Katy Rodriguez Botello has risen to be a global powerhouse in Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) and Social Impact. She is known for the ability to develop innovative strategies and to deliver measurable business growth beyond the norm.
Katy is currently the Global Social Impact Senior Manager at Marsh McLennan, a Fortune 200 company, advising over 90,000 employees across 130 countries. Instead, she is focusing on integrating social impact into the company’s core operations, so that social and business objectives are completely aligned. Here, I take a look at the values and experiences that inspire Katy’s desire to make the world more inclusive.
Katy Rodriguez Botello
Relentless Pursuit of Equity
Growing up in Mexico, Katy’s upbringing in an underprivileged community was a real eye opener for her and has made her very passionate about D&I and social impact. They taught her to be responsible, to want to fight for equity, to want to fight for justice.
Those formative moments were the impetus for Katy to pursue a career centered on social change, she says, because, ‘I’ve always felt a duty to stand up for what is right and fair.’
Katy started out as an industrial engineer and, quite literally, followed her heart straight into social justice. She remembers: ‘I knew I had to take a leap of faith.’ Katy left a stable way to follow and stepped onto a new path because she believed that bold action can make a difference. She says that decision taught her to take risks and challenge norms, and she’s committed to making a difference.
Global Strategy Meets Education
Katy’s education has varied and her perspective in her role with Marsh McLennan is unique. She explains how my degree in Industrial Design helped me develop an innovative mindset — a mindset that allows me to think creatively and come up with new ideas in the D&I space.
She went on to get a Master’s in Public and Social Policy to better understand social challenges. But ‘This degree enabled me to identify the systemic barriers that maintain inequality and to find solutions to tackle them,’ she explains. Through her academic training, she is able to bridge policy with practical strategies to make inclusivity a way to advancing business goals.
The LEAD Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business was another one. It deepened my understanding of how social impact can or could align with business strategy, she shares. Katy’s multidisciplinary education combines design thinking, policy analysis, and strategic planning to give her the tools to execute impactful, globally relevant D&I initiatives.
Corporate Norm Challenges for Inclusive Growth
While incorporating D&I into corporate strategy comes with its own set of challenges, doing so in environments where financial metrics dominate the decision making is that much harder. These obstacles are ones Katy has faced head on. She notes that it’s hard when short term financial priorities get in the way of the long term benefits of D&I and social impact.
Katy’s perspective is to make a compelling business case with data to back it. She shows how D&I initiatives can improve financial performance by using metrics such as employee retention, engagement and talent attraction. For example, she explains, “I’ve demonstrated the value of these programs by tying their outcomes to the goals of the company.”
Katy also points out the need for effective communication to overcome resistance to change. Through her proactive relationships with diverse stakeholders throughout the organization, D&I is being infused into business operations. She says, “I’ve reframed D&I and Social Impact as core business priorities and got buy-in from leadership and employees.” By utilizing this strategic communication, inclusion efforts are viewed as other than peripheral initiatives but as a key part of the company’s success.
Global Contexts
While working in different regions, Katy accepts the requirement of ability to move and cultural respect. She asserts a one size fits all approach simply doesn’t work. “Each region should be tailored to its cultural context in terms of strategies.”
Katy highly values giving back to the local communities by building great working relationships to understand their unique challenges and goals. It’s essential to collaborate, she explains. “We create solutions that are relevant and sustainable by listening to local stakeholders.” Finally, using this approach guarantees initiatives are responding to the needs of the communities they’re no service to, giving people a sense of ownership over the changes they assist with putting in place.
With her adaptive and community focused strategies she emphasizes the need for humility and active listening. Katy reflects, “It’s about using local expertise to have real impact.” She is passionate about inclusion at all levels.
The Transformation of Organizations from Within
The Social Justice Double Match program, an award winning initiative Katy led in support of D&I. Katy explains, “This program gave critical financial support to more than 280 organizations.” But the initiative’s effects went beyond philanthropy. It also spurred conversations about racial justice that are essential at Marsh McLennan.
She shares that, through this program, we’ve created a more inclusive workplace culture that can drive internal transformation as well as external social impact through strategic corporate initiatives. Katy believes that businesses have a unique ability to use their resources and their voice for good. She says organizations must understand their responsibility to drive social change.
Her work shows how companies can close the gap between the needs of a business and the needs of society, and help build a better world. She affirms: “Corporate platforms have huge power to do significant change.”
Amplifying Marginalized Voices
A second example of Katy’s effort to promote social equity, her collaboration with the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I DIEM). ‘I’m incredibly proud of our partnership with I-DIEM,’ says Katy. “We wanted to amplify the voices of marginalized people, especially at times of crisis.”
It concentrated on hearing from underserved communities and how I-DIEM could develop strategies to improve their capacity to serve those in need. She explains that we increased sponsorship support and broadened fundraising efforts, allowing I-DIEM to better help families suffering from disasters. This partnership both increased the impact of I-DIEM and began to embed in all involved a culture of social responsibility.
Katy’s visionary leadership has allowed her to create partnerships that yield real results. She says this collaboration is a blueprint for future efforts in social equity and inclusion, and that emergency management needs innovative leadership.
Using Board Leadership to Press for Change
Katy is also a board member for several nonprofits where she uses her leadership platform to advocate for D&I and Social Impact at the highest levels. She says she actively shares insights and best practices from her board roles, methods she uses to drive change across a number of organizations.
Katy helps to amplify the message of inclusion through speaking engagements, conferences and thought leadership initiatives. She says board members are essential to shaping strategies that bring social responsibility into business practice. That proactive advocacy is the type of leadership that can affect positive change from the top down.
Shaping the Future of D&I on a Global Scale
Katy is looking ahead, and continues to focus on addressing D&I challenges at the local and global level. “We are all in this together and we need to work together to address social issues in a way that creates global equity,” she says.
Katy is also committed to inclusive leadership within organizations, and tackling global challenges. ‘We need diverse representation at every level,’ she says. Katy’s work is focused on creating a future where we don’t have to aspire to be inclusive, but rather it’s an integral part of business strategy.
Her leadership defines the blueprint for many to follow in the making of a company with equal opportunity for all to flourish. “It’s about building inclusion into the core of who we are and how we work to create a more just and united world,” she says.
Katy Rodriguez Botello’s story is a tale of visionary leadership, strategic innovation and social impact. Through her efforts, she not only pushes organizational change but also pushes the rest of us to live diversity, equity and inclusion in our personal and professional lives. As businesses become more and more central to society, Katy’s work reminds us that the corporate world is capable of change.
