Transparency works both ways. It lets firms see what’s around them and lets outsiders see in.
That’s the power of transparency that Rudy Rodriguez taps to propel measurable change at Ameriprise.
Diversity at no fewer than six levels of the firm’s organizational chart is broken out in its annual Responsible Business Report, illustrating steady progress toward gender and racial equity in leadership. Currently at Ameriprise, women comprise 33% of U.S. senior leaders and 45% of new hires; people of color make up 11% of U.S. senior leaders and 34% of new hires.
With DEI dashboards, leaders can see how well they’re drawing in and retaining under-represented groups in their chains of command. “We hold ourselves accountable,” Rodriguez said.
The firm’s DEI steering committee pilots programs with an eye toward propagating successful experiments firmwide. A successful six-month gender inclusion training program worked so well in the field that it’s being adopted across the firm.
“It takes a holistic approach to get it done,” Rodriguez said of his incremental DEI strategy. “There’s no ‘one and done.’”
— Joanne Cleaver