Interview with Donna DePasquale, EVP and GM of Global Decisioning, on winning a 2021 Bronze Stevie Award for Supporting Women and Employee Resource Groups
Donna DePasquale, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Global Decisioning, has been awarded a bronze Stevie® Award in the “Women Helping Women – Business” category for 2021 in honor of her work supporting women in Decision Analytics and overseeing numerous employee resource groups across the company. She spoke about this with the Global Insights Blog.
Q: Why did you think your work on helping women was worthy of this award?
A: I’m a first-generation American and the first in my family to go to college. I knew since business school that I thought and acted differently from the other students, but that’s how I knew that I could add value, and that’s what I’ve always aimed to impart to other women wherever I’ve worked.
I’ve been at Experian for many years and have always advocated for women at all levels of the organization. I have strived to be a mentor and championed women for growth in what is traditionally a male-dominated industry. And I’ve also tried to lead by example and with compassion.
I’m a firm believer that the best results come from effective collaboration and open communication. I’ve been very lucky in my career and I’ve always been encouraged to express and share my point of view. At Experian, I try to pay that forward by encouraging all voices, and, in particular, women’s voices.
Q: What did the Stevie Awards cite when you won?
A: In 2018, we launched the Accelerated Development Program (ADP) to identify and mentor more women business leaders within the company. I worked with Experian’s Global Decision Analytics HR Director Richard Teague to develop this program. ADP welcomes mentees from all functions in the business. Each mentee is paired with a senior mentor who they regularly meet with for practical, on the job guidance and longer term career coaching. The mentees also participate in a variety of activities to develop hard and soft business skills.
So far, the ADP has supported 44 mid-career, high-potential women on the Global Decision Analytics team in a leadership training program, and, on average, half of the women who participate are promoted within two years.
The ADP complements another initiative which is important for many of our employees. We renewed our focus on DE&I in Global Decision Analytics a few years ago. We now offer five employee resource groups, which are Mental Health, Neurodiversity and Disability, LGBTQ+, Race and Ethnicity, and Gender which is focused on “Women in Experian.” These resource groups have played a valuable role for employees during the pandemic and during personal challenges.
Q: Can you tell us more about the Stevie Awards?
A: The awards, which are given in a range of different categories for small, medium, and large businesses, have been presented since 2002 for notable achievements in business to organizations and individuals in more than 60 nations.
