Today, we profile two recent awards Symantec has received as a leading advocate in promoting diversity across our business, community and industry.
Leadership California Corporate Leader Award
Symantec has been awarded the Corporate Leader Award by Leadership California, highlighting our "exemplary leadership in the inclusion of women in executive and board of director positions."
Leadership California is a network of accomplished women, dedicated to advancing the leadership role women play in impacting business, social issues and public policy. Through Leadership California's Issues and Trends Program, Symantec has strengthened the business acumen of senior female executives by training them on the key drivers of business in their region. Symantec's Vice President, Corporate Responsibility & Chief Diversity Officer Cecily Joseph completed the CIT program in 2008 and now serves as the Vice President of Leadership California's board. Additionally, the partnership has provided valuable networking for Symantec employees.
On May 2nd Sheila Jordan, Symantec's Chief Information Officer, accepted the award at Leadership California's annual awards event, attended by nearly 300 female leaders across government, academia and the non-profit sector. The event celebrated achievements of female leaders that have impacted their communities and governments, and have demonstrated groundbreaking achievements.
Symantec's Sheila Jordan accepts the company's Corporate Leader Award from Leadership California for leadership in promoting diversity.
In an interview with Leadership California, Sheila shared how Symantec embeds diversity into core business and philanthropic efforts:
Diversity came up when I interviewed for my job at Symantec, so it’s clearly part of Symantec’s culture. It’s one of the company’s core values, and we focus on diversity in all aspects of the company—it helps us to think differently and to aggressively innovate. Our diverse talent pool helps us innovate at all levels—product development, IT, finance, and marketing.
We’ve systematically worked to get women into leadership roles and have succeeded—that’s exciting. Our board is 30% women which we love. We have our internal Symantec Women’s Action Network (SWAN) that’s been part of the company for years. We have demonstrated how important gender equality is for our company culture and our practices.
Externally, we participate in Leadership California, and also in Anita Borg, a nonprofit organization that encourages recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in technology. We sent over 200 women to the Anita Borg conference last year. We source interns, we sponsor development programs, and we learn from the speakers. Our women are exposed to best practices, make connections, network, and gain tools on career development. We want to make sure we’re developing our women, and that we’ll have a talent pipeline and role models. We also want to stay connected with Leadership California and with STEM activities for young girls.
As one of the company's top executives, Sheila has been central to transforming business performance and is a key advocate for the growth and advancement of our female talent. We couldn’t have been happier to have Sheila accept this recognition on behalf of Symantec.
Scott Taylor Named to UPstanding Executive Power List
Scott Taylor, Symantec Executive Vice President and General Counsel, was recently recognized on the UPstanding Executive Power List as a champion for diversity at Symantec and an active advocate for racial equality within his community and industry.
The UPstanding Executive Power List includes the Top 100 Executive Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) professionals working in the US, UK and Ireland. Candidates are analyzed across four categories including: professional and business achievements; contributions to the BAME agenda in their community, industry and company; and seniority/influence within their organization.
Scott is an executive sponsor of Symantec's Black Employee Resource group (SyBER), focused on developing career advancement and mentorship opportunities, recruiting tactics, and community building to attract and retain Black talent. Most recently, he led SyBER's celebration of Black History Month, partnering with HBCU Connect, the largest organization of Black college alumni, students, and supporters, to host more than 125 Silicon Valley professionals from across Silicon Valley and leading non-profits to discuss ways to increase the talent pool of qualified Black technology workers.
Additionally, he sits on the national advisory board of Stanford’s Center for Comparative Studies on Race and Ethnicity and has encouraged male advocates for female diversity to join him in supporting recent events by Symantec's Women's Action Network (SWAN).
As a member of Symantec's executive team and the leader of the company's corporate responsibility and diversity and inclusion teams, we are extremely proud that Scott has been recognized for his exemplary leadership and actions in promoting an inclusive environment for BAME professionals.
Stay tuned! In the coming weeks, we will discuss the advancement of our ERGs and the central role Scott, Sheila and our ERG global executive sponsors play in leveraging the passions of our employees to contribute to our leadership in diversity.