all industries, WalkMe provides pop-up messages, reminder notifications, and familiar tips that employees can access to get additional information about an unfamiliar term or item.

By using the system, employees are more productive and more likely to self-serve, and businesses can appreciate the full value of digital assets.

“It helped us achieve an employee experience that wasn’t previously possible,” Kirlin says. “When employees are in our newly implemented system, they know they’re only one click away from getting immediate assistance via WalkMe.”

Across industries, the exponential number of changing platforms is leaving employees overwhelmed and underproductive. WalkMe changes all of that by providing a virtual layer of proactive help

“It was a huge change for us, and we were hoping as part of it to remove HR business partners as a middleman for common transactions and enable manager and employee self-service.”

SEAN KIRLIN

and guidance at the exact point and time that they are needed, which ensures users can easily get the right information at the right spot. WalkMe also seamlessly helps employees access systems in their preferred language, change personal information, or complete more complex transactions—such as processing annual performance reviews and incentive payments.

Although WalkMe has only been in place since 2017, Hershey is seeing strong employee engagement with the platform, especially at times when the HR department is flooded with calls from managers trying to navigate parts of the HR system they only access annually.

“We used it to support all of our year-end processes. Performance management was executed with support from WalkMe, and there was a significant decrease in laborious one-on-one support thanks to our employees’ ability to self-serve,” Kirlin says. “The impact was so substantial that Hershey decided to invest in WalkMe for a handful of SAP enterprise applications to drive additional learning and productivity gains for our employees.”

Rather than seeing their expanded capabilities as a burden, managers are finding that the new HR system and the on-demand

guidance provided by WalkMe allows them more freedom and flexibility in the way they work. For example, managers can work directly with the company’s recruitment team to find and hire a new employee for their department rather than using an HR business partner as a bridge to execute system transactions.

“They can do things themselves without having to pick up the phone or send an email and rely upon someone,” Kirlin says. “So, the real selling point for managers was more efficiency and self-sufficiency.”

With about 15,000 employees globally, Hershey’s greatest asset is its people, which is why the company invests in employee empowerment as a strategy for the longterm. Hershey’s innovative approach to HR through smart investments, like its partnership with WalkMe, has allowed the company to deliver on its employee commitment.

At WalkMe, we make interfacing with digital systems easy for everyone, allowing enterprises and their employees to keep pace with the speed of innovation and transformation. WalkMe is honored to be selected as a key partner in implementing successful change management that concurrently reduces the training and support burden for Hershey and other Fortune 500 enterprises.

The Voice & the Guardian

At Canon Solutions America, the customers aren’t just right—they’re also the innovators

By DAN CAFFREY

As the eternal saying goes, the customer is always right. But Canon Solutions America takes the saying one—or many steps—further. The customer isn’t merely right. They’re instrumental to organizational development. Just ask Pete Kowalczuk, the company’s current president, who was promoted from executive vice president of enterprise services and solutions in January 2018.

Kowalczuk joined Canon Solutions America in 1984, when the small subsidiary he worked at, Ambassador Office Equipment, was bought by Canon, along with three other dealerships. To this day, they function together as Canon Solutions America, Canon’s business-to-business sales organization that services, sells, and supports a range of document-imaging hardware products and

software solutions created by the company. Those include Therefore, IRIS, and uniFLOW, among others.

Canon Solutions America also brings in third-party software solutions to help round out its portfolio and address various customer needs. The printers, scanners, fax machines, hardware, and other products range anywhere from $2,000 to several million dollars.

So, there’s the surface-level financial relationship between Canon Solutions America and its customers: the subsidiary sells equipment and is responsible for its upkeep via an ever-evolving break/fix service. Thus, it benefits Canon Solutions America to do right by its clients.

Pete Kowalczuk President

uniFLOW:

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uniFLOW is a software platform for all your print, scan, and device management, designed to bring the full value of multi-functional printers, scan devices and large format printers to your organization.

uniFLOW’s secure printing functionality allows users to send sensitive documents to network printers from both desktops and mobile devices. Documents will only be printed when the user is physically standing at the device.

Unique features and technologies make uniFLOW a powerful software tool that maximizes security while increasing business productivity.

The uniFLOW solution for office printing recently got reviewed by BLI, an independent test laboratory.

“The better we do, the better measurable key performance indicators we can offer. It allows us to be more proactive in how we approach our customers, which allows us to be more productive.”

PETE KOWALCZUK

Find more information on uniflow.global.

“The better we do, the better measurable key performance indicators we can offer,” Kowalczuk says. “It allows us to be more proactive in how we approach our customers, which allows us to be more productive.”

The bedrock of Canon Solutions America’s ethos goes beyond simply being transactional. As Kowalczuk explains, the company’s goal is to be both the voice and the guardian of the customer.

“When you think about it from a voice perspective, you have technology and needs that are constantly changing for our customers,” Kowalczuk says. “We’re the tip of the spear. We’re the first-line to the interaction with our customers and getting their feedback—understanding what they need, what they want, what our products do well, what they could do better.”

Once Canon Solutions America has the appropriate information from a customer—

whether it’s feedback about an existing product or something brand-new they would like to see—it gets sent to Canon’s research and development (R&D) organizations in Japan, Netherlands, and Germany. From there, R&D reaches out to customers for more feedback, and then uses it to improve the current product line.

“We push a lot of updates for software and so on through our current products,” Kowalczuk says. “We don’t just wait for the next generation of product to come out to improve. We’ll take customer feedback and improve it as we go. More importantly, we’ll use the information about our technology and what the hopes are for the customer to improve our product line long-term and come out with new products. That’s how we become the voice of our customer.”

In terms of guardianship, Canon Solutions America strives to protect its customers at

all costs, especially as security threats have evolved and become more Byzantine since Kowalczuk arrived at the company.

“Security is the be-all and end-all right now,” Kowalczuk says. “At one point, seemingly no one cared about it. Then there was a news report that came, out and everyone worried about the data on multifunction device hard drives. So we were very proactive in providing a number of different options. We also provide a white paper about hard drive encryption, so people fully comprehended how we went above and beyond what the industry was doing at the time. We also offered a number of alternate ways to get rid of the hard drive.”

To put it bluntly, times have changed. “Those were the simple times,” Kowalczuk recalls with a laugh. Now, due to the increased complexity and likelihood of data breaches, Canon Solutions America educates its customers on the five pillars of security it offers and how those offerings help to mitigate security risks.

“It depends on how much they want to get involved—how much they believe security’s going to impact their business,” Kowalczuk says. “Obviously, when we get to larger customers and get involved with documents that are much more sensitive, security becomes a bigger issue. We have a multitude of software products that are both Canon-owned, such as uniFLOW, which help protect customer prints by requiring someone to badge in or authenticate the device. Unless you badge in, you can’t print from those devices. That helps prevent confidential information sitting out on a printer or multifunctional device. We educate from that perspective.”

In addition to Canon-owned and developed products, Canon Solutions America offers several third-party solutions for added protection, including Vera, which focuses on cloud-based data security, as

well as Box, which comes with a fireproof system of information governance.

“Governance is a key element to security,” he says. “Customers want the ability to demonstrate who touched that document, who saw that document, and who had access to it.”

Finally, Canon Solutions America has an alliance with a cybersecurity firm that it can refer its customers to if they want even more protection and options, which results in more guardianship. But Kowalczuk is hesitant to take credit for that initiative. As with just about everything at Canon Solutions America, the idea started with the customer.

“They’re telling us that this is what we need to embrace even further,” Kowalczuk says. “We’ve been taking it to the next degree because, from our enterprise services and solutions production customer council, we learned that some of our commercial print customers have evolved into transpromotional printing or commercial printing or medical printing. We sat in a production council meeting with them for three days and they kept coming back to us, ‘We want to get into medical printing. We want to get into financial printing. How do we get there?’ That’s why we have the cybersecurity specialist relationship.”

As for the future, the constantly evolving technological landscape makes it difficult to predict where the industry will go regarding both products and cybersecurity. Whatever happens, Canon Solutions America will be ready.

“The good part about Canon overall is that we’re always investing in technology,” Kowalczuk says. “We’ve been a top five patent holder in the US for a long time. And with me stepping into this role, I’m excited to drive an agenda even more focused on our customers and our employees. That’s the root of our success. We’re going to continue listening to our customers.”

EMPOWERING WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

Pete Kowalczuk’s work goes beyond helping products and customers grow at Canon Solutions America. Several years ago, the president of Canon USA’s customer service organization started Women In Leadership Levels. When Kowalczuk was asked to join, he gladly agreed.

“It’s been an excellent program for us as we expand and create more committees focused on providing women more opportunities to grow and develop,” Kowalczuk says. “One of the key programs that I was a chairman of is the Women In Leadership Levels mentoring program. We’re now in our third year and have enjoyed lot of great success.”

The New Definition of Contemporary Family

As family construct evolves, Nazca Fontes and her team at ConceiveAbilities are at the forefront of best practices in surrogacy, egg donation, and redefining misguided perceptions

By DANNY CIAMPRONE Photos by GILLIAN FRY

Nazca Fontes Founder, CEO ConceiveAbilities

AA little more than twenty-five years ago, a fictional character sparked a nationwide debate and shattered preconceived social norms. Murphy Brown was more than a journalist and television news anchor—she was debunking the perception of women in the workplace contrived decades earlier. Played by Candice Bergen, Murphy Brown was in her forties, divorced, and had a child outside of marriage. It was 1992, and Murphy Brown’s narrative shocked and inspired audiences.

The polarity of the character only grew when Vice President Dan Quayle, speaking about family values, criticized the show, stating that Murphy Brown’s decision mocked the importance of fathers, calling the choice to bear a child alone “just another lifestyle choice.” The comments garnered a response from the show on September 21, 1992, when Brown’s character stated: “Perhaps it’s time for the vice president to expand his definition and recognize that, whether by choice or circumstances, families come in all shapes and sizes.”

With that bold statement, the changing tide in the United States was officially in full force. To this day, the evolution of the contemporary family continues.

“Focusing on the contemporary family is based on everything that has been evolving up to this moment in time, and it isn't static,” explains Nazca Fontes, founder and CEO of ConceiveAbilities. “It's more than just family building in the modern world. It is the notion of taking modern technology—coupled with evolving cultural norms and laws—and using that as a framework for an individual's needs and desires to have family fulfillment. It’s building a family in their own way, on their own terms. And it will constantly change as technology, cultural shifts, and people want to harness the best of what is available.”

Today, we’re witnessing those shifting models of parenthood and family, Fontes continues. It’s not uncommon to see single mothers by choice, single fathers by choice, or same-sex couples pursuing surrogacy as an option. Surrogacy is also a common option pursued when it comes to gender selection, as well as preimplantation genetic testing to prevent hereditary diseases, Fontes says.

Four years after that episode of Murphy Brown aired, Fontes founded ConceiveAbilities, a Chicago-based agency that provides resources for egg donation, assists with matching parents with surrogates, and coordinates gestational surrogacy—which unlike traditional surrogacy, creates no genetic link from surrogate mother to child.

“When I started ConceiveAbilities, egg donation was something that was just coming into its own as a commercial viability for intended parents,” Fontes recalls. “Before that period of time, it was relatively

unknown, and it really wasn’t widely practiced in the field of infertility.”

Today, ConceiveAbilities has grown into one of the most renowned agencies for egg donation and surrogacy in the nation. Partnering with physicians and intended parents around the world in aiding in family reproduction, ConceiveAbilities has developed a high-quality reputation in the industry through client interaction, transparency, and its unique Matching Matters process. The program includes prescreening surrogate candidates for both medical and psychological criteria, and all surrogates and egg donors are vetted with strict standards to increase the chances for an ideal match.

Through Match Matters, about 95 percent of intended parents are matched with the first surrogate presented. Engagement is also typically fifteen months, as opposed to eighteen to twenty-four months or longer at other agencies, which is a credit to ConceiveAbilities’ combination of service and speed that give it an industry advantage—a key factor that clients look for when pursing an agency.

