Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds
Issue link: https://diversitywoman.epubxp.com/i/91258
Upfront 5 Minutes with Maria Castañón Moats Nurturing Top Talent at PwC By Marguerite Rigoglioso S ince joining PwC (formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers) in 1994, Maria Castañón Moats has climbed the lad- der to audit partner of the global professional services firm. One year ago, when senior partner Bob Moritz invited her to join the leadership team as chief diversity officer for the DW: Why is diversity so important to PwC? MCM: Talent is critical in our business. Te more diversity we have among our talent, the more diverse ideas we have at the table, and the better we can serve our clients. Retaining and advancing people with what I call "high-level cul- tural dexterity" is imperative in a global business world. DW: Why does your company focus on sponsorship? MCM: Sponsorship goes beyond men- toring. Sponsors are those who hold a great deal of influence in a company. If you can get them to spot diverse talent and go the extra mile to support [those employees] in their careers, you will cultivate a strong, diverse workforce. We ask all our partners to identify three women or minorities they are support- ing, so that's an ingrained part of our corporate culture. entire organization for a two-year rota- tion, she leapt at the opportunity. One motivation was PwC's commitment to diversity and talent development. In recent years, PwC has launched Women Upfront, an interactive community to connect women at the firm with one another; was the first Big 4 account- ing firm to establish an LGBT Partner Advisory Board; and has created various multicultural Circles for mentoring and networking. Diversity Woman spoke with Moats in her New York office about the company's strategies for helping women and diverse employees thrive. www.diversitywoman.com Diversity Woman: What led PwC to become DiversityInc's top company for diversity this past year? Maria Castañón Moats: Our model is different from that of other organiza- tions. Usually the CDO function comes through the human resources track. Here it comes through our line partners. Our leadership team is constantly work- ing within our various groups on diversity strategy, with complete support from the chairman of the company, Bob Moritz, whom I report to directly and meet with frequently. Diversity is always at the table in terms of our visioning and future direction. DW: What's one of the most impor- tant initiatives PwC undertakes to get people on board? MCM: It's important to engage in con- versation with not only people from di- verse backgrounds, but also white men. Getting them excited in this enterprise is critical. We show them that attention to diversity is an important part of be- ing an engaged leader, and that diver- sity needs to be a part of your DNA if you want to succeed in business. DW: Any advice for women? MCM: Set out expectations for what you want to achieve in your career as well as at home. Be realistic––it may be that you can't cook dinner every night by 5:30, but maybe you can have dinner with your family two or three nights a week, even if it's at a diner. Ten priori- tize—daily. It's a balancing act. Fall 2012 DIVERSITY WOMAN 9 >