She was a marketing professional in the car business (Ford
of Brasil, Lincoln, Mazda, Toyota, Lexus) rising to CMO at Chrysler before
moving to McDonald’s USA. “I’m focused
on technology because I believe it is necessary for every marketer to
understand. .. the transformation with technology - how to use it to get closer
to and more engaged with my target consumers,” she stated, “We all need to
think like a CTO.”
I sat down with Wahl and spoke to her about the status of
women in the industry and the importance of diversity.
Charlene Weisler: What
are the biggest challenges in assuring company diversity today?
Deborah Wahl: To be successful, we must continue to nurture
a diverse pipeline, starting at the beginning, which is why I support
initiatives like the ANA’s Talent Forward Alliance with the twin goals of
inspiring and elevating the quality of talent from the university system and
building skills for existing employees.
Second, we need to stay purposeful and relentless about breaking down
stereotypes of what types of people succeed and supporting diverse talent. My biggest fear is that high performing
diverse talent will be fed up with the slow progress in our industry and go
elsewhere. We need to act now.
Weisler: A study
from the 1960s concluded that the best technologists were disinterested in
people and disliked activities involving close personal interaction. This led
to more men being hired for tech positions at the expense of women. Do you
think that this is still the case today?
Wahl: Unfortunately, yes.
That’s what I mean by breaking down stereotypes and opening ourselves up
to talent. Campaigns like GE’s Female
Scientists and State Street’s Fearless Girl are just what’s needed. Study after study shows unconscious bias
exists throughout our culture. We need to
hammer at it and use every tool to change perceptions. The payoff- campaigns that have high GEM
qualified ads increase sales by 50%. (Gender Equality Measure that scores ads
or entertainment on how prominently they depict women) And, we desperately need
diversity in this space to create better solutions.
Weisler: What are the
biggest challenges for women in technology today?
Wahl: I’ve worked in some very male dominated businesses
like Automotive and Homebuilding. The
challenge for women in tech is the same - building networks, being heard,
overcoming the cultural walls. Success
comes when women support each other and that their networks can be as effective
as any other. We also need purposeful
action. As an example, conference
curators need to be purposeful about what speakers they choose so that a
variety of thought and role models is represented.
Weisler: Gender
discrimination is more than harassment. Pay disparity impacts a woman's earning
power through her career. What can be done about this?
Wahl: First, we each have a responsibility to resolve
this. I made it a priority in each of my
positions. Second, the issues are
related to what we discussed above - the unconscious bias and stereotypes that
too often determine who gets promoted and how they are valued. Transparency is the first step. We can’t fix what we don’t look at and talk
about. “Pay secrecy is one of the things
that continues to pay discrimination and the wage gap” Maya Raghu, director of
workplace equality and senior counsel at the Nation Women’s Law Center. I’d say silence is at the root of a lot of
our diversity issues.
Weisler: Give me some
predictions of the future for women in technology in the next five years.
Wahl: I’m very hopeful.
There’s a big effort to change our stereotypes and make technology
expected and accessible for everyone.
But this doesn’t mean it will be easy.
For every man and women who believes that a diverse workforce makes us
more competitive, productive and successful, we each need to do our part every
day. Speak up, encourage, see things
differently and take action.
This article first appeared in www.Mediapost.com
This article first appeared in www.Mediapost.com
