Breaking Through

Chapter 14Women's Initiative Network and Reverse Mentoring Program

Interview with Karen Peetz, President of BNY Mellon

Women have to have the confidence to be heard and to lead.

Karen was promoted to president of BNY Mellon in 2013. She has worked in banking for 30 years and was the company's first female vice chair. Karen is passionate about fostering a responsible, risk-sensitive banking culture and making the business case for diverse talent. She is also a leading player in the finance sector's changing risk and regulation frameworks, aimed at strengthening reliability and rebuilding trust in the sector.

Since 2009, BNY Mellon has witnessed a 100 percent increase in the number of women and a 35 percent increase in the number of people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds at Executive Committee, Operating Committee, and Regional Operating Committee levels. Forty-four percent of the global workforce are women; 36 percent of the VPs are women; 26 percent of the MDs are women; and 19 percent of the Executive Committee are women.

Women in the Economy

How do you see the role of women in today's economic world?

I think that the good news is that companies around the world are recognizing that with women being at least half of the world's population, it's very important that they get engaged, if nothing else, in order to optimize economic opportunities. And when you look at it that way, you realize that the country that does the best job of mobilizing women will end ...