During March, Regions Bank joined the celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day by holding special events – all led by Regions associates. From Houston to Atlanta, Charlotte to Memphis, and beyond, associates took part in networking opportunities, lunch-and-learn discussions and other programs designed to celebrate and learn from female leaders.
John Turner, President and CEO of Regions Financial Corp., discussed the importance of actively celebrating Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.
“I am excited about all that was accomplished in March to celebrate women and the impact women have made and continue to make at Regions. Events such as these continue to reinforce our commitment to diversity and inclusion,” Turner said. “I am also excited to announce that I recently accepted an invitation to join the Men with Momentum advisory board. Momentum is a Birmingham-based nonprofit organization that provides development programs, training and other resources for women to prepare for leadership roles. We have several Momentum graduates at Regions and other associates who are currently participating.”
Turner said Momentum is helping provide a foundation for positive, substantive results for professionals in a wide range of industries.
“Joining the Men with Momentum advisory board will give me the opportunity to partner with other Birmingham-based CEOs and the Momentum executive team to help identify root causes of diversity challenges and offer solutions that will continue to enhance work environments for women and minorities,” he said. “Although the organization is Birmingham-based, best practices adopted by Regions will benefit our entire footprint. It is exciting to think about the impact that can come from creative and collective brainstorming. I remain committed to ensuring Regions is a career destination for ALL talent.”
Consistent progress in fostering greater diversity and inclusion is a key priority for Regions Bank. In 2018, Regions welcomed Clara Green to lead the Diversity and Inclusion Center of Expertise in Regions’ Human Resources Group. Since then, Green has created the powerful Conversations with Clara series of discussions for Regions associates across the Southeast, Midwest and Texas.
The first such conversation brought together women leaders from different departments of the bank to discuss their experiences while offering practical insights for people looking to grow in their careers. As the series of conversations kicked off, Green shared the benefits that such discussions can create.
“I have found that the most impactful way to build a culture of inclusion is to explore what we have in common,” she said. “I firmly believe that engaging in dialogue gets us to that common ground quicker than any training class I could mandate.”
Since the initial discussion, subsequent events have included a public conversation between Green and Turner in which the CEO shared his personal commitment to fostering an increasingly diverse, inclusive corporate culture.
“Diverse teams are better teams,” Turner shared. “We have a very diverse customer base. So our teams should reflect our markets. They should reflect our focus on providing financial services to a wide range of people.”
Also, Green brought together Birmingham’s first African-American mayor with the city’s current mayor for a Black History Month conversation about Birmingham’s past and present, as well as lessons people can learn as they take the time to better understand the contributions, skills and experiences of others.
“This is all part of our inclusion journey,” Green said.