Most Powerful Women 2020

 PATTIE SELLERS: Anita, tell us about your relationship with Justice Ginsburg. ANITA HILL: Well, it was it was not a close relationship, but it was really special to me. She attended a conference that I co-hosted with a colleague and friend, Emma Coleman Jordan at Georgetown Law School, where her husband Marty taught. And it was the first year anniversary after the 1991 hearing, and she had not been appointed, but Emma let me know that this was Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and she was really on the list to be appointed to the Supreme Court. We did the conference. She came. She sat in the front row. It was a conference of scholars from the legal profession really across the Academy. And she sat there. She never asked a question. But I'd see her occasionally nodding. And so I was just thrilled that this woman who I'd heard about and now knew that she was maybe on the Supreme Court was in agreement with so much that was being said. A year or so later, Emma and I published the collection of essays from that conference. And this is a personal part of it for me. We sent a copy of the book to Ruth Ginsburg. And my understanding is that she took it with her to the court and put it on her bookshelf, prominently displayed it on her bookshelf in the Supreme Court. And of course, for me that was a feeling that she had taken a little part of me to the Supreme Court, which was basically the only way I was going to get there in the 1990s. And it really was an affirmation that I needed. Not that I wanted her to pick sides, but I wanted someone to acknowledge that I had a side and that it was worth hearing. And that sort of brings me to the professional part of my quote unquote "relationship" with her. One of the things that I've just remark about in terms of her jurisprudence was it was grounded in equal protection law that came out of race. She was at the conference on race and gender and power. She understood that the two were linked together. She understood intersectionality perhaps before it was really a popular word. And so for me, to have someone on the court who understood both race and gender and the importance of equality for each category was like having someone on my side in the court that I could count on. And so I'm forever indebted to her, both personally and professionally. 

Hill says that while they weren't close, she was continuously inspired by Ginsberg over the years.

Anita Hill details her experiences with the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Hill says that she was continuously inspired by Ginsberg.

Anita Hill details her experiences with Justice Ginsberg

 SPEAKER 1: You know, we talk about structural racism-- literally that's been the buzzword, I think, for every team that's put out statements and these athletes. We talk about the need to address it on that level. And that's not only looking externally-- that's looking internally as well. In the front offices of teams, at the highest levels of these leagues, weather there is not only diversity, but I think representation for women. Michelle, I'll start with you. How do you think baseball fares in that regard, internally? SPEAKER 2: Yes. So we have work to do. I mean, I'll be honest with you and tell you, we know we can do better. So there's a great pipeline of programs that MLB runs right now to bring in talent at the junior level. But where we really need to double down our efforts is how do we get talent in at that lateral and experienced higher level in our front offices? And then what are we also doing to help get Black, Hispanic, Latino talent, et cetera, in those key roles on the field? So there are a lot of different programs that MLB has in place, and they were in place before this summer. And I think what happened this summer and the attention that the spotlight that has been shown on racial justice has just made us realize that we have to double down and accelerate those efforts. SPEAKER 1: And Renie, how about you? How about the NFL, rather? SPEAKER 3: You know, very similar to Michelle, but diversity and inclusion is a huge focus for us. On the field we have the Rooney Rule which is something that is very focused if we are doing any on field interviewing for positions that we have to continue to do better. But the key point is, even on the executive side, we have to begin to train people. If the answer is oftentimes, well, there just weren't any people that were completely ready or qualified for this position. Well then we need to begin in the junior ranks and really focus on training individuals in key areas of focus, if that be sales, if that be football, if that be human resources or finance. And so it's really up to us to make sure that we're helping grow the talent, as well as finding the right type of talent for the key opportunities. SPEAKER 1: Kate, we were just talking about this actually on Around the Horn today, because in the NBA there's been some coaching openings. And we've talked about, OK, well the numbers of Black coaches in the league right now is not what it's always been. And I'm not specifically asking about coaches, but the same question applies, I think, to executives, people in high positions. And we're not just talking about players, but in the league offices. Where do you feel the league still needs to make advances in that regard? SPEAKER 4: We've been a values based organization for a really long time. And I think now is an opportunity for us to take that introspective moment to really think about how we can be better and do more. And so coming out of a lot of the conversations that we've had with players and our governors, we actually kicked off an internal social justice task force that is really focused on increasing Black representatives across the NBA, both in basketball side as well as the business side of the league. And greater inclusion of our Black owned businesses, and ensuring that it's not just what you see on the court, but also around the business that we're embracing. And then lastly, we started the first NBA foundation with that huge investment over 10 years really focused on economic empowerment. And so I think we will continue to focus on diversity and inclusion, as we have done for the last several decades. And we know we have some work to do. 

