Kelly Mahon Tullier

"We are all here tonight because we believe in diversity, because we appreciate that to succeed in the marketplace, we must look like the marketplace. Because we recognize that the best, true and sustainable innovation is possible only when the best ideas, irrespective of from where and from whom they come, are heard. Because we understand that diversity is ultimately about human dignity and respect. It's a value. I know I don't have to sell diversity to this crowd, but good intentions are not enough. My challenge to this broader community of legal professionals is to be intentional about diversity. Balance, fairness and inclusion do not just happen. They require all of us to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work of actually creating environments where differences are valued and encouraged. They require all of us to dig deep and identify the unconscious biases that, even with the best of intentions, continue to linger across our society."

"We are intentional in how we structure interviews to combat unconscious bias in hiring, in how we assign high visibility roles and stretch projects across our teams, in how we plan for succession many layers deep into the organization, how we continually ask ourselves if we truly represent the communities in which we operate globally. I am proud that Visa is committed to equality, and the commitment has led to tangible results, including equal pay for equal work for our female employees, as well as employees from minority racial and ethnic backgrounds. And to really dig deep, we formed the Gender Inclusion Council to try to really understand what women need to feel truly valued and engaged at Visa. And our efforts were intentional. It started with us inviting to the council men and women who have deep passion and commitment to this issue and who really want to make Visa the employer of choice for women."

"And I can't tell you how proud I was when, just last week, I learned that a choice between two equally qualified firms in Turkey, our team intentionally chose the firm that showed us that it not only hires, but also nurtures and grows underrepresented talent, LGBTQ talent and female talent. That's it. That was the deciding factor for us. We are intentionally putting our money where our mouth is."