Each year on March 8 we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) to honor the achievements of women, in a variety of fields, throughout history and across nations. March also happens to be Women’s History Month in the United States.

In recognition of both International Women’s Day (IWD) and Women’s History Month, Vanguard’s Women’s Initiative for Leadership Success (WILS) hosted a number of experiences centered around the 2021 IWD theme: Choose to Challenge. This theme is all about making conscious choices to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements and to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality.

Through live speaker events, coaching sessions, workshops and a podcast, crew engaged with each other across virtual platforms. Many also participated in a #ChoosetoChallenge campaign by posting photos striking the IWD pose to show their commitment to helping forge an inclusive world.

Lastly, WILS also took this opportunity to recognize and celebrate “women we admire” through a spotlight series. Take a moment to read the insights these crew members shared about their personal career experiences with our WILS members.

Ginene L.
Associate Counsel and Senior Manager, Vanguard Litigation & Regulatory Enforcements Team

Ginene opens up about the importance of being your own advocate: “I’ve experienced many encounters that required me to speak up for myself, even when it came with possible rejection or consequence. But that’s the sacrifice of being your biggest advocate––everyone may not agree with you but, if it’s true to who you are and what you believe, you have to trust yourself and trust your journey. I also learned that it’s never too early or too late to take charge of your career. Oftentimes, the fear of ‘why would they want to meet with me’ or ‘what do I have to offer’ gets in the way of building great relationships that can change the trajectory of our career. Keeping my head down and waiting for the work to come may have worked for others, but that wasn’t the road for me.”

Adriana R.
Head of Institutional Sales for Mexico and South America

When asked how she challenges the status quo in her role, Adriana says, “Building a business in the International division means we challenge the status quo pretty frequently, and our business partners will attest to this. Without their collaborative support and frequent and upfront communication, we would not be able to serve our clients by strategically leveraging Vanguard’s scale and strengths.”

Mara B.
Project Manager, Institutional Investor Services Business Enablement Team

When it comes to your career, Mara believes you control your own destiny: “I am certain we have all been in a situation where a friend, family member, or colleague has questioned a decision you made for your career because maybe it was something you hadn’t done before, or maybe it didn’t follow the typical path of those before you. When those situations happened to me, it was important to remember that I was the only one who could make the decision. It didn’t matter what one person said or what they thought of me after, it mattered what I wanted for my career and what would make me happy. You control your own destiny, and the only person who can stop you is you.”

Sara V.
Personal Experience Lead in Australia

On breaking barriers to achieve success, Sara shares, “Growing up, I was blinded by the idea of needing a stable and reputable career when I went down the accounting path. People often say the only way to succeed in your career is to love what you do. It took time to build the courage to do something about the career I’d built that did not align with my passion. Taking action is important, and I’m now in a more people-focused, dynamic and fast-paced role where I use my strengths every day to make an impact. I am so much happier for it—even on the stressful and challenging days!”

Jessica B.
Education Consulting Services Manager, Institutional Investor Group

Jessica opens up about Vanguard’s culture and how it has afforded her flexibility as a working mom: “Something I greatly value about Vanguard’s culture is the opportunity to leverage flexibility in the workplace to be successful as a working mom. Four years ago, my first daughter was born with complications resulting in many lifelong disabilities. I thought my career was over, as the demands for her doctors’ visits and therapies wouldn’t allow me to be successful in both my career and providing her the care she needs. However, our corporate culture and many influential leaders in the organization have taught me that I can do both; thrive as a mother raising a child with disabilities and be a successful career-driven woman. I have learned to utilize resources such as mobile technology to stay plugged in to work while sitting in doctors’ offices. I have leveraged my ability to work a flexible schedule in order to facilitate my daughter’s physical and occupational therapy sessions. Watching my daughter overcome the many obstacles she is faced with daily has been my inspiration to thrive for success in everything I do, to never give up, and to always find the value in my accomplishments.”