The 2003 LATINA Style 50 - Top Twelve Companies

Maria Cristina Sebastian
Managing Director of Sales Planning and Analysis

American Airlines, Inc.

For Latinas ready for a high-flying career, American Airlines is the place to start. This air transportation company of close to 100,000 employees has some great initiatives aimed to advance Latinas in the workplace. The American Airlines Succession Planning process identifies females who are high-potential candidates and provides them with formal mentoring and networking opportunities as well as developmental and career training. The company also offers a wide range of flextime options, and generous job-guaranteed time off for childbirth or adoption. The Hispanic/Latin Employee Resource Group is an additional support for Latinas. 
Maria Cristina Sebastian is one Latina who has come far at American Airlines. As managing director of sales planning and analysis, Sebastian is in charge of sales strategy development, training, administration, reporting, and program analyses. Prior to joining Passenger Sales, Sebastian was in Revenue Management where, among other roles, she was the manager of Latin America Revenue Management, and the manager of Domestic Yield Management for the Northeast and Southwestern Region. 

Marisa Lago
Global Head of Compliance and Business Practices
Citigroup Global Corporate and Investment Bank

Citigroup

In 2002, Citigroup cemented its commitment to diversity by establishing a corporate framework for its diversity strategy, continuing to develop relationships with leading minority organizations, establishing mentoring programs, and launching employee networks. The company is an aggressive recruiter of diverse talent at all levels, maintaining relationships with organizations such as the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement. For Latino employees, Citigroup’s own Hispanic Employee Network was formally launched in June 2003. 
Efforts such as these explain why this financial services giant of 133,500 employees is staffed by nearly 10,000 Latinas, of whom 93 are Executives or Senior Vice Presidents and 624 are Vice Presidents. One of those executives is Marisa Lago, global head of compliance and business practices for Citigroup’s global corporate and investment bank. She is responsible for coordinating and overseeing all compliance matters for the corporate and institutional businesses globally. 
LATINA Style 50 Company of the Year, 2001

Nora de Cárdenas
Assistant General Counsel, Technology and Marketing

Colgate-Palmolive

A stellar mentoring program distinguishes Colgate-Palmolive as an employer for Latinas. This manufacturing company participates in Women Unlimited, a multi-layered mentoring program that focuses on providing Colgate-Palmolive Company opportunities for leadership development. Colgate currently sponsors participants in three different levels of the program: LEAD (Leadership Education and Development), targeted toward high-potential mid-level managers; TEAM (Training for Emerging and Aspiring Managers), focusing on the needs of new managers and high-potential project or program leaders; and FEW (Forums for Executive Women) aimed at senior level-women leaders. 
For Latinas among the company’s 6,000 employees, two Hispanic employee organizations, Vistas Latinas and Hispanic Action Network, further enhance the overall environment at Colgate. One Latina who has steadily advanced during her tenure at Colgate-Palmolive is Nora de Cárdenas, assistant general counsel, Technology and Marketing. As such, she is the principal legal advisor for the Global Fabric Care, Toothbrush, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition Divisions. De Cárdenas joined the company in 1991 as associate counsel, International, and later became division general counsel for the Latin America Division. 

Mercy Jiménez
Senior Vice President for Business and Product Development 

Fannie Mae 

As last year’s LATINA Style 50 winner, Fannie Mae continues to shine as a place of employment for Latinas. Among the many successful Hispanic women at this financial services company is Mercy Jimenez, senior vice president for Business and Product Development. She is responsible for developing, marketing, and implementing Single Family mortgage product and process enhancements as well as new strategic initiatives. Jimenez came to Fannie Mae with a background in financial management, joining the company as vice president for corporate development. 
There’s something for everyone at Fannie Mae. A generous and accommodating childbirth leave program and a full range of flexible work options (including part-time schedule and job sharing) make Fannie Mae a great choice for working mothers. Some 15 affinity/support groups for female employees, mentoring programs, a 100 percent education reimbursement policy and a mortgage down payment program make it a great choice for women. And an active Hispanic employee association as well as a confirmed commitment to diversity make it a great choice for Latinas. 
LATINA Style 50 Company of the Year, 2002

