HER is an opportunity to be empowered with like-minded people and continue to grow, learn, and teach along the way.
– Kylie McCormack, Australia & New Zealand Service Delivery Director
Executive gender diversity is undeniably a business advantage for companies today. In 2019, McKinsey found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile.
But it doesn’t stop there. Women in executive roles are a catalyst to help increase a company’s overall gender diversity, as well. According to a study by the Rockefeller Foundation, 82% of women 18 to 34 years old agree that it’s highly important to have women in leadership positions as role models.
Despite recognizing these advantages, many tech companies have fallen short of their female leadership goals. For that reason, back in 2017, Juniper Networks and their Asia Pacific (APAC) region realized they needed to get ahead of the potential looming executive gender problem. Juniper strongly believes that diversity and inclusion are a mission and strategy that are essential for continuous innovation, competitive advantage and business sustainability.
In 2018, Juniper launched the Hire-Engage-Raise (HER) program in APAC to increase awareness about the importance of gender diversity in APAC and to sponsor and nurture women to help elevate them to leadership roles. It’s a model that has proven successful and that I believe can help any company struggling to achieve the executive gender diversity talent that they need to thrive.
How it Works
The HER program has three main components: identifying top talent, engaging them in a customized one-year development plan and continuing development through the Women’s Leadership Network (WLN).
1. Talent identification:
Once per year, our HR team nominates APAC talent for this specific program based on their ongoing conversations with managers region-wide. The APAC leadership team selects five qualifying women as HER talent ambassadors. The main criteria for nominations include the following:
- Has demonstrated superior performance
- Has a high potential for internal/career growth
- Influences team positively
- Makes the team successful
- Goes above and beyond
- Has aspiration and engagement to grow in the organization
For some candidates, like Baowen Jing, an APAC HR Director, just the nomination is a huge boost: “Being nominated to join HER injected pride, confidence, motivation and energy to excel as a woman in tech.”
2. Development plan engagement:
Each talent ambassador has a unique development plan that caters to their development needs. The HR sponsor primarily works on creating the plan in collaboration with the ambassador. Executive sponsorship is essential for growth within a company, especially for underrepresented groups. Each ambassador is aligned with a VP-level sponsor and mentor to support their development and fund growth initiatives. The goal is for each ambassador to end their year-long program with new skills, perspectives, connections, and ambition to rise within the organization.
3. Continued development and mentorship:
In 2020, after two groups of ambassadors had graduated from HER, we created the WLN internally to ensure these women had a support structure to continue their growth while also serving as mentors for other top talent in the region. We wanted ambassadors to have a collaborative support structure while also becoming an influential group within APAC and globally. Zenobia Miranda, a Services Sales Director, has experienced this mentorship firsthand: “Program HER has helped me become a better version of myself. It has also connected me with many other leaders who provide mentorship and guidance from a career perspective.”
Regional Initiative, Global Impact
Since the APAC region at Juniper started HER in 2018, 15 Juniper employees have completed the program, and eight have been promoted to Director positions within a year of graduation.
But it’s not just about promotion.
For ambassadors like Shirley Yeung, a Total Rewards Director in APAC, HER elevates women in many ways. “The HER program not only gave me confidence, knowledge and skills through my development plan, executive sponsorship and leadership training, but it also let me reflect on how I wanted to advance my career. Learning and sharing experiences with other program participants gave me the courage and inspiration to become a leader.”
While every company is different, a similar career growth model for women that focuses on sponsoring and nurturing women to help grow their careers can work at any company. Executives (of all genders) need to be bought-in and committed to the program. HR should partner with managers to ensure that the right candidates with ambition and growth potential get nominated. It’s not only an investment in growing female leadership; it’s a proven strategy to also attract the best and brightest women to your company, as well.
