In a recent study conducted by DDI, The Conference Board, and EY, the research found that increased diversity, particularly in terms of gender, positively impacts an organizations business performance and company culture. Companies with greater gender diversity (at least 30% overall and 20% or more at the senior level) reported that they are:
1.7 times more likely to have higher-quality leadership,
1.5 times more likely to exhibit a growth culture and embrace failure in the pursuit of new innovative solutions,
1.4 times more likely to experience sustained, profitable growth.
Over the past 24 months, we have expanded our executive team to be more diverse, and the diversity of thought that is now influencing our business strategy has positively impacted our revenue and culture. Currently, our leadership team is composed of 3 female and 4 male employees.
Dana Kuhn: Dana’s role at Personify is Head of People and Strategy. She manages our people operations (recruiting and HR) and helps make sure that our amazing team and culture thrive. Because Personify’s product is essentially what she has been doing for the past 10 years, and because her background is in law and business, she also helps shape our product and business strategy to better serve our clients’ needs.
Elaine Carfley: Elaine has been with Personify for over 10 years, working cross-functionally from HR and finance to business intelligence and IT strategies. She is currently Personify’s Head of Recruitment Intelligence and is also pursuing her Executive MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Lydia Jensen: Lydia joined the Personify team in January 2018 as our Head of Finance/Controller. She is responsible for all financial areas including banking, receivables, payables and the reporting of financial data. Included in these responsibilities is the streamlining of processes to gain efficiencies and productivity. She also works to improve forecasting and projections to place Personify in a proactive and strong position to withstand an ever-changing financial environment.
Our gender diversity in leadership positions extends beyond our executive team. Of our 7 employee-led committees, 5 of these groups are led by females. In an effort to expand the decision-making power to different levels of the organization, our committees are tasked with championing specific initiatives and developing organization-wide solutions to help Personify stay in an ongoing state of improvement, while maintaining an environment that promotes our employees to be the best versions of themselves.
Cady Whitehurst: As a Talent Management Executive at Personify, Cady works directly as an adviser to hiring managers and candidates alike to find great matches for organizations; she also leads our Corporate Wellness Committee that runs our Fitness Reimbursement Program that provides all employees with a monthly stipend for gym memberships, along with other initiatives that promote healthy behaviors in our office.
Elizabeth Black: In addition to working as our Marketing Manager, Elizabeth leads our Community Outreach Committee; her team is responsible for managing our relationships with community organizations, as well as coordinating days of service for our employees to give back, creating a culture of volunteerism at Personify. Elizabeth also works close with Dana in furthering Personify’s partnership with the Triangle Diversity Business Council to promote diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout the Triangle business community.
Hillary Revington: Hillary manages candidate and client relationships as a Talent Management Executive, but also leads Personify’s New Employee On-boarding and Immersion Committee. The purpose of this committee it to improve new hires on-boarding and immersion process through peer mentorship programs and streamlined training programs and initiatives.
Jessi Jones: Jessi represents women in technology by serving Personify as a Business Analyst and Security Program Manager. Meanwhile, she leverages her leadership experience coaching youth and college women to lead the Personify Ethics Committee as they continue to develop a core value driven business culture.
Madison Cochran: Madison works as a Client Services Coordinator at Personify, while also leading our Culture Committee. This committee is responsible for planning company events to encourage team building, boost morale, and reward employees for their successes.
As an organization, we are dedicated to continually expanding our team to be more diverse at every level, and we hope to highlight the impactful work of even more of our female employees next year.