Mark Treanor
General Counsel
Wachovia Corporation believes that to reach its true potential, it must continue to build an organization that values individual differences. To this end, it employs a number of corporate diversity efforts to further this important initiative, including: a corporate diversity council, chaired by the company’s president and CEO, Ken Thompson; a corporate supplier diversity program; and an employee resource network, a nonprofit association of employees who work together to promote greater cultural diversity awareness, support diversity in the workplace, and provide a vehicle to discuss business opportunities.
Wachovia’s legal division, which is led by its General Counsel Mark Treanor, has taken great strides in enhancing its diversity profile and initiatives. Under his leadership, the legal division has formed a diversity council that focuses on internal diversity efforts. The division has recently increased its representation by minority- and women-owned firms.
The legal division has also implemented a recruiting process that seeks to ensure a diverse candidate pool for each open position. Several years ago, the division launched an aggressive strategy to revise its recruiting processes, which included advertising in regional bar publications, spreading the word to law school and attorney networks, and posting their positions with online job banks and print sources. The legal department advertises its job openings in publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal to the North Carolina Law Weekly, in addition to many regional bar associations.
The work of its legal division has helped Wachovia receive national recognition for its diversity efforts. For the fourth consecutive year, LATINA Style magazine has selected Wachovia as one of the nation’s 50 Best Companies for Hispanic Women. The magazine cited the company for providing excellent professional opportunities for the Latina community. Furthermore, Working Mother magazine and other publications have recognized the company.
With the strong involvement of its leadership team and employees, it is clear why Wachovia is an industry leader in diversity.
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From the December 2002 issue of Diversity & The Bar®