Natalia Franco
Vice President, Sweet Baked Goods
Pillsbury USA

General Mills

Almost 650 Latinas work at this food and beverage manufacturing company of close to 20,500 employees. For them and for future Latina employees, General Mills has truly gone the extra mile. A full roster of mentoring programs, an excellent health care plan that is available to all full-time employees, a generous flextime program that a high percentage of employees take advantage of, and up to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave per year are only some of the benefits of working for this company.A Hispanic employee association, a Hispanic Network website, and active recruitment in the Hispanic community also help explain why General Mills is a great place for Latinas to work their way up the ladder. 
One woman who did just that is Natalia Franco, who came to The Pillsbury Company in 1995 as the marketing manager for the Latin America Export division. Following the Pillsbury acquisition by General Mills in 2001, Franco became the corporate director for Ethnic Marketing and later director for Sweet Baked Goods in the Pillsbury division. After a year of great results through growth and major innovation, she was promoted to Vice President for Sweet Baked Goods in the Pillsbury USA division. 

Patricia Romero Cronin
Vice President, Global Services

IBM Corporation

“None of us is as strong as all of us” is IBM’s all-inclusive diversity theme, and it illustrates the company’s strong commitment to workforce diversity. An active recruiter in the Hispanic community, IBM has an executive task force that focuses on mentoring and coaching Hispanic employees to be positioned for executive positions. Co-chairing that task force is Patricia Romero Cronin, vice president, Global Services. With over 20 years of experience at IBM, Romero Cronin has held many technical and management positions. She began her career as a programmer with IBM’s database products, and in 10 years she worked her way up to Product Manager of IBM Database Products. 
For its 2,061 Latina employees, IBM offers a supportive environment that includes mentoring, a task force on women’s issues, on-site childcare at some locations, health insurance for all full-time employees, and three years of job-guaranteed leave for childbirth. In addition, IBM has taken significant steps toward creating a flexible work environment. The Global Worklife Flexibility & Mobility Project office is focused on ensuring that all of the company’s employees can utilize IBM’s six flexible work options.

Maria Elena Lagomasino
Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Private Bank

JPMorgan Chase

If finance is your area of expertise, take a good look at JPMorgan Chase. Of its 95,000 employees, some 6,100 are Latinas – including Maria Elena Lagomasino, who serves as Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Private Bank. In her position, she is responsible for overseeing the largest private bank in the United States, with over $250 billion in assets and roughly $1.5 billion in revenues. Lagomasino joined The Chase Manhattan Corporation in 1983 (before its 2000 merger with JPMorgan) as manager and division executive for Chase Private Banking International. She subsequently managed the private bank’s western-hemisphere area, and also served as market executive for the Americas region of the private bank. 
One of JPMorgan’s key attractions for its Hispanic employees is Adelante, an employee network that is dedicated to promoting professional development through mentoring programs, professional development sessions, recruitment efforts, Hispanic Scholarship Fund donations, and cultural events. A solid lineup of childcare subsidies, leave for childbirth, and flextime make JPMorgan Chase a great place for Latinas.

Rosa Ramos-Kwok
Executive Director

Morgan Stanley

Of the 1,800 Latinas who work for this investment banking firm of some 50,000 employees, a significant percentage hold managerial or professional positions. That’s a good sign for Latinas considering a career at Morgan Stanley. One woman who has risen high at the firm is executive director Rosa Ramos-Kwok. She began her career in 1987 at Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Division as an information technology trainee. Upon graduating from the six-month training program, Ramos-Kwok progressed through increasingly responsible positions in Technical Services. Currently, she is responsible for the firm’s Mainframe Disaster Recovery Testing initiative, among other products.
For potential Latina employees, professional opportunities at Morgan Stanley are supplemented by ample benefits. Flextime, profit sharing for both hourly and salaried employees, and a 401 (k) plan that the company contributes to dollar-for-dollar up to $1,500 per year are all attractive reasons to work for the firm. Mentoring, career counseling, and 100 percent continuous education reimbursements are additional reasons to consider a career at Morgan Stanley.

