There are a couple of numbers that jump off the page about Marriott International.
TL;DR
- Marriott International has 51% women in U.S. executive roles, contrasting market averages.
- The company shifted from mentorship to "career acceleration," empowering employees to achieve goals.
- Associate Resource Groups and allyship foster development and support for all employees.
- Marriott emphasizes investing in all levels, continuous development, celebrating failures, and top-down inclusion signals.
Women hold 51% of executive roles (vice president and higher) within the U.S., while globally, this figure stands at 48%. Additionally, women constitute almost half of the board and 50% of the direct reports to CEO Tony Capuano.
That’s in stark contrast with the market average.
According to McKinsey's 2024 “Women in the Workplace” report, women occupy merely 29% of C-suite positions and 34% of vice president roles. The Conference Board reported that women represented just 29% of board seats at the Russell 3000 in 2024.
Something different is happening at Marriott, an honoree on this year’s Coins2Day Best Workplaces for Women™ List.
“It’s not just about the representation of those people in the senior leadership roles; it is also how do they help you navigate getting there,” says Frid Edmond, senior vice president of customer engagement at Marriott and incoming executive sponsor of the Women’s Associate Resource Group (ARG).
Career development discussions are therefore extremely important. Marriott expects its leaders to frequently discuss career aspirations and goal achievement with their direct reports, as part of the yearly performance review process. A subtle but significant change within these discussions, as described by Edmond, involves a transition from mentorship to “career acceleration.”
Previously, mentors watched for chances, and if circumstances were favorable, they were supposed to assist colleagues in advancing their professional paths. Leaders now have a different directive: “Tell us what you want, and we are holding ourselves accountable to helping you to get there.”
Edmond's own professional experiences offer illustrations of this change, notably a memorable career discussion with a manager half a decade back.
“I was required to come up with three roles that I could see myself in within the next three to five years,” she says. “There was never a promise that these roles would come into play, but it was the art of possibilities, for me, where I saw myself.”
She now performs this exercise with her direct reports, a vital element in Marriott's culture of accessible opportunities. “We are required at every single level within our organization to ensure that we are developing the leaders of the future,” she states.
As a result, associates at Marriott are having a much better experience than those at a typical U.S. Company.
Associate resource groups
Marriott's Women's ARG, accessible to all employees, aids its 5,500 members through mentorship and educational resources covering areas like financial well-being, executive presence, and simulated job interviews. This group also partners with other organizational resource groups, emphasizing support for all associates, such as military veterans, neurodivergent staff, and parents balancing work and family.
Allies in the group play an important role in mentorship and sponsorship, Edmond says.
“The majority of my mentors have been men, if I’m totally honest,” she shared. But they were invested in her growth and had the authority in key moments to help guide her. What happened when she made her first presentation to the board? “Our chief legal counsel member, as well as our chief communications and PR lead, sat across from me during the board presentation and gave me simple eye cues,” she says.
Just having their presence was a big vote of confidence, Edmond adds. “I can’t tell you what that means to me to know that these two individuals were that invested in my first time presenting to the board to make sure that I was set up for success.”
Strategies for cultivating improved work environments in 2025
For organizations that want to be more like Marriott, Edmond offers a few pointers.
- Invest in associates at every level of the organization
The way you invest in employees at the lower rungs of the organizational structure ultimately affects outcomes at the highest levels. Edmond, for instance, began as an hourly worker and, throughout a 22-year tenure, has occupied seven distinct positions within the firm.
“You don’t just jump from an hourly employee to an SVP,” she says. Inclusion requires a system of support across every level in the organization.
- Make time for development conversations all year round.
Continuous and thoughtful development discussions are essential; they won't occur if treated as an afterthought or solely in response to annual employee engagement surveys, according to Edmond.
- Celebrate everyday accomplishments, including failure.
To foster growth among all employees, they need the freedom to experiment, accept challenging tasks, and occasionally experience setbacks, according to Edmond. “When we fail, we celebrate that, too,”
- Send a clear signal on inclusion from top leaders.
When Marriott’s CEO Tony Capuano reaffirmed Marriott’s commitment to welcoming all, the message had a direct impact on employees.
“Tony was asked some really tough questions at the beginning of the year,” Edmond says. “We were waiting to see how he responded — and he responded the way that we needed.”
The message has empowered Marriott associates to continue to engage. “We start from a place of welcoming all,” Edmond says. “No matter what is going on in the environment, we are always going to welcome all.”
Ted Kitterman is a content manager for Great Place To Work®.