That also removes any high risk elements of an unsecured match so that clients realize the family of their dreams in a little more than a year’s time. Just as ConceiveAbilities has grown over the past two decades, so too has the construct of the contemporary family. What was once considered controversial after Murphy Brown raised a child as a single mother is now just one way families are shaped today. Surrogacy and egg donation are now deliberate choices by intended parents as a means for family creation.

Fontes says one of the primary catalysts for that change has been the wider acceptance of same-sex marriage in recent years, and she also points to the advent of social media and ubiquity of the internet as another reason for the culture shift in accepting surrogacy. Now, people can go online and see single mothers and fathers who intentionally choose to be single parents, as well as witness the success stories and joyful beginnings of real people who pursue these options.

“Surrogacy and egg donation used to be the last resort option,” Fontes says. “Obviously, we help those who do find themselves at this juncture in their family building and this is sometimes the last resort as a medical treatment, but for others, it is more of a deliberate and cautious decision to build a family. It’s pursued with joy and excitement that we live in a time where this is possible.”

In an industry that deals with life itself, sensitivity and understanding are of the utmost importance. Fontes says families need to be confident that they are in the hands of a company that puts their interests first and offers

A CLOSER LOOK AT US PROVISIONAL BIRTH RATES

The provisional number of births for the United States in 2017 was about 3.8 million, which is down 2 percent from 2016 and the lowest number in thirty years, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Additionally, the general fertility rate was roughly sixty births per one thousand women aged 15–44, which is down 3 percent from 2016 and is another record low in the United States, according to the CDC’s report. Live births and general fertility rates: United States, final 1970—2016 and provisional 2017

SOURCE: NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Natality

“Focusing on the contemporary family is based on everything that has been evolving up to this moment in time, and it isn't static.”

NAZCA FONTES

the professional support to carry out the process. That process, according to Fontes, does not stop when a match is made for surrogacy. As a highly reputable and premier choice, ConceiveAbilities brings forth a team of experts—be it a medical team, legal team, counselors, therapists, insurance agents, and more—as support for the growing family.

Having that knowledgeable team is crucial when it comes to surrogacy because it is a deeply complex process. Fontes says that although there are many well-intentioned surrogacy advocates, there can also be a lack of oversight and expertise, which results in poor business practices that can create negative connotations for those pursing surrogacy as an option. It’s not only here where ConceiveAbilities has stood out as the gold standard in the industry as a company, but also where the team itself embraces core beliefs to lead with courage, boldness, and further build upon an acclaimed reputation.

“It stems from my own upbringing and challenges I've had to face and overcome,” Fontes says. “It comes from facing the daily obstacles of moving a rapidly growing company forward. What I have found is that ConceiveAbilities tends to attract people with very similar, tenacious characteristics. It takes courage and strength to be an egg donor, a gestational surrogate, and an intended parent, and those qualities are ones that resonate deeply with this team. Many of us have been on that side of the equation and care deeply about the difference we are making not just to the families we help grow, but also on the social fabric we help to influence.”

Courage, along with boldness, directly correlate with ConceiveAbilities’ mission

at larger: For the Pursuit of Family. Fontes says that a fertility patient used to only be a consumer of contemporary family building options such as egg donation, preimplantation genetic testing, surrogacy, and more. Now, just as patients have become bolder and better informed as they pursue those options as choices, so too has ConceiveAbilities.

“It’s all about bold family choices, which break through traditional constructs of treatments that were once thought of a last resorts,” Fontes says.

Fontes and ConceiveAbilities are leading the evolution that the writers of Murphy Brown helped inspire decades ago, but there is still work to be done in changing the perception of what is considered the contemporary family—especially when it comes to societal judgment of women’s reproductive choices. Women now have the ability to exercise choices not only when, but in how they can build their family. With or without a partner, surrogacy now supplements in vitro fertilization (IVF), egg freezing, sperm donation, and egg donation, which creates control for people when it comes to timing opportunities rather than pursuing various technologies that were once considered a last resort.

“I think traditionally we’re supposed to want to carry our own children, we’re supposed to want to enter into the traditional construct of family, but life unfolds in a variety of ways, at different times for different people,” Fontes says. “Where there was once no altering the biological destiny of parenthood, and motherhood, in particular, we now have the ability to face different paths of wellthought-out choices on one’s personal and professional situation in life.”

CONCEIVEABILITIES’

GLOBAL REACH

Although headquartered in Chicago, ConceiveAbilities serves families from six continents with a core belief that all who have the desire to pursue a family, deserve a family, says Nazca Fontes.

Global demand for surrogacy and egg donation continue to rise in popularity as an option for intended parents, but international couples can face strict regulation due to laws and regulations. Additionally, Fontes says that ConceiveAbilities needs to be aware of cultural differences while still keeping the mission of the company top of mind.

“There’s a learning curve that goes along with understanding cultural differences, but when it comes to the deeply rooted desire to overcome any obstacle to have a family, there are universal understandings we all share,” she explains. “We do have to flex and pivot often depending upon the cultural needs of our client base, but learning is part of what makes this work energizing and enlightening. We all gain a richer and deeper understanding of our global citizens when we embark together on something truly life changing.”

Differences are strengths. Unique perspectives not only strengthen a company but empower its workforce to go further together and embrace every challenge with a forward-thinking approach. The executives in this section share why a commitment to D&I touches all aspects of an organization, and how these principles should be emulated in every industry.

GREENSPOON MARDER p134

UNITED AIRLINES p144

CUMMINGS p148

MOODY’S p152

NEW YORK LIFE p156

Eight of Greenspoon Marder’s top leaders tell Profile how a culture of empowering women and diversity came about organically— and how that shared mind-set has further strengthened the nearly forty-year-old firm

Words By Danny Ciamprone

Photos By Gillian Fry

the early 1980s, two men— Gerald Greenspoon and Michael E. Marder—founded Greenspoon Marder LLP.

But this story isn’t just theirs.

Rather, it’s a story thirty-nine years in the making about the firm’s women —recruited and empowered by Gerald and Michael—who today not only occupy most of the leadership positions throughout every department of the company, but who are also setting an unprecedented standard in corporate America.

Across the US business landscape, women make up only about 27 percent of executive and senior-level officials and managers, according to a recent report from Catalyst. In the legal field, women make up 45 percent of associates, but only 23 percent of partners, according to a report from the American Bar Association.

The statistics at Greenspoon Marder, a national, full-service Am Law 200 and NLJ full-service business law firm, paint quite a different picture. More than 465 women make up 60 percent of Greenspoon Marder’s total employees with leadership in every department—including HR, accounting, legal, marketing, and more.

“Our firm didn't recruit and retain all these women from a diversity program or based on a strategy per se. It happened organically,” says Michelle Martinez Reyes, chief marketing officer for Greenspoon Marder. “It happened by selecting the talent and the individuals who were the best fit culturally.”

Martinez Reyes and seven of Greenspoon Marder’s top leaders gathered at the firm’s headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a roundtable discussion with Profile about how the distinctive Greenspoon Marder culture came about naturally, the struggles women face at other organizations, and why celebrating diversity has strengthened the firm’s relationship with their clients, as well as the people and communities in which they live and work.

At Greenspoon Marder, women account for 60 percent of the workforce, and hold leadership positions across

every department. Eight of the firm’s top leaders (above) spoke with Profile about the culture of inclusivity.

Myrna L. Maysonet, Partner

I started working here in 2001, and when I started there weren’t a lot of women. I had just come from the US Navy, where I was a lieutenant and a JAG, so I was used to being around men all the time because there aren’t that many women in power in the armed forces either. What’s different about this law firm is that we embrace each other. I have learned a lot from Michael, and he has learned a lot from me. I had somebody that I could share my thoughts with, and he saw me as an equal. We understood that we need different voices because diversity helps you, and little by little, more women came into the firm. Rebecca Bratter came in, and we also learned a lot from each other. I am very proud when I look around the room here and I see so many women, and this law firm is so blessed to have all these people and so many more.

Dana L. Somerstein, Associate

I think it all goes back to the culture of the firm as a whole.

As a younger attorney, I saw my role models in the women that we hired. When you see yourself in a role model, it makes you more comfortable and more able to go out and ask questions, especially when there’s a steep learning curve coming out of law school.

Because everyone is more comfortable here, I think there is certainly an increased growth for individual attorneys, and seeing that success in our younger attorneys in preparing the next generation in the best way possible. We all want to feel successful in what we’re doing, and we can really have that ongoing mentorship and support as needed.

Beth-Ann E. Krimsky, Partner

I really feel that initiatives haven’t formally been needed in this firm because men and women have that same quality mind-set already. I’ve never felt that I was treated any differently here because I was a woman.

I am a trial lawyer, so I also believe that diversity helps us at all levels because we do truly learn from each other, and it helps us craft better solutions for our clients and make better arguments because we can understand that the people who are listening to us are not all the same. I think we are hired sometimes for that reason because clients want to make sure they’re working with a law firm who appreciates all aspects of diversity.

Deborah Baker-Egozi, Partner

I have to say that in the legal profession, I have found there is so much talk about diversity and the advancement of women. We’re dragged into conference rooms, and we’re shown PowerPoints. We’re tired of PowerPoints, and we’re tired of diversity programs. During my interview at Greenspoon Marder, Rebecca Bratter was there, a woman who is younger than I am, and she said, ‘What can we do to have you and your clients succeed?’ They demonstrate that without a PowerPoint and without some ridiculous education program. There are no glass ceilings here. It’s laughable that my gender would ever hinder me here or anywhere else in terms of advancement, and it comes back to that.

Rebecca Faith Bratter, Deputy Managing Partner

You can get mentorship in every department, but many of us also have our own stories. If there’s one thing that all of us preach, it’s that you can have whatever position you want. If you’re willing to put in the time and the effort, then it doesn’t matter where you started in this law firm.

Alicia Lewis, Associate

I also think the men in our firm are positive role models, as well. It’s great to have such amazing women to work with, but as associates, it’s important to feel like I have a seat at the table. My boss, a male partner, really encouraged me to not just have a seat at the table, but have an acting seat at the table. I’m often the only minority or woman in the room, and I know the communities where people live, where minorities live, where women live. It makes me feel empowered to know I have women that I can look up to and also that I have role models who are men that support me and genuinely want to see me succeed.

Rachel K. Gillette, Partner

I don’t really think about promoting women on a daily basis because I feel completely empowered as a woman in this law firm. I work with a lot of women in Denver, and my philosophy is that I want people to be successful, and I want them to want to come to work. I also can really appreciate the necessity to have your own life and commitments to your family.

Michelle Martinez Reyes, Chief Marketing Officer

I worked in Biglaw and within larger organizations the majority of my career, and I was trained to assimilate to be like the guys. You have to act like the guys, be like the guys. What I thought was very unique about Greenspoon Marder is that we’re not told to assimilate to be like anyone other than ourselves. We’re encouraged to be individuals, contribute to the fabric of our culture, and ultimately are included in what continually creates and drives this firm. I dare to say that most of us work at Greenspoon Marder because of Gerry and/or Michael. They are not only the names on the marquee, but they’re also the heart and muscle behind the firm’s success and its people.

Baker-Egozi: One of the things that I like too is that we have Rebecca, Michelle, and other women in charge, and they’re really in charge. They’re not figureheads. It wouldn’t dawn on me to go to anybody but Rebecca for a lawyer issue or anybody but Michelle for a marketing issue, because they’re given the power to do their job and do it well.

Somerstein: To echo those points, I’m in a banking profession, so I do transactional law, and it is still very much a boys club. I think we’ve all had the feeling that you have to be in the boys’ club, and being at Greenspoon Marder, it gave me the courage and confidence to be myself and to have confidence in my own ideas and my own talents as an attorney. We are encouraged to do things our own way.

Gillette: The only time that I feel like I’m a woman in the legal profession is actually when I’ve been in conversations with male attorneys and they say something and I think, “There’s no way they would’ve said that to me if I was a man.” I can think of a ton of those statements, and it’s unfortunate, but it still happens to this day.