Maria G. Gutierrez
Associate General Counsel

New York Life Insurance Company 

This insurance company is committed to the Hispanic community, and shows it by working closely with organizations such as the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, and numerous others. It’s no surprise, then, that New York Life actively recruits employees from the Hispanic community. Once hired, many join the company’s dynamic Hispanic employee association. New York Life’s female employees can be assured that on-site child care, leave for childbirth or adoption, and the full range of flextime options are offered. The company offers profit sharing to hourly and salaried employees, and educational scholarships are available for the children of employees. 
Latinas thinking of starting their careers at New York Life can look up to Maria G. Gutierrez, an associate general counsel in the Subsidiary and Investment Oversight Unit of the Office of the General Counsel. She focuses on corporate governance matters, cross-border private equity transactions, domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures. 

Graciela Eleta de Cacho
Vice President, Multicultural Development Organization
North America

Procter & Gamble

Of 38,000 employees at this manufacturing company, only 500 are Latinas. But this is a great place for Hispanic women, and Procter & Gamble is working hard to bring more Latinas on board by aggressively recruiting in the Hispanic media. The highest-ranking Latina at the company is Graciela Eleta de Cacho, vice president for Procter & Gamble’s Multicultural Development Organization in North America. Eleta, the first Latina to serve in this position, is in charge of developing and executing marketing and retail strategies directed the Hispanic and Procter & Gamble African-American market in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. 
For Latinas at Procter and Gamble, the Hispanic Employee Steering Team is an active source of support and networking. For those with children, the company is unique in reimbursing childcare costs up to $500 for parents who go on business travel, and it offers on-site child care as well as childcare subsidies. New mothers can take almost an entire year off – up until their child’s first birthday – and eight weeks of that time are paid. Profit sharing and a solid 401 (k) plan round out a full list of benefits for employees.

Norma Martinez Lozano
President-Diversified Businesses

SBC Communications, Inc.

Some 11,300 Latinas work for this telecommunications giant, including Norma Martinez Lozano, president- Diversified Businesses for SBC Communications. Lozano began her career with Southwestern Bell in 1979 as a network engineer. Since then, she has held numerous positions throughout SBC’s territory, including president and CEO of Southwestern Bell Messaging Services and vice president-marketing for SBC Operations. 
Given the company-wide efforts toward diversity and women’s issues, it’s easy to see why so many Latinas work at SBC. For example, SBC’s Hispanic Association of Communications Employees coordinates National HACEMOS Day and HACEMOS High Tech Day. There is also a company task force that addresses women-related issues in the workplace as well as an employeesponsored organization, Professional Women of SBC. Additional benefits for working mothers include 52 weeks of job-guaranteed leave for childbirth or adoption, and a recently-implemented telecommuting policy that allows eligible employees to work from outside the office. 

Nilda M. de Boyrie
Senior Vice President, Manager of the International
Financial Advisory Division

Wachovia Corporation

This commercial and investment banking company offers a myriad of benefits for its 82,000 employees, almost 3,000 of whom are Latinas. Among those are an education reimbursement program, a 401 (k) plan that matches employee savings up to 6 percent, paid time off and flexible work options. Wachovia is committed to a “work/life balance,” which means that employees are given four hours of paid time each month to participate in community service volunteerism, educational volunteerism, and parental involvement in education. Other key benefits are the Wachovia Employees Care Fund, which provides broad support to employees in times of need, 10 family care days in times of need, an employee bulletin board, and an employee discount program with participating businesses. 
Wachovia is committed to incorporating diversity into all aspects of business. Potential minority employees are recruited via a wide range of recruitment efforts. In addition, Latina employees at Wachovia are supported by the Hispanic/Latino/Latina Employee Resource Network, which offers opportunities for networking and support. One Latina that has come far at Wachovia is Nilda M. de Boyrie, senior vice president and manager of the International Financial Advisory Division. The division offers highly specialized financial, retirement and trust planning to non-resident aliens. De Boyrie joined the company in 1985, and today she oversees a department that manages more than 12,000 relationships with $2.7 billion in assets under management.