Executives from the NBA, NFL, and MLB discuss how they can reevaluate practices.

Sports executives discuss combating structural racism in their leagues

Michele Meyer-Shipp, Kate Jhaveri, Renie Anderson

Executives discuss how they can reevaluate practices.

Sports executives discuss combating structural racism

GINNI ROMETTI: There is so much talent. I got into this 10 years ago because I needed hires, and my education system wasn't serving up the people we needed. So, public-private partnership. And don't wait for government. Public-private partnership. But the biggest thing I would say to people-- think of the word "pathways," meaning, can you embrace people that do not have a four-year degree and give them a path into your company to start? I have now got that proof under eight years under our belt. We forced-- to go through all your job requisitions. 43% of all job requisitions at IBM no longer require a four-year to start. Second point-- it didn't dumb down our workforce. People will say, oh, you're watering down the workforce. Au contraire. And in fact, what we found-- their ability to perform, their curiosity, matched everyone. They lagged innovation one year, and then they caught up. And by the way, many go back to school. But this idea that you accept a skills approach versus diploma-- you'll change your job requisitions. And then go to those places. And by the way, those places for us have been 90% Black and Hispanic, or Latinx, that we've gone and been able to then bring all first-generation into the company. Got a pipeline with our own program of about 150,000 kids around the world. But many places. Community colleges. This is why I say, it is in our hands to actually change society forever here, because-- simple, one number I like to look at. If I look at a wealth of a Black family and a white family, the white, on average-- $147,000 of wealth. A Black family-- $4,000. It perpetuates itself until you break that cycle, and that's what an economic opportunity does. 

Rometty asks "Can you embrace people who don't have a four-year degree?"

IBM's Ginni Rometty challenges the criteria for hiring valuable new employees

Can you embrace people who don't have a four-year degree?

IBM's Rometty challenges the criteria for new employees

 BARBARA BARRETT: You ask about the Space Force, what is it? It's a brand new military service like the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marines, and the Coast Guard. This is the sixth major service of the United States, the sixth military service, and why would you need the Space Force? It's sensible to ask but when we think about how much of America's way of life today depends upon space, it's huge. I've often said that when you think about it before your first cup of coffee in the morning, you've probably used space, but you may not know about it. You may not have seen the connection, because often your alarm clock may be linked to GPS system. You may look at the traffic. You may look at the weather. All of those are going to be space assets. Probably your power water are probably connected through space control. Here, if you use an ATM or if you take a look at traffic, farmers monitor their crops, we're looking at the wildfires through space lenses. Much of what we do today from ATMs to missile warning systems. It's all happening because of space assets, but our space assets were built at a time when we thought it was a benevolent environment as my predecessor, Heather Wilson said, "It's as though we built a glass house before we knew about stones." So we now have assets upon which we depend, but they are vulnerable. They aren't protected. So we are looking at ways to protect them, to replace them with things that are more easily protected and jam proofed, and then if we are also need to be attentive to the fact that we can be something other than a victim in space. We cannot be so vulnerable that we can't-- PATTIE SELLER: Secretary Barrett to that point, I'd like to bring up on Tuesday, bipartisan house panel issued a report called Future of Defense Task Force, and noted that the Pentagon is behind on real innovation and called on the Department of Defense to speed up investments in artificial intelligence among other new technologies and actually proposed using the Manhattan project as a model that is convening America's best minds to advance innovation at the Department of Defense. What's your view of that? BARBARA BARRETT: I think that's great it's just what we need. We absolutely are consumers of technology. Are we behind? Well, a lot of what we talk about may not be the most technology, but a lot of things that we aren't publicizing, as you would hope we would. But we're constantly engaging new technologies. Artificial intelligence, of course, augmented reality, virtual reality, we're working on Hypersonics. We're leading in many technologies, but we are not leading in some and we have to be constantly moving forward and working to be in the lead on all of these processes. So we're retooling a lot of what we do to find new ways of getting faster, more agile and being bold. We're doing lots of fun things and acquisitions to have the United States Air Force, AF works. Our Innovation Center was just rated 1 of the 100 most innovative places to work, that's the only government entity on that list. The Air Force is innovating and engaging a lot of those new technologies that you describe. 