Bratter: Gerry Greenspoon and Michael Marder welcomed me to this firm over fifteen years ago and have given me, as well as everyone else at this firm, an amazing opportunity to not just work and make a living, but to grow and learn and build our careers here with their guidance and support every step of the way. The men behind the women are just as important as the woman along all the lines of our organization.

Martinez Reyes: Greenspoon Marder is powered by incredible women and men who make it happen every day because we believe our differences make us a stronger whole, and collaboration is one the core elements of success. The ethos of the firm starts with both Gerry and Michael and emanates from all of the people at the firm—almost eight hundred of them today—at all levels. This is a machine, and the machine has all types of people who are so important to everything that we do. I think that’s most important because that’s something that people forget. It’s the lawyers and the staff at every level that create this distinctive organization, from the top-down and bottom-up, a real team—our #GMFamily.

According to a 2018 report from Catalyst, women make up 44 percent of the overall S&P 500 labor force. But the further up the ranks you look, the fewer women there are. In the same labor pool, women make up:

percent of first/mid-level officials and managers

percent of executive/senior-level officials and managers

percent of board seat holders

percent of CEOs

In the legal profession, according to the American Bar Association, 45 percent of private practice associates are women, but women account for only 23 percent of partners, and 19 percent of equity partners.

By Dan Caffrey

At United Airlines, Mike Henning found a home he loves for its emphasis on travel, diversity and inclusion, and pro bono work

matter where he lives, Mike Henning always has the same home.

As of press time, he’s been in Chicago for less than a year, living in the city’s booming West Loop neighborhood. Before that, he was in Houston for eighteen years—first as an attorney handling commercial and intellectual property (IP) litigation matters at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, and then as litigation and regulatory counsel for Continental Airlines. After Continental Airlines merged with United Airlines in 2010, Henning served in various litigation and IP roles, and eventually became the assistant general counsel of litigation and IP for United Airlines in February 2017.

A promotion to head of litigation and IP eventually brought him to United’s Corporate Support Center in the Windy City in April 2018. However, because several of his team members are still based in Houston, he often finds himself hopping back-and-forth between the two cities.

Despite being in a period of drastic geographical transition, Henning feels grounded. He feels at home, largely because he and United Airlines are such a strong match.

“My experience with commercial and IP litigation, as well as my love of traveling, have been a really good fit,” Henning says. “I’ve been to all fifty states, and I think fifty-six countries. I still have to get to Antarctica.”

When he’s in Chicago or Houston, Henning makes it a point to hold one-on-one meetings with direct reports twice a month and conduct meetings once a month with his entire IP and litigation team—currently made up of eleven people. These sessions may consist of workload assessments, advice on both ends, or simply checking in with each other.

“We have a great company culture, and I really work hard to maintain that,” Henning says. “That’s not just lip service. We don’t just come into work and do our jobs. We get to know one another and consider one another great friends.”

Part of why Henning loves the culture at United Airlines comes from the high value the company places on both diversity and inclusion and pro bono work. He currently cochairs the Texas Minority Counsel program, which hosts a diversity conference every year in Texas.

“It’s well attended and provides attorneys with great networking opportunities,” he says. “What we do here at United is send two attorneys every year to the conference to interview diverse counsel, with a focus on women- and minority-owned firms. It’s one of the best conferences I’ve attended, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of it.”

Mike Henning, Head of Litigation, IP, United Airlines

On the pro bono end, Henning says United has a pro bono committee, which he chaired in 2009.

“Since that time, our participation has steadily increased,” he says. “The various issues are vetted through the committee, but it ranges from civil asset forfeiture work to asylum cases to doing tax preparation for low-income individuals.”

Henning’s efforts in pro bono have also caught the attention of his peers, who share his inspiration for giving back.

“Kirkland and United share a commitment to diversity and passion for pro bono work,” says Linda K. Myers, P.C., partner, at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. “It is gratifying to partner with Mike and United on their legal matters, as well as meaningful social responsibility initiatives that make a difference.”

As of late, Henning has partnered with the Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA). Although CGLA’s name comes from the storied, mostly demolished public housing project, the nonprofit organization assists low-income Chicagoans from any neighborhood with free legal advice and representation. Its four areas of law are family, housing, criminal defense, and the clearing of criminal records. In June, Henning had a successful hearing on a civil asset forfeiture case. Having become licensed in Illinois in November 2017, he’s now looking for more pro bono opportunities.

He isn’t the only one. In the legal department, United Airlines logged nearly 1,800 hours of pro bono work in 2017, with a 72 percent participation rate.

“ We d o n’t

just c o me int o w o rk and d o o ur j o bs.

We get t o kn o w o ne an o ther and c o nsider o ne an o ther great friends. ”

“We are each tasked with volunteering the amount of time that we want to do,” he says. “And you can do that work during business hours.”

In addition to being morally important and beneficial to society at large, pro bono work also makes for better counsel, according to Henning.

“It makes the day interesting,” he says. “It gives us opportunities to interact with clients in situations we may not normally get to participate in. It also gives us trial experience. We want to make sure that our skills stay sharp. We want to be able to formulate strategies for everything, from the smallest case to the biggest case we have.”

Henning and his team view all of their cases—pro bono, United Airlines, or otherwise—through the lens of what he refers to as “360 litigation.” The concept is to see a case through from its earliest stages, far in advance of a lawsuit being filed, to well past its formal conclusion, Henning explains.

“Once the litigation is over, we’ll set up lessons-learned meetings with various business stakeholders to go over what happened in the case, as well recommendations going forward, so that we don’t see those claims arise again,” Henning says, referring specifically to United Airlines’ cases as an example. “It’s full-circle. We don’t just come in when a case is filed and go away when a case is dismissed. We partner with our stakeholders throughout the life of a matter to make sure that the company’s interests are protected.”

At United Airlines, Henning looks forward to protecting those interests for years to come. After all, it’s important to protect your home.

By Jenny Draper

Sharon Barner champions diverse thinking within her legal team and around the business table to inspire new opportunities for growth at Cummins

year marks the centennial for service engine innovator Cummins, thanks to a century of guardians protecting and cultivating its technologies. Now a billion-dollar enterprise, the Fortune 500 global power leader is looking ahead through the leadership of intellectual property (IP) maven Sharon Barner. As vice president and general counsel, Barner is proving that diversity of thought at the leadership table is just as essential to strengthening Cummins as the variety of services that generated the company’s legacy.

Founded in 1919 in Columbus, Indiana, the designer, manufacturer, and distributor of diesel and natural gas engines today serves customers around the world at more than seven thousand locations in 190 countries and territories. A juggernaut in the heavy equipment industry, Cummins empowers its teams to set new standards in efficiency and performance—validated by its $20.4 billion sales in 2017. With more than 55,000 employees across six continents, Barner knows that creating opportunities for talent to thrive at Cummins is crucial to its high achieving track record, and she’s leading by example.

“I spent thirty years in large law firms, and then Cummins came and plucked me away not because I was unhappy, but because it presented

a great opportunity for me,” said Barner in an interview with Bloomberg ’s Big Law Business . “When you look at in-house departments and find more women and more minorities in-house, it’s because we can offer great careers, great practice, great legal opportunities, and more lawyers are finding those things attractive.”

Prior to joining Cummins, Barner served as deputy undersecretary of commerce for the IP and deputy director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She spearheaded fifteen foreign missions in two years, meeting with leaders in government and academia about the impact of IP on business innovation. Yet Barner spent most of her legal career in private practice. In fact, she recently led more than two hundred IP lawyers at Chicago firm Foley & Lardner LLP.

When Barner arrived at Cummins in 2012, she continued to prioritize a strong team based on a crucial blend of high expertise and diversity. With that in mind, she initially hired thirty people—practically doubling the legal team from twenty-six to fifty-six attorneys—and in doing so, Barner reshaped the legal department. She increased her team demographics from less than 50 percent being minorities and women to 67 percent.

Barner also reduced the number of outside law firms that Cummins held on retainer from 150 to 22, and guided her decisions based on the value of diversity. As a result, the number of minority leadership partners

Sharon Barner, VP, General Counsel, Cummins

that Cummins works with as liaisons with its outside counsel has increased from zero to four, while the number of women leadership partners has also increased from one to three.

“As a law firm, you can decide whether you want to help me focus on diversity as one of my issues or not,” Barner said in an interview with Bloomberg ’s Big Law Business. “I don’t make you stay on the preferred list, but if you’re going to be on it, here are the things that we value—both from the legal function and as a company as a whole.”

To do so, Barner also tracks the number of hours and consistency that diverse lawyers are spending on Cummins’ projects and evaluates the metrics every six months—ensuring that 50 percent of hours are clocked by diverse lawyers.

“That is also our effort to ensure that law firms are not only hiring, but retaining the best talent by giving them opportunity and visibility on the client’s work,” she added in the interview. “This is an area where I’m partnering with the law firm, where there’s a lot of discussion where they can hire diverse and women lawyers but they cannot retain them, and this is a critical part of the tension.”

Barner’s own track record of success is clear. After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Syracuse University and a juris doctor at the University of Michigan, her ensuing legal career garnered attention. The National Law Journal named her as one of the “50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America” in 2008, and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois championed her work with the 2011 Women of Vision award. In 2013, she received the 2013 American Inns of Court Professionalism award for the 7th Circuit, and Law & Politics Media Inc. named her an Illinois “Super Lawyer” for her IP litigation work.

Now at Cummins, Barner continues to focus on developing the ways her team—both internal and external—can excel as business partners. In addition to managing risk and compliance effectively and efficiently, Barner encourages each legal executive to partake in strategic business meetings. She believes that helps create a deeper understanding of the business and legal’s role among the different functions—from HR to IT to finance—as they interact and operate relevant to their departmental roles as legal counsel.

Barner’s emphasis on knowing the business inside and out has propelled the business trajectory forward. As a global operation, her legal expertise is an integral aspect of joint ventures on a massive scale for the global company. She champions the legal department’s involvement at every phase of the process, especially when legal can transform the initial steps into major leaps toward success.

For example, Cummins acquired low-voltage battery packs producer Brammo in 2017 and Johnson Matthey’s automotive battery systems business in 2018 to expand its energy storage options for customers.

Although the products that Cummins produces include many literal moving parts—fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control, and electrical power generation systems—Barner and her legal team manage the many aspects of its business strategy, as well. Her approach revolves around promoting diverse ways of thinking within her teams, and she believes that it’s that cross-pollination of ideas from different backgrounds that empowers companies such as Cummins to grow and thrive.

By Danny Ciamprone

Jennifer Stula Rivera was raised on a foundation of giving back to others. Now at Moody’s, she helps the global company give back to the world at large with a three-part strategy built around corporate responsibility and strengthening the bottom line.

talking to Jennifer Stula Rivera, it’s immediately clear why giving back isn’t a simple notion for her. Growing up in a working-class family, and being the first in her family to graduate from a four-year college, a strong work ethic and the importance of paying it forward was ingrained in Rivera.

Years later, and having earned an advanced degree in education and counseling, Rivera wanted to work with a population of students who could benefit most from quality teachers and role models. Her teaching career began at a residential juvenile facility for adolescent males, all of whom were suffering from substance abuse addiction and mental health issues.

“It certainly was not without its challenges, but it was an extremely rewarding position,” Rivera recalls. “I learned so much from the experience—probably more than the students did—about the way in which you respect people and the value of diversity and inclusion. If you are that genuine in life and in everything that you do, then it generally has positive attributes.”

Rivera, who was recently named one of the CSR Responsible 100 by City & State New York magazine, finds that notion of valuing diverse opinions is reflected throughout the culture of Moody’s—a global provider of credit ratings, research, tools, and analysis that contribute to transparent and integrated financial markets—where Rivera serves today as vice president, corporate social responsibility. In April 2018, Moody’s announced its new corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, which empowers people around the world to have a better future. Across all of these areas, Moody’s values of diversity and inclusion serve as a lens through which to evaluate its CSR efforts and investments.

“Our new approach to CSR ties to everything Moody’s does as a company, from our business initiatives and products to our internal sustainability programs,” Rivera says. “It encompasses much more than philanthropy and employee engagement activities. As we expand globally, we will be more intentional about our societal engagement to create pathways for people around the world to have a better future. Our new, comprehensive approach to CSR creates a closer bond between the business and our CSR efforts. It will help Moody’s drive longer-term impact on our business and in the larger world.”

