In June, we held our inaugural Innovators' Breakfast to celebrate 100% Talent Compact signers advancing women in the workplace through innovative initiatives and effective practices. Following a competitive application process, we reviewed dozens of submissions by diverse employers in size and in industry.

HubSpot's 'Women Who Lead' initiative demonstrated a high management commitment to diversity and high level of repeatability making it an example for others to adopt. The number of women impacted was an order of magnitude higher than planned, showing that the initiative meets a real need. BWWC Marketing & Events Manager, Joana Ortiz, sat down with Ashley Jeffress, Program Manager of Women@HubSpot to learn more.

Initiative: Women Who Lead

Category: Advancing Women of Color

Industry: Professional / Scientific / Technology Services

Interviewed: Ashley Jeffress, Program Manager, Women@HubSpot

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JO: According to your application, the idea for this initiative was borne out of reading a study conducted by McKinsey & Company. What data points in particular stood out to you? What other forces inspired this initiative? Can you walk us through the process of taking this initiative from an idea to reality?

AJ: When McKinsey & Company’s 'Women in the Workplace' study came out, there was a specific part that showed the number of women of color represented from entry level to the c-suite level, from 2015 to 2018. Watching that funnel get smaller and smaller as it got to the top was really devastating.

The visual itself was staggering, showing how the representation for women of color in the C-Suite was virtually non-existent for women of color. This was a call to action for us at HubSpot, and we started to ask, “How do we support and advance women of color specifically as it pertains to women in leadership roles?” “How do we get those who are already holding those leadership positions to understand the problem, take it seriously and help to fix the issue?” So we started 'Women Who Lead' to start generating discussions, create community around shared experiences and to have more women talking about the leadership gap and understanding where we can all do our part to help close the gap. Bringing women together to have these discussions is just the tip of the iceberg . Our conversations range from topics like self-care and finding joy, to entrepreneurship and representation in the workplace. It’s been really incredible to hear the stories and watch the connections form.

JO: I love that. It’s not just about representation - It’s also about economic inclusion and social impact. So, at HubSpot, this initiative is not just a line item in the budget, it’s a fully-fledged program. How did this come about? What was the business case for the decision-makers involved?

AJ: What a lot of companies don’t understand is that not only do they need to be asking employees what they want, but they also need to be supporting those needs with programming and opportunities to excel outside of their day jobs, especially as it pertains to women of color. For example, a lot of people say “let’s start a women’s initiative.” The women’s initiative is great but if you’re not able to break down and understand the complexity of the issue with the experience of LGBTQ+ women, gender non-binary folks and women of color, the impact you’re looking for isn’t as inclusive as it could be. Women of color have been standing up and speaking out for a while because we want our voices heard and to create programming specific to underrepresented groups shows you not only care but you’re willing to admit there is a bigger problem and help to be part of the solution. While it’s great to have our 'Women@HubSpot' program, it has been more fulfilling for our business to see the different types of ways we can impact women with a diverse set of experiences, identities and stories.

The business case was easy, it was something we felt imperative to create so we could start taking action and learn how to better support and advance women of color in the workplace. The numbers don’t lie and so getting this program off the ground had a sense of urgency and determination to create something meaningful for black and brown women in the greater Boston area.

I believe the way you’re going to be successful is to have the important conversations from entry level through C-Suite, ensure men are apart of the conversation and when someone asks you about your D&I initiatives don’t rest knowing you have a women’s program. Be innovative, think outside the box and take some risks.  We want to solve these critical issues not just internally at HubSpot but we hope to share our practices with other companies and show that it’s possible to create meaningful change. 

JO: How do you determine how much budgeting gets set aside? How do you plan ahead?

AJ: We start planning in September for the year ahead. We evaluate our events and programming to determine impact and if they generated value for our employees and the community.We work with our team on a global scale to ensure our expectations are aligned and rooted in our most successful programming from the year prior. Women Who Lead is now a staple in our programming that wasn’t there before so as we look to expand that offering we’ll need to adjust the budget and reevaluate some programs that have been around for a while and may need to be retired to make way for new and innovative programming.

Women@HubSpot started as a grassroots Employee Resource Group. While a lot of ERGs start that way, and I think the unique thing about HubSpot that allows us to move the needle on bigger issues around Diversity & Inclusion and Women of Color in the workplace, is the amount of resources invested into our programming. We have two executive sponsors, our CFO Kate Bueker, and SVP of Engineering, Eric Richard. It starts from the top and it creates a waterfall effect. Not only does HubSpot support our initiatives from the top, but we put our money where our mouth is and are given a budget each year to develop internal initiatives for our employees as well as external events that reach the greater boston tech community for larger impact.

JO: I recently attended one of your events, Women Who Lead: How Workplaces Can Support and Advance Women of Color and it was great - Can you tell us more about your programming?