Barbara M. Barrett says its primary reason is defensive: "it's as if we built a glass house before we knew about stones."

U.S. Air Force Secretary explains the reasoning behind creation of U.S. Space Force

Barbara M. Barrett says its primary reason is defensive.

U.S. Air Force Secretary explains creation of Space Force

 SPEAKER 1: I've got three young children. And as part of our MPW survey, which you heard about a little bit earlier, we found out that 47% of you in our MPW community have children under the age of 18. So I know that there's a large contingency here that's in the same camp. On top of that, we also know that this is something that is impacting employers across the board in terms of productivity and viability in all sorts of ways. And obviously it's an economic issue. It's not just an education or child care issue, right? So I want to hear from each one of you-- what has been hardest about this for you? If you want to share a story, or just something a little bit higher level. And it can be as a parent or not. It can also be just something that's personal. Ebony, can we start with you? SPEAKER 2: Sure. Well, the story that come to mind-- SPEAKER 1: This is your time. SPEAKER 2: This is what sort of comes to mind quite immediately is just right before this session, actually, I had to put my 17 week old puppy in a different room. My mom was supposed to come over to pet sit, but she wasn't able to make it due to a lot of traffic on the bridge. So while I don't have any children, I definitely just feel-- my heart goes out to the parents who have to do this on a daily basis, right? And balance the needs of the household with work. It's not easy. SPEAKER 3: When COVID happened, my son was just born. I had a baby a surrogate. And so I feel blessed that I was able to be there for his birth in Kansas and bring him back to New York City. But I was supposed to be on maternity leave. And it quickly became clear in March that this crisis wasn't going anywhere. And at Girls Who Code, we host summer programs that are inside technology companies that we found shut. We host after school clubs, 10,000 of them in schools that were closed. And we had about 200 groups on college campuses that were closed down with no end in sight. And so we as an organization, because we have a deep commitment to our girls, had to quickly think about what are going to do? Are we going to wait to see what could happen, or are we going to pivot and develop a virtual programming model so that we make sure that our girls are not left behind and all the gains that we've made over the past eight years we don't lose? And so we quickly had to develop a two week virtual program that replaced our summer immersion program, which was again, inside technology companies. And we taught 5,000 girls, half of which were under the poverty line and half of which were Black and Latinx. And we designed a program for them. Because we knew that many of our students didn't have computers at home, or accessing Wi-Fi in Burger King parking lots. And had just spent the past school year barely logging on because they didn't have high speed internet. And so we designed a synchronous [INAUDIBLE] program that spoke to our most underserved girls. And I'm proud to say that we succeeded, and we are continuing to develop and to innovate. But it's exhausting as a CEO. I have a five-year-old son, so I find myself doing laundry in between meetings. Making some fresh puree and constantly getting interrupted because Transformers on Netflix isn't working. And so it's chaotic. I'm sure Ebony is laughing because she knows me pretty well. You know, I'm a woman who plans my schedule eight months in advance, and I don't even know what I'm doing tomorrow because I haven't gotten my school schedule yet from my public school. So it's challenging. It's hard. It's exhausting. But I don't think we have a choice. And so I think we're making the best out of a really tough situation. 

Ebony Beckwith, Reshma Saujani and Avni Shah all weigh in personally.

How leaders handle the challenge of working from home with kids

Ebony Beckwith, Reshma Saujani and Avni Shah all weigh in personally. 

MICHAL LEV-RAM: You took on the CEO role at DuPont in 2008, I think. So you were immediately thrown into a crisis there. And you've got this great quote I heard you say a while back. "I just got my dream job at the worst possible moment." Can you talk a little bit about what principles you learned in leading through previous crises and how that applies today? ELLEN KULLMAN: It was interesting because everybody was scared. Nobody knew what was going to happen, or when the recovery would start, or how it would impact different industries. And so the first thing that I've learned in a number of recessions and different areas of crisis that I've dealt with is that you need to focus on what you can control. There's a lot of time wasted worrying and discussing things that you cannot impact. And so it's really important to get the team to focus on, OK, what can we do? What levers do we have? What's important for us to accomplish? And get aligned around that and keep driving. I think the second thing is that people just want it to return to normal. And it's not going to. The normal is going to be different. So you've got to create your own trajectory. You have to really understand the impact of the crisis on the company, on the environment, on your marketplace, and what plans have to change. What do you have to do differently to be successful coming out of it? The third is communicate, communicate, communicate. Because people are scared. People don't know what the future's going to bring. And it's reassuring to them to see what our plan is to understand the actions that we're taking. And the last one is about the values of the company and how to hold them close during this time. That gives people a sense of confidence that that is not going to change, that we're still going to be-- hold our core values, treat our people with respect. Whatever your core values are, you're going to hold them dear and constant during the period. And it's those four things that I've learned over the years that really served me well during the global financial crisis and are serving me well today. 