Moody’s CSR team, under the direction of Arlene Isaacs-Lowe, global head of CSR, spent most of 2017 developing the strategy with major stakeholders worldwide including employees, partners, and more to develop a strategy that encompassed the entire company with three key focus areas.

1. Empower People with Financial Knowledge

Many entrepreneurs around the world struggle to gain basic financial management skills or qualify for loans to help grow their businesses. As a result, Moody’s launched Reshape Tomorrow, a global initiative that aims to promote greater financial inclusion by bringing more small business owners—especially women and members of untapped groups in developing markets—looking to grow their enterprises vital access to credit information as well as training to build essential business skills.

“Before an entrepreneur or small business owner can even get the funding they need, they have to acquire the tools and know-how to navigate the financial world,” Rivera says. “Understanding that through the lens of credit is really where Moody’s expertise lies and is authentically where we can add value through our people, products and services.”

For instance, in the United States, small businesses create more than 60 percent of new jobs, but they struggle to access credit for loans. In China, small businesses generate about 60 percent of the GDP, but 66 percent of those businesses lack access to financing, Rivera says. It’s a pattern that happens around the globe.

“Women-owned small businesses generate significant value, but they face tremendous barriers,” Rivera explains. “We'll be working with partners around the world to empower promising men and women who want to grow their enterprises. We've activated this strategy just over the last couple

Jennifer Stula Rivera, VP, Corporate Social Responsibility, Moody’s

of months, and it’s one of the things that I think is very exciting and really aligns to Moody's core competencies and our culture of collaboration and inclusion.”

2. Activating an Environmentally Sustainable Future

As Rivera explains, the environment is a newer area of the focus for CSR activity, but focusing on the environment is not new to Moody’s. In fact, Moody’s Investors Service has been incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into its credit analysis for years.

“Our work gives investors the information they need to invest in environmentally beneficial projects,” says Rivera, who is also a cofounder for both the Environmental Task Force as well as the Generational Employee Resource Group. “By providing transparent, consistent, and standardized approaches, we’re helping to power decisions on investments and projects that contribute to a more sustainable future.”

By enhancing the way that Moody’s incorporates ESG into its credit analysis, it helps issuers understand the impact that these factors have on their business and credit quality.

A focus on the environment, as well as working for a purpose-driven company, is especially appealing for incoming talent, particularly millennials. Nearly 70 percent of millennials surveyed said they wanted to make a positive difference in the world, and 81 percent said a business needs to have a genuine purpose, according to a recent survey by American Express.

“It’s important for companies to continue to understand, appreciate, and meet the specific needs of the different generations,” Rivera says. “It better positions companies to attract, recruit, and retain the most talented employees and adds to their competitive advantage.”

As younger generations further enter the workforce, Moody’s has become a destination for Generation X and millennials. Rivera, who has been with Moody’s for more than ten years, says it’s the company’s culture and inclusive environment that also lend to providing that indispensable workplace.

“It’s been a tremendous journey,” Rivera says. “The company has provided me with so many fantastic opportunities and truly values the contributions and opinions of all its employees validating our employee value proposition ‘we have impact, so will you.’ I have seen that firsthand over the years within a culture that is extremely collaborative and progressive. I’m a vice president in arguably one of the most exciting fields in financial services, but I’m also the breadwinner and have the privilege of working for a company that values flexible working arrangements. For me being able to care for a young family at home while holding an incredibly rewarding and important position for an organization that has been recognized in Working Mother magazine’s 100 Best Companies list for the last two years makes me incredibly proud and fuels my ambition and loyalty to an amazing brand.”

“ O ur new appr o ach t o CSR ties t o everything M oo dy's d o es as a c o mpany, fr o m o ur

3. Help Young People Reach Their Potential

Helping young people reach their potential by opening greater opportunities for untapped students and young adults ages 15–24 to prepare for successful careers in technology, economics and finance—as well as developing a diverse and inclusive talent pipeline—is one of the CSR focus areas that Rivera is most passionate about given her background in education.

Today’s students and young adults will drive the next wave of advances that shape our society, yet many young people struggle with economic and cultural barriers, a lack of professional role models, and other challenges that hold them back, Rivera says. Moody’s believes that by sharing its expertise, the company can help young people from untapped communities build brighter futures.

Moody’s employees mentor students of all ages and a range of backgrounds to support their early-career talent and professional development. For example, Moody’s partners with Girls Inc. of New York City, on the Moody’s Generation Giga Girls (G3) Data Analytics elective course, which teaches high-school girls about data analytics and critical thinking.

“With these programs, we want to build a fairer and more just society,” Rivera says. “This is building social fabric and belonging for people who live in the community. It's also lending to diversify the workforce in five, ten years, when these girls go on to college and aspire to study technology. We know that there is a gap for women in tech careers, and Moody’s is committed to helping close that gap.”

Having served as a teacher, Rivera knew she could add value to developing this program, and she currently sits on the program’s curriculum development advisory council. “The first year when we piloted this program, we learned a lot about what worked and didn't work. It was important to have people in the classroom as well as the mentors and volunteers who the girls could relate to,” she says. “We digitized the curriculum and worked with the girls to model avatars after them. We made some adjustments in year two to make sure the teacher who came into that classroom looked like the girls and could relate to the girls. Those were huge differentials. It was amazing the difference that it made, and I’m so proud to have been able to bring that to light for the organization.”

Heading into the implementation phase with the new CSR strategy, Rivera says it’s an exciting time for Moody’s. From an investment standpoint, she and her team recently closed on a request for proposal for the signature initiative Reshape Tomorrow.

“The CSR team is scouring through proposals submitted from all over the globe,” she says. “But we are looking for so much more than simply offering funding. We are looking for partners who will leverage the time and talent of our people as well as our products and services to work together to open the door to a better future. It’s going to be an exciting path ahead.”

At Moody’s, the core of our business is to provide insights that help equip participants in the global financial markets to understand risks and move forward with critical insight. Our approach to corporate social responsibility is rooted in that same belief. We’re empowering people with the knowledge, resources and confidence they need to create a better future for themselves, their communities and the environment. Learn

By Jenny Draper

At New York Life, Cheryl James contributes to the insurance giant’s culture of inclusion by ensuring community giving is always on the docket

Cheryl James, Associate General Counsel, New York Life

more than 170 years, New York Life has assisted people in need, and now Cheryl James is ushering in a new era of social good. From the New York City headquarters on Madison Avenue to the nearly twenty thousand agents and employees across the country, the associate general counsel wields the multibillion-dollar company’s resources to promote diversity and philanthropy across one of the largest life insurers in the world.

“Diverse life experiences create new ways of thinking,” James says. “You get such a wealth of information from different viewpoints, and when everyone has the opportunity to express themselves we can innovate and solve problems in the most effective ways.”

For four consecutive years, the Fortune 100 company’s inclusive culture has earned it a spot on DiversityInc ’s annual Top 50 list—a testament not only to its values, but also its commitment to action through diversity-management initiatives. Recently, the National Association for Female Executives also ranked New York Life on its Top 50 list, and today one of its legal leaders is ensuring broad cultural and intellectual perspectives continue to strengthen the business, as well as the community.

As the daughter of an attorney and a judge, James grew up in Brooklyn witnessing her parents pay it forward. James recalls how after church, members of the congregation would often approach her mother for advice, and she would always make time to answer questions and facilitate introductions within her network.

“That lesson stuck with me,” James says. “My parents always taught me that it is my responsibility to give back.”

Inspired by her family’s positive impact, James earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at New York University and a juris doctor at the Columbia University School of Law. She launched and developed her litigation career at the international law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in New York. She also clerked for Judge George B. Daniels of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York for two years—an experience James says uniquely prepared her to be an insurance litigator at New York Life.

“As a federal law clerk, you handle all sorts of different cases,” James explains. “Observing the judge's perspective on pending matters and tackling new areas of law in which I had no experience helped shape how I practice now—do your research, ask the right questions, and be open to creative solutions. With that strategy, I am able to approach any legal or business issue that comes before me here at New York Life.”

Drawn to the strong litigation practice and culture, James joined New York Life in January 2017. That year, the company launched its #InclusionMatters Challenge, in which employees formed teams to complete inclusion tasks such as unconscious bias training and advertise unique experiences of colleagues on the company’s intranet.

Upon joining New York Life, James immediately became involved in the numerous service initiatives at the company. The legal leader helps coordinate activities for the

“ When every o ne has the o pp o rtunity t o express themselves, we can inn o vate and s o lve pr o blems in the m o st effective ways. ”

company’s month of service and charitable giving campaigns, in which fundraisers such as bake sales and a charity bike ride raise money for community initiatives.

James is also a member of the pro bono committee that helps facilitate opportunities for members of the New York Life legal team to use their legal expertise to give back to the community. Her team reaches out to nonprofits that provide legal services in New York City and organizes projects that attorneys can jump into.

It’s all part of James’s motto to lead by example. For instance, she joined the Young Professionals Board for Breakthrough New York. The nonprofit organization prepares low-income middle and high school students for university.

“It’s frustrating to see the discrepancy in the education of minority and underprivileged youth,” James says. “Facilitating their success is a cause near and dear to my heart.”

She is also a member of the core leadership team for the African American employee resource group. It is one of seven ERGs at New York

Life, which also includes the Asian Network, Enable, Latino, NYL Pride, NYL Vets, and the Women’s Initiative. The group champions collaboration and professional development through company-wide workshops and events.

New York Life also launched the Coming Together Conversation Series in November 2016, an annual forum for open conversations about inclusion issues, from racial anxiety and hate crimes to free speech and gender bias, among others.

Although New York Life has earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index and its diversity efforts are recognized by Forbes , Working Mother, and Latina Style Magazine, its top accomplishment may be the longevity of its workforce. New York Life is a company where people never want to leave, according to James. Its culture, built on “doing the right thing,” provides ample sources of pride for employees such as James who are propelling New York Life into a brighter future.

When she’s not handling litigation or promoting pro bono opportunities at New York Life, Cheryl James is looking for other ways to pay it forward. Her involvement in the networking organization Corporate Counsel Women of Color is one of the ways she gives back.

“As a woman of color, there are barriers to feeling like you have a seat at the table—we all deal with a bit of impostor syndrome,” James says. “But this community really breaks through that. You are exposed to all of these phenomenal women of color who are at the top of their field—general counsel, law firm partners, and directors of nonprofits. They make you realize that you too can achieve great things.”

Since 2004, the nonprofit group has inspired more than three thousand women in the United States, Canada, Asia, Africa, and Europe to support mentorship and global diversity in the legal world.

It’s an incredible network of supportive women who are influencing each other’s lives,” James says. “As a junior attorney, I was fortunate to meet amazing mentors through the organization who encouraged me to pursue my goals and clued me in on the building blocks to success. Now I’m in a position to have those same conversations with women coming up behind me, and it’s been such a rewarding experience.”

PROUD TO WORK ALONGSIDE

CHERYL JAMES AND NEW YORK LIFE

“Cheryl brings great judgment and decisiveness to her role as in-house counsel. It has been our pleasure to work with her on matters of importance to this long-term client.”

— JOHN BOLUS, SHAREHOLDER Financial Services Litigation

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CULTURE

The Reason to Come to Work

HUB International’s Amber Kennelly traveled across North America to listen to her coworkers and leaders, which fostered more employee engagement at a $2 billion company that still emphasizes an entrepreneurial spirit

By PAUL SNYDER

John Abbott

Amber Kennelly CHRO

HUB International

WWhen Amber Kennelly joined Chicago-based HUB International in June 2017, she didn’t just take a seat at her new desk and get to work. She hit the road.

“I spent the first three months listening,” recalls Kennelly, HUB’s chief human resources officer. “I traveled around North America, going to different offices, talking to different managers and employees, asking what’s working, what’s not, what they wanted on my radar—even what they would change or adjust in our organization. I visited several different offices, and I saw the same themes percolating.”

