Sustaining Visionary Leadership

Former Paradigm for Parity CEO Sandra Quince and new CEO Nadine Bullock-Pottinga in dialogue on an exciting moment of succession and transition.

Sustaining Visionary Leadership: Paradigm for Parity CEOs in Conversation

As outgoing CEO Sandra Quince passes the leadership baton to new CEO Nadine Bullock-Pottinga, we sat down with them to hear their thoughts on the transition, and their outlook on the future of Paradigm for Parity as the organization nears its eighth anniversary.

Let’s start with our former CEO and now our Co-Chair. Sandra, what do you want our audiences to know on the occasion of this transition?

Sandra: We are entering a new era at Paradigm for Parity. We are really excited to welcome Nadine as our new CEO. Under Nadine’s leadership, great work will continue. We have an amazing team that will continue to elevate the work and drive its execution just as we’ve always done.

And, we’re not only welcoming Nadine, but also reimagining my own role as a co-chair and board member. It’s very important to me to be able to stay connected to this organization in a meaningful way. I’m looking forward to really partnering with Nadine, and being able to see this organization flourish even more.

Nadine, how does your own background contribute to how you’re showing up now to this work?

Nadine: I have had a 20-plus-year career in philanthropy and while it’s rewarding work, I have experienced gender bias and discrimination along the way. However, I have had access to tools and sponsorship – the support that we talk about here at Paradigm for Parity. This has helped me be successful and take this seat. I’m passionate about bringing tools and practices, not only to companies, but to every woman, no matter where they are in their career journey.

I’m also a first-generation US immigrant. Although I don’t often speak about it, it’s an important part of my background. We moved a lot when I was young, and my parents speak English as a second language. I always felt a sense of otherness. I never really felt like I fit in. For a long time, I saw that as a negative, but as I progressed in my career, I learned to harness that otherness for good. I champion diversity at every turn because I know that with diverse people, thoughts, and perspectives, we are better as individuals, as teams, and as companies.

Sandra: Agreed. We all bring our lived experiences to any environment that we’re in. It’s so critical that we’re able to be really good advocates for, and creators of, the right ecosystem for all talent to thrive.

In our current climate, where DEI is feeling some pressure, what do you consider most important as Paradigm for Parity moves forward?

Nadine: The most important thing I’ve learned is that we don’t do this alone. It takes a lot of partners and a lot of advocates to do this work together. This is a moment to recognize that we need to be committed to DEI work, whether it feels comfortable or not. We owe it to the women and girls of the future to make sure they have environments in which they will live and thrive.

Sandra: I love what you said, that we owe it to our future generations. Official estimates predict that, at the rate we’re going, we’re still 131 years from gender parity. And this is not about men versus women. This is about all of us together. We have to keep striving to ensure that we’re creating the right opportunities for all people to thrive in the workplace. We certainly feel the backlash against DEI, but as Nadine said, we have a powerful coalition, a powerful group of partners, and we are not in this alone.

This backlash comes from a minority of people. The majority believe deeply that this is the right way to do business. Our members believe it. We don’t have to be shouting about DEI from the rooftops. The most important thing is that we’re doing the work and quietly closing the gap.

What does gender parity mean to you? And where are we progress-wise with gender parity?

Sandra: Parity means that we reflect the communities and the people that we serve. Globally, the population of men is just slightly higher than women, and research shows that by 2050 the number will even out. Yet, right now women occupy only about 42.5 percent of the workforce.

So that’s one place to start when we think about what gender parity means—numbers that reflect who we are as a civilization. But to me, gender parity means so much more than numbers. It means the ability to bring ourselves—our whole selves—to the work environment, and to be supported there personally and professionally. And that means having the right inclusive leaders, providing us with the right opportunities, advocating for us, sponsoring us, and giving us a path forward for our careers. It means we need to be psychologically safe when we’re at work. “Parity” means an environment in which all women—and all people—can thrive.

Nadine: I’m not sure I could say any better than that! Gender parity is not just 50-50 representation. It’s also what happens when we get there. It’s about creating that space where those voices are heard, acknowledged, and their experience is really valued. That to me is where parity is really at its best.

And to close that gender gap, we also have to be aware of trends in how the workforce is changing, and how these changes and trends affect women in the workforce. Then we must continue to respond to them, which we’re doing here at Paradigm for Parity. For example, as we come out of the Covid pandemic, we’re seeing trends emerge about working parents and working mothers, and the stress of being able to juggle two-parent working households. We can’t try to close the gender gap unless we respond to that issue.

Sandra: That’s true. We’ve made really good progress, and there’s so much more work we need to do.

I really believe that if companies and organizations execute on the Paradigm for Parity 5-Point Action Plan, and embed it in their business goals as well as their DEI goals, then we can certainly close the gender gap much faster than 131 years.

The Five Points include:
1. Minimize or eliminate unconscious bias.
2. Significantly increase the number of women in senior operating roles.
3. Measure targets at every level and communicate progress and results regularly.
4. Base career progress on business results and performance, not on presence.
5. Identify women of potential and give them sponsors as well as mentors.

What are some of the most exciting opportunities for this work?

Nadine: There is a solid foundation of supporters, founders, partners, member companies, and the team here at Paradigm for Parity. There’s a firm commitment to the mission. And what I’m really excited about is being able to scale the work. We can continue to grow this coalition and move down the road faster and take quicker and bigger bites. I’m excited to be able to do that with this team and with all the amazing resources we have at our disposal.

Sandra: We have accomplished so much, so fast, as an organization. We’re not even quite eight years old yet, and we’re on the cusp of becoming an organization that’s known for getting results. We are excited to be able to grow the coalition so we can continue to make impacts not just in quantity but in quality: organization by organization, team by team, manager by manager, and person by person. It’s exciting for me to know that we have the right leadership in place, we have the right team to support the work, and we have the right partners to help create the ecosystem that we need to be successful.