Twenty-four female executives of some of the biggest companies in the Americas have been identified as having the leadership traits for top-level executive management positions. The WeQual Awards recognise outstanding women in senior roles. WeQual’s mission is to tackle the slow progress in appointing women to executive positions.
Since its creation, 35% of the winners of previous WeQual Awards in the UK, EMEA and the Americas have been promoted to the executive committees of major global companies. “This is our second year of running the awards in the region and we continue to be impressed by the sheer quality of the women leaders that we are finding in the Americas,” says Katie Litchfield, founder and CEO of WeQual. “We have to keep our foot on the throttle with gender — and incorporate diversity — to make sure that all companies are looking at leaders from all backgrounds. Equality is really what WeQual is all about.”
The Americas finalists are from a wide range of sectors and companies, including ABB Ltd, Analog Devices, AstraZeneca, BlackRock, Capital One, CGI, CIBC FirstCaribbean, Comcast, Diageo, FIS, HSBC, IBM, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Marriott International, Morgan Stanley, Prologis, ServiceNow, SiriusXM, TELUS, Kellogg Company, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo.
The 24 finalists in eight categories were assessed against specific criteria: Leadership, Cognitive Ability, Drive & Resilience, Integrity, Emotional Intelligence, Personal Development, Approach to Equality, and Knowledge of the Business. All candidates were assessed blind with no name or company revealed in their application. The eight assessment questions are based on the latest psychology, neuroscience and leadership research, with a WeQual twist – to identify the necessary factors and characteristics of top leaders.
Eight executive judges will hold 30-minute interviews with the three finalists in their category before choosing a winner. The categories are: Business Security, Business Transformation, Business Turnaround, Commercial Innovation, Finance, Leadership Excellence, Operational Performance, Technological Impact. The winners will be announced in March 2021. This senior group of 24 executives will become members of the WeQual Club and join the existing 96 senior FTSE and Fortune 500 female executives.
About WeQual
WeQual’s mission is to make businesses more inclusive by identifying exceptional women executives and addressing the gender imbalance across the world’s Executive Committees. Katie Litchfield, Founder and CEO of WeQual, devised the new platform that calls for women senior executives to build their case as to why they deserve to be appointed to the Executive Committee. www.wequal.com/awards
The 24 finalists for WeQual Awards 2021 for the Americas:
Business Security category
Kara Hill, Global Corporate Chief Information Officer and Transformation Lead, FIS
Noopur Davis, EVP, Chief Product and Information Security Officer, Comcast
Polly Klane, Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel, Corporate, Commercial & Governance, Capital One Financial Corporation
Business Transformation category
Amy Peterson, Chief Administrative Officer and Head of Transformation, Wells Fargo Wealth & Investment Management
Cristina Duran, Chief Digital Health Officer R&D, AstraZeneca
Juggy Sihota, Vice President, Consumer Health, TELUS
Business Turnaround category
Lisa Vincent, Senior Vice President, Operational Excellence, Prologis
Paula Costa, Marketing Vice President, Diageo PUB region – Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil
Sherry Williamson, Vice President, Global Quality and Food Safety, Kellogg Company
Commercial Innovation category
Maria Belvisi, SVP and Head of Research and Early Development, Respiratory & Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca
Regina Fritsche Danielson, SVP and Head of Research and Early Development Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases, AstraZeneca
Christina Montgomery, Vice President, Chief Privacy Officer, IBM
Finance category
Fay Sien Goon, Chief Accounting Officer, ServiceNow
Felitia Lee, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, Marriott International
Monique French, Chief Credit Officer, CIBC FirstCaribbean
Leadership Excellence category
Heather Cykoski, Group Vice President, ABB Ltd
Stephanie Mango, Senior Vice President and Business Unit Leader, CGI Federal
Tracy Castle-Newman, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
Operational Performance category
Maria McPadden, Digital Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Bank
Sarah Rombom, Global COO, Aladdin Product Group, BlackRock
Terecina Kwong, Chief Operating Officer, HSBC Europe, HSBC
Technological Impact category
Dorcia Jolliff, Vice President & Chief Information Officer – Lockheed Martin Space, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Jennifer Lloyd, Vice President, Precision Technology and Platforms BU, Analog Devices
Sruta Vootukuru, Senior Vice President, Streaming Distribution and Partnerships, SiriusXM