Kennelly, who had previously worked in human resources at both Allstate and Esurance, knows the key to an effective workforce is a high degree of employee engagement. Rather than talk the talk from behind a computer screen, she walked the walk and met face-toface with employees and company leadership.

That takes some doing for a company the size of HUB. As an insurance broker that operates 450 offices throughout North America, there are a lot of opinions and factors to take into consideration. Nevertheless, the results of Kennelly’s introductory “listening tour” produced three main takeaways: provide information to ensure employees feel connected to the company and understand its direction and strategy; increase communication to employees to increase engagement, ultimately producing better interaction with customers; and celebrate successes and increase recognition opportunities for employees.

“I was brought in to help enable HUB to achieve its strategic and transformational objectives and do this from a place of understanding where we’ve been and the successes we’ve enjoyed,” Kennelly explains.

The challenge at the company, as compared with her previous employers, is that HUB—even as a $2 billion company with more than 11,000 employees—still feels like a start-up. There’s a drive to keep that sense of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, even as the organization continues to grow and acquire other companies.

She was well prepared to take on that challenge, as Kennelly studied accounting as an undergrad at the University of Illinois. As a result, she says that appreciating how business decisions influence customers, understanding the financial results, and being able to “speak the language of business,” goes a long way.

“I’m a firm believer that you can’t really understand how and why business decisions are made unless you understand how they affect customers and drive revenue—and ultimately affect the financial statements. Having an appreciation for how the business serves its customers, makes revenue, what the key income and expense drivers are, and how the company reports these results is really important,” she says. “If you understand the key business drivers, where leaders might feel pressure and what success looks like, then you find yourself a lot more connected to your company strategy and your role in it. We’ve been working as an HR team to increase our knowledge in this space to ensure we are able to support our employees in feeling this connection to HUB and its strategy.”

Beyond employee engagement surveys and a better sense of communication between leadership and employees—which Kennelly credits new CEO Marc Cohen for fostering—there’s a great deal of emphasis placed on maintaining the company’s culture, where values include entrepreneurship, integrity, teamwork, accountability, and service.

Kennelly also praises Instant Alliance, a staffing and recruiting firm based in Chicago, for assisting HUB International to identify the best talent. In particular, she credits Mirjana Schultz, president of Instant Alliance, who she has known for more than fifteen years.

“I have found Mirjana’s customer focus, responsiveness, collaboration, and engagement to be consistently and reliably strong,” Kennelly says. “She has a highly engaged and knowledgeable team, too, helping to meet our needs. I depend on her as a partner in the talent space and very much appreciate my relationship with her and her team.”

“As I think about employee engagement, it’s really about making sure that level of connection is there and that they feel empowered to provide ideas, create value, and come up with interesting solutions.”

AMBER KENNELLY

When HUB brings new members onto its team, Kennelly says the traits she and others look for include agility, self-direction, and intellectual curiosity, as well as the more typical traits of strong interpersonal skills, results driven collaboration, and having a strong focus on consumers.

When it comes to an acquisition, those traits are also sought out, but Kennelly adds it’s essential in the role of HR to assuage any concerns that new employees may have, especially considering the volume of acquisitions that take place each year at HUB International—fifty-two in 2017 and thirty-five in 2018, as of time of press.

“I’m very comfortable with change,” she says. “But, I certainly appreciate that not everyone is this comfortable with change. When we are working with new employees as a part of an acquisition, we try to help them feel more comfortable during the onboarding process. Our role in human resources is to make sure we’re available for future HUB employees and to really be supportive of each other. That might be answering questions, understanding concerns, and basically being their support through the process. Ultimately, we always want to make sure we’re helping serve each other and the customer in the best way possible.”

Instant Alliance o ers Human Capital Strategies that build competitive advantages for your business. We understand that there is nothing more important that identifying strong, innovative leaders for your organization. at’s why we work side-by-side with your executive team to understand what your company needs to drive growth. Contact Mirjana Schultz at mschultz@instantalliance.com for more information on our executive search and RPO o erings.

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Kennelly says much of the philosophy she engenders in her role is inspired by Simon Sinek and his book Start With Why The passage that has stuck with her to the point of informing her work reads: “Give people a reason to come to work—not just a place to work.”

“As I think about employee engagement, it’s really about making sure that level of connection is there and that they feel empowered to provide ideas, create value, and come up with interesting solutions. If they feel empowered to better serve the customer, then that ultimately makes the whole company better.”

It also solidifies the culture at HUB. “I get a lot of satisfaction from having the opportunity to partner with others and build something new,” she says. “I represent HR, but I have a business background, so I appreciate being an active part of our strategic business discussions. It’s rewarding to be able to influence how we’re doing what we’re doing, and that sense of collaboration is strong at all levels here. We all have the chance to try something different, be creative, or do something valuable in the future.”

Congratulations to Amber Kennelly on this well-deserved recognition! Instant Alliance’s president, Mirjana Schultz, has partnered with HUB International and focused on identifying strategic, executive talent. Through partnerships like these, Instant Alliance is able to recruit transformational talent that helps companies meet their core business goals. To learn more, contact Mirjana Schultz at mschultz@instantalliance.com

Congratulations to Amber Kennelly on this well-deserved honor. Slayton Search Partners supports the insurance industry in attracting and acquiring talented insurance executives amidst the changing dynamics of the field. We appreciate our long-term relationship with HUB International as they continue to grow and find better ways to serve their clients.

OFF THE CLOCK WITH AMBER KENNELLY

Amber Kennelly last ran a marathon in 1999 when she had first met her now husband.

Three children and nineteen years later, she’s training to run another 26.2 miles in the Chicago Marathon.

“Between this job that I love, three children and a husband that I love, I have a lot going on every day,” she says. “I set a pretty big goal for myself so that I’m taking care of myself. I’ve done a number of half marathons, which helps me do the training I need to do, but twenty-six miles is a long run, and I’m not the type of person that can go out there and run it without working hard on it. It’s more about motivating myself and giving myself the headspace to completely unplug from everything else. I’m just going to finish and enjoy it.”

Amy Morrissey Is Changing the Perception of Processes

The general counsel shares why strategic initiatives, such as bridging generational gaps, are crucial to further strengthen FusionStorm’s culture

By CLINT WORTHINGTON

There are five generations that make up today’s US workforce—Generation Z, millennials, Generation X, baby boomers, and traditionalists. As a result, clear communication between generational gaps is one of the most challenging areas for any company.

When leading a group of people, particularly if members vary widely in age, it’s important to understand that opinions and perspective can differ, says Amy Morrissey, senior vice president and general counsel of FusionStorm, a provider of IT and remote support services solutions to a variety of industries. Millennials respond to leadership approaches differently than baby boomers, and so goes the same for other generations. To address differences between generational gaps, Morrissey conducts research to find out what motivates a company veteran as opposed to new hires.

“It doesn’t matter what’s important to me, but what’s important to them,”Morrissey says.“What motivates them?”

In addition to conducting those studies, Morrissey emphasizes the value in networking with other leaders who are facing similar dilemmas when it comes to bridging generational gaps—especially considering the importance of further strengthening FusionStorm’s already robust foundation and corporate culture. “I’m known as the process person at FusionStorm,” says Morrissey, noting that she has laid claim to thirty-one different processes initiated at the company.

Occasionally, implementing these processes can be difficult because sales or engineering teams can be resistant if they find it difficult to learn the intricacies surrounding a specific project. To address those hurdles, Morrissey has two rules for successful processes: make the process simple, and then educate. “Don’t be prescriptive,” she says, adding that using webinars, live telepresence, and live interactive training summits help teach new processes in a collaborative, present way— especially when it pertains to providing education for different generations.

Next, Morrissey says that a process is only as good as how you deal with its exceptions. “A good process has exceptions, but doesn’t let those exceptions be the rule,” she says.

As an eleven-year veteran of the venerated IT consulting firm, all of those efforts have further contributed to Morrissey’s tireless work ethic in helping to strengthen the company’s culture, including finding solutions to those generation gaps and forming cohesive teams.

Before working in corporate law, Morrissey initially wanted to be a trial attorney. Shortly after receiving her doctor of law degree from the New England School of Law, she earned her first preview of the corporate world as a legal assistant for Thomas H. Lee Company. “It was something I didn’t think I’d be interested in,” Morrissey recalls. However, she soon found that corporate law appealed to her, especially once she moved to the corporate division of Boston firm Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP. “It all came easy to me,” she continues. “I didn’t know corporate law was my passion.”

Still hoping to work as a trial lawyer, Morrissey worked as an assistant district attorney in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, for two years. She soon grew dissatisfied, though, with the way the system worked in appellate and trial law. Once she discovered FusionStorm, Morrissey says she was intrigued that it wasn’t a “lifestyle company,” where employees worked nine-to-five, then clocked out. “It’s a demanding job, and every day there’s a new challenge.”

Morrissey also responded positively to the focus on customer service and risk tolerance that she found in the company’s culture from the beginning, but she saw room for improvement. One of the first aspects she noticed was the need to serve internal customers as well as external customers.

“We don’t have to be friends with everybody, but you have to know them as people. You need to make them feel important and that their viewpoint is important.”

AMY MORRISSEY

FusionStorm’s corporate culture emphasizes the traditional end user above all else, but Morrissey saw the value in teaching the company to value the different departments internally just as much as customers. “We never thought of ourselves as internal customers,” Morrissey recalls.

Now, one of Morrissey’s major projects has been to find ways to form and organize cohesive teams within the corporate culture of FusionStorm. In shifting the company’s purview toward internal customers, each department has become customer service reps first and attorneys, operations, or IT workers second. “We were very siloed and stuck in our own department,” says

Morrissey, adding that it made inter-department communication difficult.

To that end, she began developing cross-collaborative teams to help departments work together more cohesively, rather than prescriptively solving each other’s problems with externally-crafted processes that are difficult to understand. “It’s not fair to send out a solution and train the internal customer on what we think the process should be,” Morrissey says. Instead, departments get input on the process and work collaboratively to serve their specific needs.

“We don’t have to be friends with everybody, but you have to know them as people,” she continues. “You need to make them feel important and that their viewpoint is important.”

Because of her efforts, FusionStorm has developed a strong culture that is much more adaptable to new processes. Instead of treating process as a negative word, Morrissey’s work allowed the company to change its perception of process to a change that eases departmental strain and makes everyone’s jobs easier. “People are more accepting of the processes we’ve developed,” she says.

It’s a credit to her ability to change the perception of processes within the company. Whether that’s through creating more cohesive teams or addressing generational gaps, Morrissey continues to strengthen FusionStorm’s corporate culture every day.

Klein & Wilson congratulates Amy Morrissey on her well-deserved honors. Her dedication and thoughtfulness guided her company through difficult times to achieve great results. Often, general counsel do not get credit for the stellar results they achieve. It is great to see Amy get the recognition she earns every day.

Unified Vision

HilltopSecurities’ Brian Wittneben

shares how bringing two companies together postmerger has resulted in a stronger foundation based on family values

By LEO HERRERA

“I look at our legal department and what we try to do here as a work family,” explains Brian Wittneben.

“If the family is not communicating with each other, then nobody knows what anyone’s doing. We can’t provide good service to the business if we’re not communicating.”

As general counsel for HilltopSecurities, Wittneben incorporates this notion daily as he oversees the in-house legal department of the diversified financial services firm based in Dallas. A registered broker-dealer and investment advisor, HilltopSecurities’ primary services include public finance, capital markets, wealth management, structured finance, clearing services, and securities lending.

“It’s a pretty complex web of various business lines, which makes legal somewhat complicated because we can be working with any of these groups on a day-to-day basis,” Wittneben says.

To add another layer to that complexity, Wittneben had to foster communication during HilltopSecurities’ merger, when the firm was created through the combination of two separate companies known as FirstSouthwest and Southwest Securities. Located only three blocks from one another on the same street, the two legacy companies were true competitors in public banking, capital

markets, clearing, and other services before uniting under common ownership in 2015.

