Born in the United States, Mark Q McLane was raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, as the youngest of five sons. He studied at the University of Scranton before moving into the world of business. He has an extensive background in innovation, strategy development, HR, and sales and marketing, having previously held the position of chief diversity officer for Whirlpool Corporation and director of diversity and inclusion for the Washington-based Booz Allen Hamilton. Now 50, Mark moved to the UK with his partner Carlos to take up the position of global head of diversity and inclusion at Barclays, which he has held since December 2011.
Can you tell us about your role at Barclays?
I am the head of diversity and inclusion globally for the bank. My remit is to examine all of the great work already occurring within the bank, bring it together, and put us on a path around diversity and inclusion that is more business-aligned and global in scale.
My first step was to develop a global strategy, which we've done. It has five pillars focusing on gender, LGBT, disability, multiculturalism, and multi-generationalism; with the intent to build on the work that's come before and to move us forward.
It's also about the integration of this strategy into our HR and business strategies – becoming more efficient and effective for all of our colleagues within the bank. To that end, we've established a delivery system that is clear about accountability and governance from our board, right through to our diversity networks.
What do you enjoy the most about your work?
I love having a positive impact on people's lives. Having someone send an email about how welcoming an organisation Barclays is, and how, right from the interview process through to coming in as a new colleague, the language is inclusive. The feeling that you can bring your true self to work is very important.
I also love the impact of having a customer send a letter saying Barclays is an inclusive place to bank. I think the most recent – and one of the proudest accomplishments that Barclays has had – is really focussing on our colleagues and customers with disabilities. Talking ATMs, providing services for individuals who a visual impairment, bringing independence to our colleagues and customers, that's what really excites me about our work.
What do you find most challenging?
Personally, not being able to move fast enough. There's such a strong support system in place at Barclays, from the very top of the house right through to our networks, for the work we're doing, but there's always hunger to do more. And sometimes, being over ambitious starts to exhaust the resources we have, so we have to strike a balance between having great support and moving at a pace that, as an organisation, enables us to digest change and make it part of the business rhythm.
The culture of diversity and inclusiveness is quite well advanced in the UK and US, but not so much in other parts of the world. Does that throw up particular problems?
No, because with any strategy you're always in different places, especially in a global organisation. Whether it's our business strategy, or diversity and inclusion, you have to design a nimble enough strategy that can address the unique challenges faced by a global organisation. And, as such, we are prioritising and addressing the different needs of our global constituencies on a local level, which enables Barclays to achieve a global diversity vision by addressing local needs. And it does look very different in the UK than it does in the United States, or in Africa, or in parts of Asia.
Have you always been out in your career?
No, I have not. I'm probably a good example of generational difference within the LGBT community. The first person I actually came out to in my family was my dad, because I had a boyfriend and I didn't want that to be a secret. I was about 28 at the time.
Professionally, I didn't come out until I was at Whirlpool Corporation, when I was about 32. It was my coming out professionally that set me on the path to becoming the chief diversity officer at Whirlpool Corporation where I became the first out chief diversity officer, not only within Whirlpool Corporation, but probably within the manufacturing sector in the US.
Barclays are one of the sponsors of the annual Stonewall Awards, but there was some controversy this year over the 'Bigot of the Year' category. What's your perspective on that?
I'm not a fan of the 'Bigot of the Year' award. Personally, I think it detracts from the great accomplishments of the other award recipients. I think awards should be something that celebrate accomplishment and positive forward movement. I think that particular award category overshadowed everything about the event, and I found that unfortunate for the other award recipients.
Diversity and inclusiveness is a relatively new career field. What advice would you have for anyone who might be attracted to working in this field?
I think it's a great career path. This is my third position as chief diversity officer. I was chief diversity officer at Whirlpool Corporation, then Booz Allen Hamilton and now Barclays. Anyone who would be interested in this role needs to have a broad business background. I think the chief diversity officer role was initially considered to be very much an organisational development and HR functional role. My background in business enables me to align our global strategy to our customer, and talk about the impact we are having in all areas, including retail and investment banking. Anyone interested in this career needs to have business acumen, along with HR and organisational development experience to really be effective going forward.
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