Nancy Gardner
General Counsel
With 16,000 staff members in 94 countries throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas and Asia, defining ‘diversity’ is a bit complex for Reuters America Inc.
The world’s largest international multimedia news agency, Reuters America operates 197 bureaus worldwide and serves 130 countries. It provides information to professionals in the financial services, media, and corporate markets.
Indeed, some 458,000 financial market professionals working in the equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, money, commodities and energy markets around the world use Reuters’ products.
As a global information group, Reuters America is challenged to incorporate diversity in all aspects of the organization. It employs a wide range of innovative diversity programs, such as reverse mentoring, where employees from underrepresented groups mentor senior executives on issues relating to diversity. Another program requires all senior managers to set and achieve annual diversity objectives.
Reuters America also regularly conducts employee surveys to evaluate morale and identify any employee issues that need to be addressed.
One of the best examples of how Reuters America truly ‘lives’ its commitment to diversity is its legal department, where diversity is the rule, not the exception. Reuters America’s legal department of 18 attorneys may be considered small, but its commitment to diversity is demonstrated within the department in a big way.
Without enacting formal rules and guidelines, the legal team has taken the lead in providing a clear example of diversity at work – more than half of the department’s attorneys are women and eight are from underrepresented racial, ethnic, or religious backgrounds.
Responsive to the needs of its staff, Reuters America’s legal department maintains flexible work arrangements to accommodate working mothers, those having special religious practices, and others whose circumstances require special consideration. The department accomplishes this while remaining fully responsive to the needs of a fast-moving, intense business.
The Reuters America legal department carries its commitment to diversity through to its business relationships. It has alerted all of its outside counsel that it not only expects them to strive to be diverse workplaces, but also that it expects to see women and minorities working on Reuters matters.
Nancy Gardner, the head of the Reuters America legal team, believes this link between diversity and fee generation sends the most powerful message to business partners and colleagues.
In addition to maintaining a diverse work environment within the legal department, Reuters America’s lawyers actively participate in the company’s diversity advisory council, which focuses on the development and promotion of a company-wide culture of inclusion, appreciation and respect, including by creation of initiatives that augment opportunities for people from typically underrepresented populations.
Reuters America’s attorneys are also active in leading diversity workshops in the U.S. and Canada, and volunteering in the community.
This level of involvement in diversity issues is actively supported and encouraged by everyone in the department.
From the November/December 2003 issue of Diversity & The Bar®