That may have been an overwhelming feat for some, but Wittneben earned his stripes after weathering the dot-com collapse as an outside lawyer in the corporate world, as well as the 2008 financial crisis as an in-house lawyer. “The perspectives are a little different, but the stress is similar,” Wittneben says.

The lessons and experiences from those turbulent periods would become key to his success as general counsel. After the dotcom bubble burst, Wittneben eventually went in-house as associate general counsel for FirstSouthwest. In 2009, he became general counsel.

On a daily basis, Wittneben takes on a variety of tasks ranging from employment law and IT to contracts and litigation. But a vast majority of his time is spent counseling other team members—typically when it comes to decision-making. “In the regulatory space, not everything is either black or white,” he says. “It’s really about the spectrum of risk based on all the rules and regulations that we’re subject to and knowing how to stay between the lines.”

That’s the area that becomes most time-consuming. Wittneben says that since the financial crisis, he and his team had to work with additional layers of regulation, mostly resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act.

As a result, they’ve worked with various federal and state regulatory agencies. While the work and business have remained intact, “you have to check ten boxes to prove what you did was appropriate.”

Despite the regulations, the scrutiny, and the nature of the day-to-day business, Wittneben repeatedly highlights three themes that helped him through the merger process in the past two years. The first was the idea of teamwork—more specifically, building an autonomous team. Wittneben emphasizes that his schedule could not allow for wasted activity, especially something such as micromanaging.

“We need people who are independently thinking self-starters, who don’t need somebody to sit beside them,” he says. In fact, Wittneben uses a metaphor to further describe HilltopSecurities’ team: instead of employing a brigade of soldiers, their department is more like a special forces team—tight-knit and highly collaborative.

Next, he reiterates the importance of clear, detailed communication, and keeping everyone on the same page. At the start of the merger, he highlighted how there were new relationship dynamics to work through: issues involving trust and control. Reiterating the family metaphor, he compared it to combining two divorced families. The total result had to be greater than just the sum of the two parts.

Brian Wittneben General Counsel HilltopSecurities

To ensure the best communication, Wittneben encourages traditional habits, such as having direct interactions and sharing the same physical space. “It’s a lot easier to come to an understanding when you can actually ask meaningful questions and understand where each person is coming from,” Wittneben says.

For example, he notes that there is a shift in email communication habits toward shorter messages—the consequence of rapid-fire social media and text messaging trends. “It’s quicker and more casual,” he says. “That can be a huge challenge in legal or even compliance because you want everything to be formal and self-explanatory.”

Finally, Wittneben stresses the importance of maintaining consistency in the business and being open to new ideas.

“It’s nearly impossible for you to know everything you need to know,” Wittneben says. “There are so many rules and regulations involved in our business. You learn

something new every week. You can’t get to a position where your ego is such that you’re saying, ‘I know everything. I have an answer for everything.’ Because you won’t. And if you do, you’re going to go down a pretty dangerous road.”

HilltopSecurities’ mission isn’t to be the biggest; it’s to be the best. And Wittneben’s philosophy of teamwork and collaboration is the formula for success. “What’s exciting is not knowing necessarily everything that’s going to happen that day,” he says. “It’s exciting to have people come to you with issues and genuinely seek out your advice. I want my people to know I care about them, I appreciate them, and we’re all working through this together.”

And at the end of the day, just like a family, Wittneben says it’s all about celebrating the wins and having fun as a team. “Especially in today’s environment, people don’t just work for the check. There has to be more than a check. We have to care about each other,” he says.

congratulates Brian Wittneben and is proud to partner with Hilltop

Securities

The University of California is Nothing More Than People

When Dwaine B. Duckett arrived at the University of California to improve its HR strategy, he discovered there wasn’t one. This is a timeline of how he created it.

By DAN CAFFREY

When asked what the HR strategy was like when he first arrived at the University of California in 2009, Dwaine B. Duckett bluntly explains that there wasn’t one, which was not uncommon for higher education.

“The HR function lacked identity, purpose, and a strategic direction,” explains Duckett, who works from the university system’s office of the president in Oakland. “It was almost purely transactional in nature, and very little time was spent applying organizational context to HR activity.”

As vice president of systemwide HR, it was up to Duckett to change that. With nearly two hundred thousand employees across the university system—including faculty, staff, maintenance personnel, law enforcement, and more spread across ten campuses and various medical centers—that wouldn’t be an easy task.

But Duckett’s HR strategy is designed to be ongoing and all-encompassing. Although it began in early 2009, it’s far from over. Here, Duckett breaks down his strategy into three distinct eras with varying goals, tactics, and analyses in place.

PREPLANNING (2009)

After starting at the University of California, Duckett’s first task was reconnaissance, asking HR employees at the Oakland office what they perceived their job to be and why they were doing it. That took place during half-day sessions with each of the various groups within HR and its respective leaders. His core question was hyperspecific.

“I asked them, ‘If you had a magic wand and were king or queen for a day, what would you change about what you’re doing?’” he says.

After hearing everyone’s answers, he extended the discussion to HR employees, the various campuses, medical centers, and eventually the university’s administrative leadership.

"What I found was that HR people wanted to share more of the perspective from HR’s point of view and didn’t know how to go about asking for that,” Duckett explains.

Another issue was that employees who weren’t in HR spent much of their time on “the movement of people,” rather than it being designated as a distinct, valued responsibility. In short, employees were taking on staffing duties that were outside of their respective job descriptions as an afterthought.

To address all of that, the university president at the time, Mark Yudof, challenged Duckett to add strategic value to the HR function. That led to Duckett assembling the Strategic Value Continuum—a visual representation of his strategy consisting of stair steps that started with “reaction” and ascended all the way up to “vision.” It took about nine months to gather all of the data, Duckett recalls.

PHASE ONE (2010–2014)

While the tactics ascending the Strategic Value Continuum’s stairs involved smaller, tangible goals such as solidifying compensation and

Dwaine B. Duckett VP of Systemwide HR University of California

benefits packages, one of the most essential components was building talent-management and employee-relations functions.

Essentially, Duckett and his team viewed talent management as placing a higher currency on the people within the company and their skills—something more than just a transactional relationship.

“We went through each of the major functions that I had responsibility for,” he says. “It ranged from benefits to compensation and labor relations, which was misunderstood. And I created a couple of new functions based on what I had learned.”

That involved ensuring that talent and people were always front-of-mind topics when discussing anything related to HR programs and becoming truly familiar with the skills of all 180,000 employees. The hope was to provide more advancement opportunities and have succession plans for key positions whenever someone left the university.

“At the end of the day, the university is nothing more than people,” Duckett says. “It’s really not buildings or equipment or specific technology. It’s just people. We need to be doing things that help us attract and retain the types of people we want in the jobs we want them in."

PHASE TWO (2015–2019)

The second and current official phase of his HR strategy is all about sustaining progress on a steady pace, Duckett explains. It was important that these strategies didn’t become PowerPoint presentations regurgitating the latest buzzwords.

With newer initiatives in place, he’s made it a point to ensure they’re taking root and being accurately evaluated by everyone in the department so that he can decide what’s working and what’s not. This led to Duckett conducting the inaugural engagement survey across the entire University of California system in 2010. The current administration has continued to support the engagement process and its penetration has grown.

“We had done satisfaction surveys here and there. But this time, we used the Willis Towers Watson world-at-work format,” Duckett says. “The survey consisted of thirty or so questions conducted in a poll fashion. We started to learn what it was that people saw as being helpful or being a hindrance in regard to engagement and productivity. Previously, we were operating off of very heartfelt anecdotal information. Now we have data.”

“At the end of the day, the university is nothing more than people. It’s really not buildings or equipment or specific technology. It’s just people.”

DWAINE B. DUCKETT

Duckett also wanted to discover a way to use employees who weren’t in HR who had picked up HR skills along the way.

“They would go into those roles because they were good at transacting and were friendly enough and pleasant enough in terms of interacting with other employees,” he says. “But we need to get high-caliber HR professionals in roles wherever we can, move them around, and develop them in different environments. So, I created something called the HR Fellows Program to model a succession planning approach for the organization.”

Essentially, the University of California’s HR department takes in an annual cohort, then helps them get access to the field and sharpen their skills. The program’s also open to people who are in HR and want to accelerate their careers.

“We’re preparing these people for leadership positions for the future,” Duckett says. “The first cohort had six people, and all of them are going into higher-level HR jobs. They’ve done assignments in all the HR functions. They’ve spent time on campuses and medical centers. We give them anywhere from five to seven years of additional HR experiences in a two-year period of time.”

The only problem? They tend to get plum offers from outside of the university.

“In some cases, we did too good of a job,” Duckett says with a laugh. “People have received attention from LinkedIn or Google. I’ve heard feedback from Google in particular that they think this is a great program, and they’re thinking about duplicating it in their environment. When people like LinkedIn and Google acknowledge that you’re doing something innovative, that’s a high compliment. Things do not happen the fastest at big research universities, but we definitely pushed and significantly picked up the pace at the University of California through the HR strategy.”

Congratulations to the University of California System, Office of the President. As a trusted partner, Skillsoft and SumTotal are pleased to support the integrated talent management of the University of California. As part of UC’s systemwide HR strategic plan, we are honored to support the employee development, leader capability, and career mobility initiatives to optimize the talent performance at UC.

Willis Towers Watson is at the forefront of helping higher-education institutions adapt to a rapidly changing landscape. As a global advisory, broking, and solutions leader, we help clients turn risk into a path for growth. We partner with leading higher education institutions around the world to design and deliver solutions that manage risk, support their strategy, cultivate talent, and foster engagement. willistowerswatson.com

Willis Towers Watson proudly congratulates Dwaine Duckett for his leadership as part of the University of California’s Systemwide Human Resources team. His vision and dedication have contributed greatly to helping define and support the organization’s overall strategy, mission and values.

Willis Towers Watson’s unique perspective allows us to see the critical intersections between talent, engagement programs and service delivery — the dynamic formula that drives performance and success in human resources in higher education and across all industries.

The Building Blocks of LFG’s Culture

At Lincoln Financial Group, philanthropy and D&I go beyond what occurs in the day-to-day workplace, from extracurricular leadership to a cookbook published for charity

By DAN CAFFREY

When Profile ’s sister publication Modern Counsel last spoke to Kirkland Hicks in 2017, the emphasis on diversity and inclusion was particularly important to him. Two years later, that mission of inclusion is not only stronger than ever, but it is continuing to become ingrained in the company culture.

“Positive representation is important,” Hicks says of D&I at Lincoln Financial Group (LFG), a Fortune 500 company offering a range of financial services and solutions, with a central focus on life insurance, annuities, retirement plan services, and group protection. “But we need to go beyond that to inclusion and inclusive leadership.”

It’s a statement that reflects the way Hicks talks about most topics. That is, it’s rare that something is a simple black-andwhite issue for the executive vice president and general counsel at LFG. In Hicks’s eyes, D&I isn’t just about hiring. It’s about giving back to the community, lending a voice to

the underrepresented, and spearheading altruistic initiatives that go beyond the dayto-day functions of a workplace.

“Kirkland is driving change in his external legal partners as well,” explains Paul Hummer, partner at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr. “He’s made it clear that he expects results from the firms Lincoln partners with, and his focus and encouragement is driving change in the legal community. We’re honored to work with Kirkland and his team in their efforts to make law firms more diverse and inclusive, and we’re particularly honored that he has agreed to share his vision for a positive and inclusive culture at our firm-wide 2018 diversity and inclusion retreat.”

As a result, Hicks is often asked about his accomplishments—be it in D&I, philanthropy, or elsewhere. He’s quick to credit the company culture, as well as his team. For example, when Modern Counsel spoke with him, he detailed the strengths of seven members of his immediate legal team, including Andrea Goodrich, senior vice president and

corporate secretary. When she joined LFG in January 2017, she reported directly to Hicks as she led a corporate law team that handles contracts, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, investment transactions, securities, and tax.

Goodrich served in a variety of roles with increasing responsibility at Johnson Controls prior to joining LFG. She also brought with her more than twenty years of experience as a law clerk.

“When we were recruiting for that position, we wanted someone with board presence and who we thought would fit into LFG’s culture,” Hicks told Modern Counsel . “She is concerned about helping people in her community develop.”