"You need to focus on what you can control," says Ellen Kullman.


Carbon CEO on how to lead through crisis 

"Focus on what you can control," says Ellen Kullman.

Carbon CEO on how to lead through crisis

"You need to focus on what you can control," says Ellen Kullman.

 Claire Zillman: Can you identify if one or two junctures that were really critical to getting you where you are now? Jane Fraser: So I was up for partner. And it was the same time my husband and I were wanting to start a family. And I got quite a lot of advice that don't get pregnant in your partnership. And I just thought that was nonsense. And I was fortunate to. And then I made the decision that my husband was working hard. And I said I want to be a mom and I want to be a professional. So I was lucky I got my partner just a couple of weeks after my son was born. But I work part time for the entirety of my partnership at McKinsey. And I think that that's one of the pieces of making sure I did have balance my juggling act. But there was a balance between my family priorities and my professional priorities. And sometimes one will take priority over another. And I'm so happy I did. That wasn't easy. My own ego suffered a bit on that one because you do see people who are more junior than you that are accelerating faster in their careers. But I think that's what enabled me to actually feel happy and have a balance in my professional life and in my personal life. And it made me much more empathetic. I know when I got back to working again, and I was in the working full time, my clients used to tell me, "You're a much more empathetic person I suppose. You were just this machine beforehand." I think it really taught me that 80-20 of you can't do everything. This is a good lesson. The second one was when at one point when the kids were fully in school, and my husband and I were both working. But I was offered the job of running strategy for city at the very beginning of the crisis. And that was really upping my game from the roles that I played. And I used to not be comfortable unless I was 120% prepared for anything. And it was a real leap of faith in my mind to jump into taking this role. And I had to up my game. I was going to have to be traveling more. And one of my friends said to me, "Why are you worried about failing? Go for it." Does it matter if that's the case? And I think that was another moment when taking on a role that I knew was a stretch. But I up my game. And I learned and I got hooked on stretch roles thereafter because you do learn so much. Claire Zillman: Wow. I'm interested in your decision to work part time at McKinsey. And I think that-- I'm wondering what advice you would have for someone who wants to make that decision now because I do think it is an admission of vulnerability. And I think there's a lot of fear that asking for that flexibility or arrangement signals that I'm not the type of person that wants to excel, or maybe I won't ever come back to full time. How do you ensure that that doesn't sort of sidetrack you off of your ultimate goals? Jane Fraser: Well, I'm an example. But it doesn't need to sidetrack you from the longer term goals. And that you can get balance in there. I think the best piece of advice I got, was why am I in such a hurry? One of my mentors saying to me, "Jen, you're going to have several careers in your life. And your career is going to be measured in decades." So why this sense of rush and trying to have everything at the same time? And I said just relax, chill, and take a step back, and enjoy the process more, and enjoy the different phases of your life. And that was a real help because I did feel the pressure to be superwoman. And I'm sure as many people out there who feel the pressure to be superwoman or superman. And that's not life. That's not the reality. So I think probably advice is give yourself a break. Don't set expectations at ridiculous levels and take a bit of time, and enjoy the different phases, and make the most of them. And that phase for me of being part time working. But being with the kids when they were very little was very precious. I'm so glad I did it. And I honestly don't think I'd be here today if I hadn't. Claire Zillman: Right Yeah. Jane Fraser: Used me as an example of the courage and of the coming [INAUDIBLE]. I mean, I lacked a lot of confidence coming back in. You're tired, you're exhausted. And don't be afraid to ask for help from people and reach out. And I got a lot of support coming back in from friends, at work as well, and friends at home. And again, you don't have to be superwoman. We can be normal. 

"You don't have to be superwoman, we can be normal," shares Fraser.

Incoming Citi CEO Jane Fraser shares pivotal career advice

"You don't have to be superwoman," shares Fraser.

