When Jade Roxas started her career at PwC Philippines, 21 years ago, she was attracted by the promise of an environment that supported women leaders. Today, as a partner in the firm, Jade is determined to make sure others feel the same support and inclusivity she’s enjoyed since day one.
Jade started her career at another firm but later joined PwC after completing business school and becoming a new mum. She wondered how she would juggle a demanding job and a new baby but was relieved to find that, while the workload was challenging, the work environment was exceptionally supportive. At that time Corazon de la Paz-Bernardo, PwC’s first ever female Territory Senior Partner (TSP) network-wide, was at the helm and gender diversity was skyrocketing there with more female partners than male partners. Through the support and guidance of her mentors and team, Jade worked her way up to partner. During that time, she saw two more women promoted to TSP.
Jade soon realised the gender equality she enjoyed at PwC Philippines was not as common in other regions. Even though gender diversity was almost a given in her territory, for many years, she was the only female Deals leader in Asia Pacific. Today, she is proud to be joined by female peers in the region, as well as more women leaders across the PwC Network.
Inspired by this progress across the firm, Jade welcomes people from diverse backgrounds to her team. She believes that embracing unique ideas, perspectives, experiences and people can foster creativity and lead to innovative solutions. It is important to foster a workplace that values people for who they are. For Jade, this means creating an authentic environment that encourages empathy, inclusiveness and equity.
“PwC is a great place to work because we promote a culture that appreciates talent and we celebrate differences as a fair employer.”
Jade views diversity and inclusion as opportunities to be more innovative. She believes that by leveraging the talents of all people, regardless of background, gender or sexual orientation, we can utilise those experiences to create better outcomes. Jade encourages her team to comment, question and suggest because the best decisions are more likely to emerge when different viewpoints and perspectives are brought to the table.
“We have people coming from different economic, educational and geographic backgrounds, people with different religions, cultures and gender orientations. These differences enrich our practice.”
From a global perspective to her personal team, Jade contributes to creating a PwC where everyone can excel. Jade feels proud to help shape an inclusive culture where we go beyond simply encouraging diversity, to truly valuing diversity. Personally, Jade loves being a mum. She cherishes every opportunity to spend time travelling or simply watching films with her family. Her role as a solver at PwC is mirrored at home as her family loves solving puzzles together and playing card and board games.
From your experience, how do you sum up Inclusion & Diversity at PwC?
Inclusion & Diversity in PwC is still a journey. I have seen a lot of improvements from the time I joined and we should all continue to be aware of unconscious biases and work hard to foster an inclusive workplace where individuality is not only understood but celebrated.
What should others know about PwC’s commitment to Inclusion & Diversity?
PwC is committed to promoting Inclusion & Diversity in the workplace. We have seen this not only in recruitment and talent management but also in the views and I&D advocacies that the global network has supported.