It’s a trait shared by all members of the legal department at LFG, from Goodrich to Hicks and beyond, so much so that even outside firms are beginning to take notice.

“At Greenberg Traurig, the goal is to deliver excellent legal services at every phase of the client relationship. It is always a privilege to work with clients like Kirkland and

Dechert’s financial services group salutes the excellent teamwork of our distinguished clients and friends

Andrea Goodrich, Kirkland Hicks

and the Lincoln Financial Group.

As part of a global law firm that delivers practical commercial insight and deep legal expertise to our clients’ most important matters, Dechert’s top-ranked investment funds practice assists funds and their advisers and boards with a wide variety of regulatory, compliance and securities law issues.

DAndrea in what can best be described as a collaborative team approach,” says Michael Berlin, shareholder at Greenberg Traurig.

Whether examining diversity and inclusion within the company leadership or lovingly putting together a cookbook for charity, it’s clear that everyone’s hearts and spirits are in the same place, including for projects that may appear outside the box.

One such initiative occurred in December 2017, which combined legal responsibility with creativity and a dash of culinary flair. In the spirit of the holiday season, Hicks and his team wanted to raise funds for the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA). Founded in 1911, NLADA is the oldest and largest nonprofit organization in the United States dedicated to providing legal service for those who can’t afford counsel on their own.

LFG’s charitable donation went beyond asking employees to make donations. Instead, roughly 240 employees in the legal department compiled and published an original cookbook, You’ve Been Served . Employees, as well as friends and families, could purchase the book in exchange for a contribution to the fundraising campaign for NLADA.

Because the recipes were compiled company-wide and not just from LFG’s corporate headquarters in Radnor, Pennsylvania, You’ve Been Served has a wide variety of regional specificities with dishes hailing from Omaha, Nebraska; Hartford, Connecticut; Greensboro, North Carolina; and other cities that LFG’s offices call home.

“At Lincoln Financial, we have a rich history of giving back to our communities at a corporate level, as well as in our different office locations and business areas,” Hicks said in a news release when asked about the creation of You’ve Been Served . “In particular, during the magical time of the holiday season, our team wanted to join together in support of an important cause. NLADA serves as a valuable resource to so many, and

I am very proud that our project will help further their life-changing work.”

More than five hundred copies of the cookbook sold out within ten days, and shortly after, Hicks presented NLADA with an oversized check for $8,000.

On an even larger scale within the company, Hicks has played a significant role in LFG’s ongoing D&I strategy—the dedication to inclusive leadership he detailed last time we spoke with him. Today, the diverse board of directors includes two people who are African Americans, which led to recognition from Black Enterprise. The renowned business resource later recognized Hicks individually on its year-end “Most Powerful Executives in North America” list.

Hicks’s leadership and values also led to him being invited to join the National Association of Corporate Directors’ (NACD) General Counsel Steering Community (GCSC) in January 2017. Comprised of more than sixty progressive general counsel nominated by Fortune 500 board committee chairs, the GCSC was formed to shape an initiative called the Strategic-Asset GC (SAGC). Through a wide-ranging slate of resources such as a webinar series and live meetings, SAGC is intended to inform leading governance practices and create educational programming for NACD. Among the other companies represented on the GCSC are General Motors Co., GameStop, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., Campbell Soup Co., and US Foods.

“His positive influence is felt across our business, and he personifies our company’s brand, which honors the values and legacy of Abraham Lincoln,” Dennis R. Glass, LFG’s president and CEO, said in a news release.

Dechert is pleased to partner with the Lincoln Financial Group team, and we congratulate them on this honor. Dechert is a leading international law firm with a top-ranked investment funds practice. Our lawyers assist funds and their advisers and boards with a wide variety of regulatory, compliance, and securities law issues.

Leadership. Dedication. Vision.

Values are Never Aspirational

Meherrin Agricultural and Chemical Company’s Rene Veilleux explains why a culture built on family values has made all the difference in the way the company does business

By WILL GRANT

Meherrin Agricultural’s values are less a desired outcome than an outright fact. And Rene Veilleux says it’s what happens after recognizing this fact that truly sets the company’s culture apart from others. “It’s one thing to put values on posters and signs and brochures,” says the vice president of human resources. “It’s totally different to live those and to lead by example. That’s what counts.”

Veilleux came to Meherrin in 2016 following a successive line of roles in industries requiring the strictest of regulatory oversight and no room for error: aerospace, nuclear energy, shipbuilding, and pharmaceuticals, among others. Along the way, Veilleux says he took away as much from companies where the culture didn’t walk the walk as those that did.

“People are always watching—especially the leadership team. If you say one thing and you behave differently, then you lose your credibility and you lose your effectiveness as a leader,” Veilleux says. “Some companies really get that and some don’t.”

Meherrin’s commitment to what Veilleux considers a family culture was evident not only in his early days at the company, but also during the job interview.

“We spent close to half the time talking about values, culture, and mission,” Veilleux recalls. “I found it refreshing and drove away feeling really good about the interview.”

He emphasizes the importance of using an interview not only to highlight potential contributions to an employer, but also for determining whether or not the company culture fits with the applicant’s own values.

Committing to a family culture is in Meherrin’s DNA. The company spans four generations of George Dallas Barnes’s family, and Veilleux attributes that continuity of culture to CEO Dallas Barnes and the leadership team. “Dallas loves the business and the employees. He’s probably the hardest working employee we have,” Veilleux says.

VP, HR

Rene Veilleux

Meherrin Agricultural and Chemical Company

Ben Fueston

The company’s family focus is evident in ways both concrete and less definable. Employees are encouraged not only to take care of their families first, but also themselves. That could mean being a spectator at your child’s afternoon sporting event or spending weeks looking after a parent in the hospital. “We are very flexible with employees when it comes to family matters and personal matters regardless of the level,” Veilleux says.

More specifically, Meherrin has installed regional “Caring Teams,” which are made up of eight to eleven employees. The Caring Teams are able to provide help to Meherrin employees in need. Fires,

medical emergencies, fundraisers, and overall employee well-being are overseen and tended to as each team sees fit. Veilleux says it’s the autonomous operation of the group that makes their efforts even more inspirational. “I’ve come close to seeing that type of family culture at one other place, but not to this extent,” Veilleux says.

The independent operation of the Caring Team means Meherrin has allocated money to efforts that even Veilleux was initially wary about. When the group dedicated money to marriage retreats for Meherrin employees, Veilleux wasn’t certain that the funds couldn’t have been more widely distributed across a wider variety of projects.

That was until he started hearing the success stories of Meherrin employees whose marriages may have been saved by the retreats.

But Veilleux says still, driving culture isn’t an overnight success story. It’s a process that requires constant oversight and self-checking. “You have to live it every day,” Veilleux says. “People will call you on it. I call people on it.” When faced with a difficult and potentially emotionally reactive decision, Veilleux adds that it’s crucial to consider whether that decision is in line with Meherrin’s values not only from a compliance standpoint, but also from an ethical one. “If we are not aligned

Rene Veilleux stresses how important it is that prospective employees not only meet the technical requirements of the job, but also have a passion for what they do. A recent example is the hiring of Tarnisha Casley (above), who Veilleux says brings both expertise and passion to her role.

“It’s one thing to put values on posters and signs and brochures. It’s totally different to live those and to lead by example. That’s what counts.”

RENE VEILLEUX

with our values, then I have to question our decision,” he continues.

Veilleux’s diverse and extensive résumé is underpinned by a frankness and commitment to continuous learning that he believes is essential to the evolving HR work environment. He received his doctorate in human resources development from George Washington University in 1995, but his commitment to continuing education didn’t stop there. Veilleux explains that Peter Senge, Ken Blanchard, and S. Chris Edmonds’s The Culture Engine have all been inspirational, and he is clearly well versed in those entrenched in progressive thinking in his field.

The HR leader believes that his experience and emphasis on cultivating culture has provided Meherrin with a unique perspective. “I get to bring all those past experiences together in one place,” Veilleux says. “The biggest enjoyment I get is out of consulting with managers and supervisors that call or stop by on a regular basis from all over the place to talk about employee relations or compliance issues. It’s very rewarding to be able to help them and sense the appreciation.”

Veilleux says that Meherrin is doubling down on its commitment to training and development as it looks to provide future managers, supervisors, and potential leaders at the company a step-up on the leadership ladder. Meherrin’s small HR team partners with local universities and nonprofit leadership training teams to ensure the future of Meherrin is in secure hands.

“We’ve partnered with really good folks that understand our culture and really believe in it,” Veilleux explains. Meherrin’s commitment to the continuing education isn’t just in line with Veilleux’s own values. It’s emblematic of how a family culture can continue to push and elevate those who buy into it.

THE FIVE VALUES OF MEHERRIN AGRICULTURAL AND CHEMICAL COMPANY

1. Environment: Promote a work environment that encourages and nourishes creativity.

2. Quality : All products and services must reflect quality. Find ways to improve products and services to meet customer’s needs and expectations.

3. Understanding : Understand that the pressures facing employees and their families are never-ending.

4. Integrity : Honesty and truth are absolutes in the way business is conducted with customers, vendors, and employees.

5. People : They are the company’s greatest hidden asset, which is not reflected in the balance sheet, yet people drive the health of financial results.

THE BOTTOM-UP

APPROACH TO HR

Verifone’s Robin Lykins shares why transparency, kindness, and care have been some of the most important tools in her career

By LIOR PHILLIPS

Robin Lykins worked her way up and touched every specialty area in the HR world along the way. She’s notched impressive accomplishments across the technology landscape, both for the organizations she’s worked for and for herself. Throughout that time, the single, overarching rule she’s learned is that there is no single, overarching rule.

On the contrary, it’s adaptability, growth, and truly learning about every single person that will lead to results. “Instead of having a single, corporate-driven strategy, have leaders focused on what's important in their business. Then, they’ll be able to move the meter more constructively for what makes sense for their individual needs,” Lykins explains. “If big-picture patterns emerge, work to reinforce and drive those solutions with grace and complete transparency. The bottoms-up approach works.”

Long before she became senior vice president and chief people officer of Verifone—a multinational corporation that provides

technology for electronic payment transactions—and even before she worked in HR, Lykins was developing that people-first strategy. She grew up dreaming of becoming a fashion designer and first held roles as a retail sales manager and a buyer. She realized, though, that she was spending a majority of her time on the people aspects of her work instead of the fashion.

“The more I invested in the people, the better that my organization was performing,” Lykins says. Eventually, leadership noticed, and asked her to officially move into the HR office to build training, development, and talent management programs. Now, her peers are also taking notice of Lykins’s approach.

“We’ve been working with Robin to devise a solution to enhance and streamline Verifone’s recruitment process, compliance, governance, candidate, and hiring manager experience, all to draw top talent across forty-two countries and supporting ten different languages,” says Kristin Thomas, senior vice president of client services at Alexander Mann Solutions. “It’s been absolutely meaningful and fulfilling work because Robin puts

people—specifically Verifone’s prospective talent—first and foremost in all she does. We’re a company that believes people are the foundation for our success and one that also understands that a successful partnership requires an authentic and respectful approach to managing change. It’s been great to be truly in sync with Robin’s entire ethos.”

While Lykins still practices her passion for creativity with hobbies such as jewelry-making and photography outside of the office, Lykins found that she gained just as much excitement out of her new focus as she had from fashion. A large part of that came from the opportunity that HR offers in getting to see across departments and interact with many individuals in a large, vibrant company.

“I get energy from being able to gather diverse thoughts and insights from different parts of the organization,” she says. “That really sparks my creative side for problem-solving.”

In addition to working with many different people, the HR field offers the ability to think strategically big-picture-wise in terms of projects. Her bachelor’s degree in organization behavior and master’s degree in organization development demonstrated those possibilities, but Lykins gained further understanding of how wide that scope could be as she rose in the ranks in companies such as California Eastern Laboratories and RMS. Joining Verifone in 2015 allowed her to put her knowledge and experience to the test on a grand scale.