 CLAIRE ZILLMAN: I think everywhere has really had-- it's an understatement to say it's an extraordinary year. But Hong Kong, especially, has not only experienced the coronavirus but has also dealt with months of protests, and then this new national security law that went into place just a few months ago. All of that news has really prompted people to question the future of Hong Kong as this bridge between the East and the West. How do you see the future of the city taking shape and, especially, as it relates to the markets? LAURA CHA: First of all, I think there are people, of course, have questions about all the events that has taken place. And like everybody else, we are trying to weather it. We are trying to go through it as well as we can. It is no question a difficult situation for Hong Kong. We have to navigate between the East and the West. And we do see that we will continue to play a very important role, especially in the current tension between the US and China. Hong Kong remained an excellent connector. Our role has not changed. People may have question, and I think those questions are being answered. But by and large, our market is solid. Our fundamentally, we are an attractive market. Operationally, we're resilient. We are stable. We're steady. And that's why we continue to attract investors to our markets. 

HKEX chair Laura Cha describes ‘a ‘difficult situation’.

Is Hong Kong still a bridge between East and West?

 SPEAKER 1: One of the big challenges that people in your position faced, of course, was as you've dealt with this crisis, was you a lot of retailers had to furlough staff temporarily. There's a chain supply-- supply chain disruptions. How did you make sure that your troops didn't get freaked out by furloughs, or maybe lose some of them, or worried by COVID. I mean, how-- this is a leadership question, how do you make sure the troops are able to provide the company what it needs, and what's the message that you give your workforce? MARY DILLON: Well, Bill, I'm sure everybody in this meeting as leaders has encountered, has really reached into their souls to be the best leaders they can possibly be during this time. So in retail, we are in the human business, right. We have most of our employees, associates work in our stores or our distribution centers. We serve guests and customers. So the health and safety was paramount and so the decision-- we were-- we closed our stores and that was a very tough decision, and in some cases mandated, in some cases, we did ourselves but we needed to take the time to make sure that we had safe procedures in place for shopping to happen. When we made a decision to furlough associates, we brought many back. We also knew that the CARES Act at the time was going to help support them financially, but I would say that the main thing is your leadership approach and values really shine through. For me it's been about putting our associates at the center of everything we do, and really respecting them, with honesty, with transparency, and so when we did make the decision to furlough, which was very difficult, but our stores were closed, right, for several weeks, each associate that was furloughed had a personal conversation with their manager. Not an email, not a big phone call. It might sound small, but in the scheme of things, that was the kind of thing that really mattered to our associates. So I think it's about having the humility to say you don't have all the answers, but the human connection, and the trust, and respect to be as transparent as you possibly can. And lastly I would say it's about being decisive. I mean, we are going to be judged coming out of this crisis on how we treated our people, how we treated our customers, and how we set our business up for long term success. And so making big decisions, I think that's what it's all about right now as well. 

How Mary Dillon led Ulta Beauty through the pandemic

She joins Fortune’s MPW Summit to discuss.

 ELLEN MCGIRL: Every time there's a Supreme Court opening for a justice. And I know you're going to be talking on the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Panel. Black women's names come up as a potential replacement. It's always you. It's always Michelle Obama. And then we run out of names. And there are some extraordinary women, Black women in the federal judiciary. But we don't know them. And I'm wondering if you had any idea what is keeping, or if there's-- what are the barriers to keeping Black women jurists from getting the traction they need? ANTA HILL: I think the problem is just like all of those glass ceiling problems that we experience as Black women and women of color generally. We don't have access to the people who are making these decisions. I think our political value is underrated and we're undervalued. I think we are not necessarily even thought of. It's just like those decisions where people pick people who look like them, or who travel in their circles, or who have careers that involve corporate representation. There are some really brilliant Black and Brown women who are judges or who would be judges whose careers have not taken them in the direction of a corporate law firm, and who get overlooked because they didn't follow that path. So there are all sorts of reasons. And I think we need to broaden our scope when we're starting to pick judges at whatever level whether it's the Supreme Court level, the state court level, all of the above need to be considered. And we can say more broadly about who is qualified that we judge. 

Anita Hill discusses Trump’s Supreme Court nomination

And why black women keep getting overlooked.


