Gender Advisory Council: Dennis M. Nally (Sponsor)

I believe that PricewaterhouseCoopers will only enjoy success in the long term if we recognise the critical role played by diversity in sustaining an innovative, productive, and loyal workforce. Although we have achieved external recognition for our efforts to attract and retain talented women, we still have a long way to go. Bringing more diversity to our leadership is of vital importance to me, and something which I will personally champion during my tenure as Chairman.

The importance of cultural dexterity

To encourage the advancement of women in the corporate field, I think we need to take measures to increase the competency of cultural dexterity in our workforce. Cultural dexterity is a leadership skill; it encompasses the ability we have to understand, manage, coach, work, interact, connect, and effectively communicate with people from vastly different backgrounds and across multiple dimensions of diversity.

A big part of the reason we want women better represented at leadership levels in business is because they bring a different perspective to the table that could lead to enhanced decision-making, more innovation, and ultimately, higher performing teams. While working across gender would be a key aspect of cultural dexterity, it also applies to working across such dimensions as ethnicity, age, and experience.

The business world of tomorrow—a much more flexible, creative place

I believe that work and business will be about much more than simply the bottom line. The way we measure success will have altered forever—we will have fully integrated respect for our employees, environment and our global communities into our business strategies.

I also believe the competencies that we value in the business world will shift. Technical and analytical abilities will remain relevant, but emotional intelligence and cultural dexterity will be crucial traits of our future leaders.

I think that business will play an increasingly important role in education. The economic crisis has demonstrated a need to begin educating people about finance and accounting at a much earlier age, and this is a place where businesses will have stepped in to provide time, expertise, and engagement.

Finally, I believe the business world of tomorrow will be a much more creative place, not just out of necessity, but as a result of increased and more efficient cross-border cooperation and because all voices—including those of women—will be heard and valued.