Growing from within: Strengthening our Black Leadership Pipeline
dbBOLD is our Black Opportunity Leadership Development program. We recently spoke with two people who were instrumental in the creation of dbBOLD in the Americas. Jan is Head of Compliance for the Americas and the senior sponsor of the program. And Renée is Director of Americas Regional Management, and co-chairs the US Black Leadership Forum. Both shaped the program through their leadership, insights and ideas – from the earliest brainstorming sessions to its launch and beyond.
Like many people organizations, Deutsche Bank engaged in an extensive period of self-reflection after the death of George Floyd in 2020. Listening sessions – initiated by Americas CEO Christiana Riley – opened the door to a larger conversation about how the company was supporting Black talent.
“Christiana joined the Americas region in 2019, and she made it clear almost immediately that diversity and inclusion were one of her priorities,” said Renée.
The Black Leadership Forum (BLF), one of the many vibrant employee networks in the organization, was a critical voice in highlighting the challenges that Black staff at the organization face. Renée and her co-lead of the group collectively saw a broken rung at the VP level in Deutsche Bank for Black talent. That led to some difficult conversations, as well as taking a critical look at the underlying issues.
“We had to ask ourselves if we had historically and adequately invested in our Black talent in terms of professional development,” Jan reflected. “And when you look at the representation of Black professionals, particularly as you go up the pyramid, it was not where we wanted it to be.”
These talks led to broader goals dedicated to investing in our Black talent. The goals included: recruiting more Black talent, increasing diversity in third-party vendors and focusing on professional development – through an initiative called Deutsche Bank’s Black Opportunity Leadership Development (dbBOLD) program.
Typically, these types of programs are created with a top-down approach, but the bank took a decidedly different path with dbBOLD. Jan was approached to be the senior sponsor and worked hand-in-hand with the BLF and HR to develop the program.
“My role was to basically listen, learn and help drive – not tell people what they needed to do or how things should be done," said Jan.
The program took shape very quickly through weekly planning sessions. “I participated in some of the early brainstorming sessions – I wanted to be a part of crafting a program that would be meaningful and impactful for the people who would take part,” said Renée. “It was really important for us to be able to target this audience to try to figure out how we make sure that we're equipping them with the appropriate tools to demonstrate their value at the organization, and to be able to then have those conversations about moving up in their own career trajectories.”
Turning possibility into reality
dbBOLD was launched in the Americas in September of 2020 and included online lectures, assessments, and networking sessions. The latter proved very popular – giving Black professionals the opportunity to connect with people outside of the organization and across different industries, expanding their networks.
Deutsche Bank Americas CEO Christiana Riley led a session about creating one’s own personal board of directors – how you put together a trusted group of people who are giving you guidance, such as your mentors and your sponsors, to support you as you climb the corporate ladder.
“There was such a strong partnership across the board. I think that gives you a little bit more momentum and passion. I’m personally invested in seeing the development of Black talent at the bank, so it’s been great to see the passion among my peers and the momentum we’ve gained so far,” said Renée
“I've seen where people have struggled. So, when given the opportunity to try and create a space that was going to be helpful for advancing Black talent within the organization, I was absolutely committed to doing so.”
Equally important, dbBOLD included separate sessions with managers, educating them on the support, advocacy and investment they need to provide in the development of their Black talent.
“We tried to focus on both sides of the equation, so to speak, to see if we could maximize the positive impact that we could have on people's careers,” said Jan.
Expanding our program, our reach and our impact
The program has evolved and will continue to do so. In 2020, it started with VPs, and then in 2021, added directors. With the success in the Americas, it expanded across the pond this year, taking root in United Kingdom and Ireland (UKI). And for 2023, dbBOLD will include Assistant Vice Presidents (AVPs).
“One of the consistent questions that I get all the time from participants is ‘What's next?’ We want to make sure that a program like this is not a one-and-done. We want to make sure to keep that talent engaged. We want to have opportunities for additional speaker series and additional connection points. We’re currently brainstorming what the dbBOLD alumni engagement is going to look like in 2023,” said Renée.
As we look at the highlights from the inaugural year of dbBOLD and beyond, what’s clear is that even with measurable progress, there’s always more work to be done.
“Investing in people never stops. But having said that, I think we've made some good progress. I think we have helped some people open up new opportunities,” said Jan, reflecting on dbBOLD’s initial efforts.
Jan continued, “Nobody likes to admit that they weren't as good as they should have been. But I think that we felt pretty comfortable saying that. I know Christiana (Riley) feels comfortable saying that. We're not as good as we want to be, and let's do better. So, let's work together and do better together.”