 KRISTEN BELLSTROM: I'm interested in knowing what your clients-- what are their biggest investment concerns right now? And also is that something that's evolved since the beginning of the pandemic, the early days in March? PENNY PENNINGTON: Yeah. Well, investors and our clients are always concerned when the markets get volatile. And they have been volatile. They will continue to be volatile. There's a prediction for you. We've got all kinds of things besetting us in the next few months that will mean volatility. Our clients are also wondering why the stock market seems to be doing so well when evidence about the economy is not quite sanguine. So there is some fabrication in the market there as well. I'll also take it from the standpoint of folks are preparing for retirement and in retirement. We just fielded a new study, one of the largest studies ever done of folks thinking about retirement across five generations. 68 million Americans say that their retirement savings have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. And when you think about how that breaks out about 20 million of those 68 million say that they have stopped saving for retirement altogether. Another about 30 million have said that they have moved their savings [INAUDIBLE] their children who've lost their jobs. And 70% of retirees say they would do that, they would help their children, even if that means upending their own financial plans. So this is going to have a longer lasting effect as people rebuild retirement and frankly, rethink retirement and what it means for them in the future. 

Edward Jones Managing Partner: The markets 'will continue to be volatile’

Penny Pennington gives her economic outlook.

The markets will continue to be volatile

Penny Pennington gives her economic outlook.


 SPEAKER 1: Part of the challenge in having these conversations, and it's certainly not the only one. But I think for some people. And it's even just knowing the vocabulary to use like I said, it can be uncomfortable and difficult to find the right words. Can you talk a little bit? I know you have a lot of thoughts on this. But just for starters, talk to us about targets versus quotas, and why you don't think we should be using words like quotas. SPEAKER 2: It's interesting. I think that some people find the term quota to be it's a non-starter for them, and it ends the discussion before it begins. There is actually a meaningful difference between the two terms. And people get hung up on terminology. Terminology matters. Targets or objectives. It's something you're trying to measure. It's a goal that you're shooting towards. And in corporate America, we are very, very familiar with targets. So first and foremost and public companies believe earnings targets. We give a range to Wall Street and say we should be within this range of profit targets. We've launched eight targets. I mean, there's a whole there is a whole nomenclature around target that is directly correlated to what we deliver and produce in corporate America on a day to day basis. We even have performance targets as it relates to being an investment manager in my business, versus our benchmarks. Quotas. by, contrast, are their mandates. They are not-- they're hard numbers. It's not a goal. It is a number that you have to make. And as a result of that, I think people get very, very, very uncomfortable because they become non negotiable objectives. They're usually imposed upon organizations. And so I think that immediately gets people's backs up and they bristle at that idea. I don't think we have to do that to get where we want to go. I think we can stay within the language in the nomenclature that we are very used to and very comfortable with around targets and still hit a goal. Because we know in corporate America, if you set goals and you continually don't hit them, you don't have your job. And so I think the same should apply when it comes to issues around diversity and inclusion. Not to mention, I think you get what you incent. And in corporate America, many of our incentives are directly tied to the outcomes that we want. And so if we want better outcomes when it comes to diversity and inclusion, we need incentives around that that hold people accountable. 

There’s a meaningful difference between ‘targets’ and ‘quotas’

Ariel Investments’ CEO Mellody Hobson explains.

There’s a difference between ‘targets’ and ‘quotas’