AJ: Most of our programming is built for our HubSpot Employees, but we also have a lot of events for the surrounding community. Our internal programming is a creative way to have constant engagement that doesn’t break the bank. For example, we’re doing quarterly book clubs and hosting small lunch series discussions specifically emphasizing the experiences of women of color. We’re discussing curated articles found in ZORA a new Medium publication for women of color. We do this to ensure we create space for all of our employees to engage and have meaningful conversations through our programming.One of the conversations we had recently centered around AI and facial recognition technology and how it negatively impacts women of color at a much higher rate than white men. It was a discussion centered on race but it was also a conversation about the intersection with tech, which was really cool to see happening.

JO: Collectively, your Women Who Lead events have sold over 1,000 tickets. Why is that number important? Why is it important to have a packed out room?

AJ: When we first launched, we didn’t know how it was going to go. Thankfully, the numbers were staggering. The way that people were able to become allies to this initiative and help us spread the word throughout Boston was remarkable. It was so energizing to look out and see a room full of black and brown women in one place, sharing stories, networking, and above all enjoying themselves. When people think about an event at a tech company in Boston, I don’t think they envision a room full of black and brown women. I hope our initiative plays a role in changing that perception.

JO: What about those of us, organizations and businesses alike, where resources aren’t as readily accessible, who want to bring these types of initiatives into their workplace? What advice do you have for them?

AJ: You have to start small. Be scrappy and find the people who care. Patience is key and understand that it’s not going to happen overnight. My advice is to create a case for the programming you want to see for your company. Perhaps you have to start small with your team or within your department, but if you can do that without budget and still prove how it will drive impact, you’re setting yourself up for success. You can one day present your work to leadership, explain the impact and ask for the resources you need to generate impact on a bigger scale. For example, every year we celebrate International Women’s Day, and in recent years we’ve been asking employees from across the organization to write about why International Women’s Day is important to them and how we celebrate here at HubSpot.

There is no better feeling then having an employee come up to you and say, “HubSpot’s commitment to it’s women's program is one of the reasons I applied and chose HubSpot.” They go on to say, it was a LinkedIn post, a medium article or the transparency in posting our Diversity & Inclusion data that resonated with them. That is impact! Those small inflection points become bigger and bigger overtime and do ultimately make a difference in the makeup of your company.

JO: In this process, from its inception to today and in future planning, what challenges have you faced? What lessons have you learned?

AJ: For us we want to make sure that we minimize our blind spots. Making sure we’re an industry leader in this space and leading with an inclusive lens on everything we do. Bias happens and we acknowledge that, learn from our mistakes and create solutions to help solve for those who are not in positions of privilege.

JO: What myths are you debunking with this work?

AJ: That there’s not enough “diverse” talent. The talent is there but I think the mentality has to be, “if you build it, they will come.” That’s an oversimplification but sometimes it takes companies prioritizing initiatives to attract the type of talent they’ve been searching for. Seeing that room at HubSpot full of 200+ black and brown people was a testament that the talent is there and we want to be there to support, learn and change the landscape of tech together.

JO: What message do you have for the tech community?

AJ: We want to be disruptors. The tech industry is one of the least diverse industries, and we want to help drive that change. We want to generate change not just here locally but globally as well. We don’t care where you work, we want to make sure that women in tech feel that their voices are heard and that they are represented, from the software they sell to the leaders they admire. That’s what matters most to us.

JO: What’s in store for Women Who Lead?

AJ: It has been so exciting to see the way Women Who Lead has grown over the past year. From the amount of people who attend our events to those who continue to come back and support and bring their daughters, mothers, allies and friends. As for what’s next, I want to ensure we aren’t only bringing women of color together for one night, for one event, but instead, help this community find mentors, learn new skills, grow their networks, and start facilitating these discussions with their companies. We hope our initiative is a catalyst for women of color to seek out new leadership opportunities, ask for what they deserve and build a support network to help them achieve their goals. At Hubspot, we are expanding our Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives company-wide and are currently focusing on a few areas that are going to be vital for our business. From more robust Veterans programming to Access and Accessibility and building out our Returners Program for those looking to re-enter the workforce after a career break, we have no intention of slowing down.

‘Women Who Lead’ will always be one of my favorite initiatives we’ve created at HubSpot so I am excited to continue growing the program, expanding its reach and uplifting the voices of women of color.

About ‘Women Who Lead’:

HubSpot’s ‘Women Who Lead’ initiative seeks to advance women of color through community, action, and discussion. We seek to close the leadership gap for women of color through representation by identifying opportunities for advancement, sharing best practices and generating a community of allies and advocates who wish to empower black and brown women across Boston and beyond. To learn more about HubSpot’s Diversity & Inclusion efforts, please visit: hubspot.com/diversity-inclusion

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