“I’m so proud of my opportunity to be able to think about the future and build scalable processes,” Lykins says. “I can be flexible enough to take Verifone into the future without having to redo HR infrastructure over and over again, which in turn frees up time to do more of the business-facing work.”

Having those myriad people and processes on her plate means that Lykins had to learn the importance of prioritization and structure. In order to help others move quickly and shift gears, Lykins has developed physical playbooks that map out Verifone processes for various projects such as mergers and acquisitions and restructuring. Beyond those

Robin Lykins SVP, Chief People Officer

Verifone

WHY A WORK/LIFE BALANCE IS ESSENTIAL

Although Robin Lykins puts an incredible amount of energy and effort into her work as senior vice president and chief people officer of Verifone, she’s also an outspoken advocate of the need for a proper work/life balance—as well as using that time outside of the office wisely.

“Having a couple of kids while finishing my master’s degree made me come to terms with the importance of that balance,” she says.

As a result, Lykins raised her kids with a focus on the importance of family time. “No matter what we’re doing, we do it all together,” she says. That also includes teaching her kids that they need to have time to think creatively.

“Sometimes we’ll go to a coffee shop, and we’ll just brainstorm ideas,” Lykins continues. “My fourteen-year-old gives me great work ideas, and then we’ll work together on his work. It’s possible to teach while being productive and always spending quality time together.”

“By driving with transparency and striving for progress instead of perfection, you can actually make change.”

ROBIN LYKINS

physical tools, Lykins has relied on technology, as well.

“There’s so much power in using our HRS platform and engagement surveys, but you have to prioritize there as well,” she says. “It would be wonderful to implement everything available, but you have to know which components are going to be most helpful in actually running the business.”

Even when using tools such as engagement surveys across the entire company, Lykins emphasizes the need to adapt to the individuals being surveyed rather than holding everyone to a single standard. “Every executive sets their own score and sets a goal for improvement, and then they are held accountable for that,” she says. Not only does that more realistically take into account differences from department to department and leader to leader, but it also makes each department feel more ownership over engagement.

In order to customize solutions for each unit, Verifone leadership needs to have an in-depth understanding of their talent. That is an area where Lykins’s skill set thrives: looking at the big picture and making

connections, while also empathizing with the needs and challenges of individuals.

“We're pretty aggressive here in terms of doing talent reviews that speed many business decisions across the organization,” she says. “That's one way we can both look for the talent that we need externally and also give people the opportunities to learn on the job.”

Leading with open lines of communication, kindness, and care helped Lykins make a substantial impact on Verifone’s success.

“With every decision, I always keep in mind with what the business is trying to accomplish,” she says. “Sometimes that means bringing things to the table that some people don't necessarily want to talk about. But by driving with transparency and striving for progress instead of perfection, you can actually make change.”

At Alexander Mann Solutions, we’re passionate about talent acquisition blending the elegantly simple with a spark of innovation, which is why we want to congratulate Robin Lykins. We know a talent strategy is only as good as the value it creates, as embodied by Robin’s leadership and collaboration with us.

Talent acquisition is hard. We all know that. But finding, engaging and securing talent in a world where candidates demand a better experience and hiring managers want nothing but the best? It’s only getting harder.

At Alexander Mann Solutions, we’re passionate about talent acquisition. Our 4,000 people work with over 100 of the world’s leading brands in more than 90 countries to deliver effective talent solutions throughout the recruitment lifecycle.

We combine deep experience in talent acquisition with the latest technologies – including robotics and artificial intelligence – to deliver the people world-leading businesses need to succeed.

Let’s talk about how we can do the same for you.

Contact:

Beth Miller

beth.miller@alexmann.com alexandermannsolutions.com

SVP, Chief Culture Officer

Debbie Harsh

CenterState Bank

The Bank That’s Centered Around Caring

Debbie Harsh shares how a leap of faith led her to CenterState Bank, and why the strong culture of the company reinforced her decision

By JACOB WINCHESTER

WWhen Debbie Harsh began her career in the banking industry, she didn’t imagine she would one day play a significant role in carrying out the cultural groundwork of an entire organization.

“I started my banking career as a teller and, by now, I’ve pretty much served in every area of the bank—exclusive of the bookkeeping and accounting department,” says Harsh, who today serves as senior vice president and chief culture officer for CenterState Bank based in Winter Haven, Florida. “I’m also very involved in the community here, which supports the core values of the company. I grew up in Winter Haven, attended the local community college, and I have lived here all my life. So, change is not something that I do often. I like stability.”

Nevertheless, after dedicating seventeen years of service to a previous bank, which underwent several name changes along the way, she found herself faced with a career-altering opportunity. “The president of CenterState Bank called me and said, ‘Debbie, I don't know what will happen to the bank where you work now, but I’m sure a major bank will come in and acquire that bank, and you’ll probably be fine. However, at CenterState, we’re going to be growing over the next few years. We’re looking to build a team, and you’re someone we think we’d like to have on that team,’” Harsh recalls.

At first, Harsh was unsure if it was an opportunity she would be able to seize, but an unlikely series of coincidences convinced her it was the proper path to pursue.

“There was a real struggle going on inside me,” Harsh explains. “I’d worked with these people at the bank for so long, watched them have children, and watched those children grow up. They’d become like family to me, so I didn’t know if leaving was the right thing to do.”

That inner struggle compounded when Harsh’s bank offered her a promotion if she stayed with the company. After CenterState reaffirmed that it was still interested in hiring her, Harsh was no closer to making a committed decision. That’s when she attended a chamber of commerce women’s luncheon, and the guest speaker was discussing why change is good.

“That Sunday after church, my family and I were headed to lunch, and my daughter calls me and says, ‘Mom, did you pass the

CenterState Bank location?’ She added, ‘Pay attention to the marquee.’ As we are passing, I look up and the sign reads: ‘We make the change easy.’ I wasn’t looking for writing in the sky; however, this was pretty close. In my heart, I just knew that this was the direction I should go in,” Harsh says. “I called the president, said I was ready to make that change, and joined CenterState.”

Today, CenterState has grown to 107 branch locations with roughly $12 billion in assets, and Harsh finds herself ideally suited to help the bank harmoniously integrate its values into each of the communities it serves, as well as the lives of its employees.

“To me, culture is about nurturing and fostering those values that the bank was established upon,” she says. “It’s about caring about our employees, their families, the communities that we serve, and making them feel appreciated for what they do.”

As chief culture officer, Harsh and her team have implemented a variety of initiatives to help CenterState adhere to its goals of being local market-driven, incorporating world-class service, forming real relationships with customers, and focusing on faith and family.

“We’ve made around two acquisitions per year, which can be quite labor intensive,” she says. “That’s in addition to running the day-to-day operations. So, we want the people working in the backroom support areas, as well as the front line and their families to know they are appreciated for their commitment and the time constraints placed on them.”

In fact, the CenterState Bank executive team recently provided employee breakfasts and lunches in some areas to the company’s support staff, where the executive team serves those employees. “When they went through the line for food, the CEO of our

As CenterState Bank continues to grow, Debbie Harsh and her team are implementing a variety of initiatives to help form real relationships with customers.

Michael Potthast

“To me, culture is about nurturing and fostering those values that the bank was established upon. It’s about caring about our employees, their families, the communities that we serve, and making them feel appreciated for what they do.”

DEBBIE HARSH

company was actually putting a spoon of potatoes on their plates and saying, ‘Thank you. We truly appreciate the service you deliver to the company and to our customers,’” she adds.

Harsh and her team also recognized that they needed to know what employees thought and felt about their work experience, so they implemented a company-wide culture survey to gauge employee’s thoughts, needs, and suggestions. Harsh says the team wanted to get a benchmark of where the staff was in terms of feeling valued at CenterState. Then, they broke the survey down into different segments such as human resources and training area, operations and backroom support area, as well as the millennial committee.

“We felt like the survey could paint a true picture, from a culture perspective, of where we want to go as we want to build a culture where employees are lined up saying, ‘I want to work for CenterState Bank,’” Harsh says.

Additionally, Harsh’s team is working to produce a series of cultural videos for the company. “We want our teams to see our core values visually and in action by our leadership team,” she says. “We’ve brought together various people from throughout the company who live, walk, talk, and breathe our core values. These videos will be used in various ways to drive home what our values are and how we live them out.”

Harsh is also helping to instill the importance of community involvement by

encouraging employees to participate in local nonprofit programs such as Meals on Wheels, which delivers prepared meals to shut-ins within the community. Weekly, CenterState allows employees to take an hour-and-a-half lunch period to deliver these meals.

“One of our employees from a newly acquired bank loves this program, and during the summer, she brings her son with her to deliver the meals, which creates a sense of pride for him,” Harsh says. “It’s also helping them create a family bond together. To me, that speaks specifically to our focus on faith and family, and that’s how we know our process is working.”

The company has also established an internship and mentoring program for college students. Teams from CenterState Bank go to campuses to recruit for a twelve-week program that takes place over the summer. Students work for a few days in various areas of the bank, as well as attend board meetings, work with tellers, shadow branch managers, and work in the marketing department. Harsh says CenterState is looking to provide aspiring business and finance students with the opportunity to apply the lessons they’ve learned in their curriculum in a business setting.

“The idea is to attract the next leaders of our company, and by giving them a firsthand experience of our culture and community, we’re hopeful that some of these students will come back to become a part of our environment here at CenterState Bank,” she says.

Zimmerman Kiser Sutcliffe and Deborah Catalano proudly celebrate the contributions and achievements of our dear friend,

DEBBIE HARSH

We congratulate Debbie on her recent promotion to Chief Culture Officer and we wish her much success in this role as CenterState Bank expands its footprint while remaining community–focused at heart.

Q1/19

PEOPLE + COMPANIES

Bays, Lori 56 BioScrip 93

Bratter, Rebecca Faith 134 Bruker Corporation 12

Canon Solutions America 122 Carr, John 12 CenterState Bank 188

Cesarone, Jing 100

100

of Hope 48

of Phoenix 56

D’Alessandro, Michele 8

DiliVer LLC 111

Dismore, Grant 28

Doiron, Mark 114

Duckett, Dwaine B. 172 Duron, Kety 48

Nazca Fontes, Founder & CEO, ConceiveAbilities 126

Kennelly, Amber 162 Key Energy Services 117 Kirlin, Sean 120 Kleinberg, Neil 111 Kowalczuk, Pete 122 Krimsky, Beth-Ann E. 134

Lancelot, David 24 LeBlanc, Witland 83 Lewis, Alicia 134

Kenton 90

Fontes, Nazca 126 Foot Locker, Inc. 15

Foti, Anthony D. 15 Fresh Thyme Farmers Market 114 FusionStorm 167 Fuyao Glass America, Inc. 104

Gillette, Rachel K. 134

Goodrich, Andrea 176

Greenspoon Marder 134

Harsh, Debbie 188

Hemsley, Mike 33

Mike 144

Hershey Company 120

Kirkland 176

170

Lincoln Financial Group 176 Lion, Tamar 73 Lunt, Cristen 108 Lykins, Robin 184

Martinez Reyes, Michelle 134

Maysonet, Myrna L. 134

McAlister, Larry 52

McKenney, Cecilia 60

Meherrin Agricultural & Chemical Company 180 Merck 8 Miller, Virgil 80

152 Morrissey, Amy 167

Management 73 Rivera, Jennifer Stula 152 Roskoph, John 77

Sanders, Elizabeth 86

Schrader, Steve 104

Somerstein, Dana L. 134

St. John Knits 36

Stalmack, Kathryn 93

Sutton, Doniel 66

Szczepanek, Michael 18

Entertainment 77

Rene

Corporation of North America 86

Lisa 96

66 Picard, Eddie 117

QPharma 22 Quest Diagnostics

& Wellness 60

Wittneben, Brian 170 Wright, Jonathan 22

Zabat-Fran, Christina 36

Art Meets Legal Meets Retail

As the chief legal officer for luxury retailer St. John Knits, Christina Zabat-Fran draws from her experience as a visual artist and her time in art school when solving complex legal issues. “Art school is for people who want to be problem solvers,” she says. 36