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Women’s Leadership Day was recently hosted by Deutsche Bank in Cary to offer female Vice President and Assistant Vice President technologists the opportunity to learn about tools and strategies that help career progression.

“Individual to Influencer” is part of the “Decoding your Career: Women’s Leadership Series,” a program dedicated to taking a holistic approach to talent and career development. It evolved from last year’s inaugural Women’s Leadership Day, which was held in Jacksonville.

“Being an influencer in a complex organization like Deutsche Bank isn’t always easy,” said Dan Minto, Head of Deutsche Bank in Cary. “Studies show that women tend to keep their head down, work hard and hope someone notices their good work. With today’s program, we want to give you the tools to help you think differently and elevate your career.”

Women’s Leadership Day opened with “Career Boost: Increasing Your Impact and Value” presented by Peggy Hazard of Korn Ferry Hay Group. Participants assessed individual career stages based on their current work level and the contributions they make to the bank. They also identified the key attributes of being an influencer. Bank leaders discussed the importance of a range of approaches to career growth including building relationships, taking risks and focusing on what you are passionate about. Towards the end of the workshop Hazard commented that “it takes a village to build a career.”

(L to R): Denis Cox, Kim Hammonds and Ruth Sleeter.

“Executive Insights,” the day’s second session, featured Kim Hammonds, Group Chief Operating Officer, and Denise Cox, Cisco’s Vice President, Technical Services Americas, in a candid fireside-style chat moderated by Ruth Sleeter, CIO Business Intelligence & Cary Domain Lead, Group CIO. In keeping with the theme of the day, the engaging dialogue highlighted how Hammonds and Cox progressed from individuals to influencers in their careers.

Hammonds shared the importance of being in growth roles ranging from 18 to 24 months earlier in her career. During this period, she experienced two key learnings: focus on doing a good job and build teams by hiring smarter people than you with complimentary skill sets. She added, “when something goes well, tell the story, and when something doesn’t’ go well, learn from it.”

While Hammonds had four mentors during her career; she believes self-coaching is also important. “One of the greatest compliments I received was that I was coachable. You need to be coachable and embrace it; then be your own coach.” Hammonds shared there are times when she relies on instinct to make decisions. “If something has me waking up at 2am, I listen to my gut and know it’s not right for me.”

(L to R): Jennifer Mayfield, Jennifer Schroeder, Kathryn Burdett, Ashley Drugg, Kim Hammonds, Ruth Sleeter, Denise Cox and Dan Minto.

Hammonds talked about building the bank of the future, including new mobile capabilities that will continue to evolve, new digital platforms, data as a revenue model and artificial intelligence. “I like to drive change and we are in a cool space right now.”

Cox offered advice including making sure to invest in your development, embracing risk and not missing opportunities to develop multiple strengths. And of course – have fun along the way.
Minto closed the day recognizing and thanking the planning team that created and produced the event including Kathryn Burdett, Ashley Drugg, Jennifer Mayfield, Jennifer Schroeder, Diane Scott and Ruth Sleeter.