 ELLEN MCGIRL: The last time we spoke, it was shortly after you had written a really strongly worded letter, which you said that you were impatient and disgusted. That after George Floyds murder, and that so many of these things were still happening. We were still experiencing them. At that time, you had decided to form the Inclusion Advisory Board and were in the process of a deep listening to what's happening to your employees. And I imagine expanded to your whole ecosystem maybe suppliers and and salesforce as well. Can you give us an update on that work, please? MARY BARRA: So very much the work continues. And we're still in I would say in listening mode, but we also are taking action. One of the things that we did is we created a position, which we called our chief diversity, inclusion, and equity officer. I'm very happy to share we appointed. A woman who's been at General Motors for many years. [INAUDIBLE] McGruder. And she is really looking-- and we're looking holistically across the whole system at General Motors from our hiring practices to development to training to our policies to what we do with our suppliers our dealers. So we're taking a very broad look stepping back and identifying areas where we think we can improve. And we're also-- we're trying to be very transparent with the workforce is that-- yes, we're going to continue to make progress. But this is a journey that we're beginning. So we want to have realistic expectations, and we want to keep everyone engaged. Just about two weeks ago, we had the top 230 leaders in the company participate in a session. And it was all about many of the leaders including myself and our president sharing stories of what we're learning and what we've had to understand about ourselves, and what's been hard. Because I think part of this is being vulnerable and sharing that we don't have all the answers. I heard the other day somebody said we're all learning real time. And I was so encouraged by and-- So we were on a Microsoft Teams meeting. And as you watch the chat function, the leaders have this second degree conversation going on where they were sharing resources and articles and ideas. And the feedback I got after this session was so powerful. And so I really feel our leadership team is committed. And that's very important. But we're also working to gauge across all levels. And so one of the other things we did is we added-- behaviors are very important to General Motors because how we behave everyday forms the culture. We added in behavior called be inclusive. And so it's tied to how we-- The behaviors have really become a language of how we talk and make sure we let people say, hey by the way, I'm going to be bold now. We're being inclusive. I'm going to make this comment. So it really is almost gives people permission to highlight the areas in the behaviors we're trying to reinforce. And so it also ties where our recognition system, and ultimately, it will a little tie to how we evaluate people and overall performance. So we have a long way to go. But I'm encouraged by the engagement and the commitment I'm seeing across the entire company globally. 

GM is in the middle of a ‘deep listening’ for all of its employees

CEO Mary Barra on the steps the company is taking. 

GM is trying to listen to its employees better

CEO Mary Barra shares what steps the company is taking to make it a better place to work.

Here's what’s driving Pfizer’s pursuit of a vaccine

Pfizer's Angela Hqang joins Fortune’s MPW Summit.

Pfizer Group President Angela Hqang joins Fortune’s MPW Summit.

 ELLEN MCGIRL: I want to focus on a word that you use that I use a lot, which is reckoning. We are really here. We are really facing it. And just to prepare for this interview, I listen to a moving graduation speech that you gave. And not only said Black lives matter. You said the names of the people that we've lost, the people that have been murdered. And I was struck by the courage that it took, the effortless courage that it took to keep bringing these things forward, which you do. And that brings me to the moment of reckoning. You're not the only powerful woman even in this community who has had a sitting president take a shot, at you mobs come at you powerful people and powerful forces try to take you down or try to disparage your message. This is a tough time for people with power and platforms. What is your best advice for other folks with stakeholders, with a desire to weigh in on the important issues of the day to take those risks carefully, to assess them correctly, and then to weigh in? MEGHAN: Yes, I mean, I think it's about being authentic. And if you look back at anything that I've said, it's really interesting because it often ends up-- what ends up being inflammatory it seems is people's interpretation of it. But if you listen to what I actually say, it's not controversial. And and actually, some of it is reactive to things that just haven't happened, which is in some ways I think you have to have a sense of humor about it even though there is quite a bit of gravity and there can be a lot of danger and a misinterpretation of something that was never there to begin with. But that again, is a byproduct of what is happening right now for all of us. I would say the biggest thing and what I have always stuck to that high school graduation speech. I had done it a week or so before. I had pretaped it for them it was for a 17-year-old girls, right? So the tone and the sentiment while it was, of course, going to be a call to action was certainly lighter than where we landed after the murder of George Floyd. I knew I couldn't use that tape. And I really struggled if I'm being honest about what to say. And I didn't sit down and write anything, and I didn't ask anyone for help with how I should word this. I was just in tears thinking about it. And I was explaining to my husband why I thought that it was so heartbreaking certainly for me to be back in Los Angeles. And it feeling so reminiscent to the state of Los Angeles with the riots after the Rodney King beating. And so for these girls to be graduating from high school, which should be a very celebratory time to be plagued with that unrest felt troubling to me. So I just spoke from the heart. And that's probably why it doesn't look polished, and that's why it doesn't feel perfect. But that's also why it's authentic. And I think that is the takeaway that I have found is if you don't listen to all the noise out there, and you just focus on living a purpose driven life, and you focus on knowing what your own moral compass is, there are always going to be naysayers. But at the end of the day, you know I used to have a quote up in my room many, many moons ago and it resonates now perhaps more than ever when you see the vitriol and noise that can be out in the world. And it's by Georgia O'Keeffe. And I've already settled it for myself. So flattery and criticism go down the same drain. And I am quite free. And the moment that you are able to be liberated from all of these other opinions of what you know to be true, then I think it's very easy to just live with truth and live with authenticity. And that is how I choose to move through the world. 

Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, shares her advice for speaking out on important issues

The Duchess spoke at Fortune's Most Powerful Women’s Summit.

Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, joins the MPW Summit.

 RHONDA MIMS: Now obviously, it is systemic, right? And so for us to say, at this point in time, that we're just learning about this and, you know, how could there be these health disparities, is somewhat disingenuous, you know, as American people. So in order for us to tackle something like this, we have to face the truth and think about the fact that we've gotten here through generations and generations of unhealthy eating, of stressful, you know, living situations, of homelessness, of climate change challenges that impact on disproportionately ethnic communities. So there are a host of things that drive to not having great health outcomes. But more importantly, now is the time for us to face up to that and figure out ways to tackle it. And that's why we created a health disparity task force for that reason. Not to bury our heads and say, hey, this is a new phenomenon, but rather, what can we do about it at this point? 

Centene Corporation's Rhonda Mims discusses the creation of the Health Disparity Task Force.

Facing the systemic flaws in the healthcare system

Rhonda Mims discusses the Health Disparity Task Force.

 ELLEN MCGIRT: Could you tell us a little bit about how you hold allies, the concept of allies and allyship, and how that informs your work, please? BARBARA WHYE: So I think at its core, ally is a partner that's partnering with you for your good. So some of the elements that Lindsay-Rae mentioned where we want someone that's listening, someone that's empathetic, someone that is very actionable. I think more now than ever, when we listen to our employees, they're way beyond I want to just have a conversation. They want allies to be active participants and really partnering with them to drive change forward. So I think the action piece is very good. And the other portion of the ally that I would want to just extract is the ally is also discovering things about themselves and really unpacking their own self awareness on this journey that they're on. And we started the allyship just right after we achieved full representation as a company. And what we learned is even with representation in the company, it wasn't enough to just have the representation if inclusive ideas weren't being voiced on the table. And so what we tried to do is drawing from a tipping point is making sure in every team inside of Intel, there is a partner there, an ally, that can make sure that people's ideas are being heard, that there is a psychologically safe environment for people to experience this sense of belonging in a meaningful way. So that's really what this is about. But I can't really over emphasize the importance of being actionable versus just having conversations. ELLEN MCGIRT: Right. You cannot just call yourself an ally. You actually have to do something. BARBARA WHYE: Yeah, and it, Ellen, is best if other people call you an ally. You can't self proclaim that. You are deemed an ally by others based on your actions, not your words. 

Intel's Barbara Whye explains her definition of allyship, and how it informs her work.

Allyship & accountability: It's a marathon, not a sprint

Allyship & accountability: It's a marathon. not a sprint

Intel's Barbara Whye explains her definition of allyship.

 CATHERINE POWELL: I think we've touched on a couple of things, which is I think we have all learned that working from home can work. And there are many advantages of it, both in terms of the focus that you get when you're working from home. And also, I think-- I said this point-- I think you attract a more diverse workforce from that. And I think that will continue. I do think that the human yearning for connection is only growing. And I think definitely we're going to come back to a hybrid world where people are going to need to connect and want that social interaction. I think one of the things for Airbnb is our hosts-- I mean, our hosts it's all about human connection. Online experiences do it virtually, and we have shown that you can actually connect. Again, both Stephanie [INAUDIBLE] that you can connect incredibly personally and emotionally-- and the Peloton instructors do this all the time-- virtually, but there is something about the human connection. And I think that we will come back and that will be even stronger. But I think that how people plan their lives is changing. I think people will feel less tethered. I think that they're going to come back, certainly from our point of view with our homes, those who can continue to work from home and work from home in different places, and travel the world even, will do so. I think also we've seen-- there was an article actually on it on college students kind of looking-- maybe now remote college is going to be something of the future. And the students, again from an Airbnb perspective, the students are taking Airbnb houses and working together. And again, it makes them tethered. So I think there's an untethering that we will see. But I do think that social and human connection is so critical. And I think teams are those who have-- I think [INAUDIBLE] was saying-- that the corridor chats and just that social interaction, which builds bonds, I think we're really missing that. And I think that will be something that we'll need to rebuild when life comes back to a new normal. 

Airbnb's Catherine Powell discusses the upside and downside of the workforce pivoting to working from home.

Working from home can work: How the pandemic fundamentally changed our workforce

Catherine Powell discusses working from home.

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