>> Welcome back everybody, Jeff Frick here with theCUBE. It's International Women's Day 2018. There's a ton of events happening all over the world. Check the social media stream, you'll be amazed. But we're excited to be here, downtown San Francisco, at the Accenture event. It's called Getting to Equal, 400 people, it's a packed house here at the Hotel Nikko, and we're really excited to have the authors of some really important research here as our next guests. This is Julie Sweet, the CEO of North America for Accenture. Good to see you, Julie. >> Great, thanks for having me today. >> And Ellyn Shook, the Chief Leadership and HR Officer at Accenture. Great to see you. >> Thank you, Jeff. >> All right. So Ellen, I want to start with you just cause I noticed your title, and I wrote it down, I've never seen, we do hundreds of events, thousands of interviews, I've never seen Chief Leadership and HR. Where did that title come from, and why is "Leadership" ahead of "HR"? That's a pretty significant statement. >> It is, it is, and Accenture's a talent-led business, and part of being a talent-led business is growing our people to grow our business, so leadership and leadership development is essential to our business. It's a core competency of ours, and that's why my title is Chief Leadership & Human Resources Officer. >> And Leadership before HR, meaning you really need people to get out in front. >> Yes. >> It's not about compliance, >> Yes, leaders at all levels. >> and this and that, leaders of all levels. >> Correct, correct. >> Okay, so let's talk about the research. >> Sure. >> It says, "When she rises, we all rise." I think it's pretty common, and everybody knows hopefully by this point, that diversity of opinion, diversity of teams, leads to better business outcomes. So what specifically is this piece of research, and give us a little background. >> Sure, the research, I think, is groundbreaking because never have I seen a piece of research that looks at the cultural aspects of an organization and really helps to articulate very transparently, what are the biggest accelerators in a culture for equality? And that's what the research is about. >> And you've identified, and is this an ongoing research, is this the first time it's been published, is it kind of an annual thing? >> Every year we publish a piece of research about gender equality, and this year we put a different lens on it to really look at equality for all. >> So you've identified 40 kind of key areas, but of those 40, really 14 are the big hitters. Is that accurate? >> That's correct. >> So what are some of those 14? >> Well, I would put them, we've put them in three categories. The first is bold leadership, so think about companies like Accenture who set targets and have CEOs who are very clear about their priorities. The second is comprehensive action, so think about policies and practices that are really effective. And then finally third, which I think is often under focused on, which is an empowering environment. What does it feel like to be at work every day? Do they ask you to dress a certain way? Is there flexible time for all? And it's the combination of these 14 factors that really makes a difference about creating a culture of equality where men and women advance. And what was really impressive is we saw that, in companies with these factors, women were five times more likely to advance to director or senior manager, and men were two times more likely. And so it really is about, when she rises, all rise, and that is probably one of the most exciting things about the research. >> It's really interesting, we just had Lisa on from The Modist, and you know, I would never have thought of clothing and dress as such a significant factor, but you've got that identified in that third bucket that you mentioned. And in fact, it's the number one attribute. So what are some of the other surprises that kind of came out of the research? >> Well, I think one of the surprises was that companies that, as part of comprehensive action, that implemented maternity leave only, it actually had a negative effect on women's advancement. But where companies implemented parental leave, so it was for men and women, it eliminated that negative bias. And it really goes to the importance that these policies, and actions, and the focus need to be about women and men. And when you start putting women too much in a category, like flex time is a mommy track, as opposed to flex time being something that men and women commonly do, it really changes how it feels to, does it feel inclusive every day at work? >> Right. >> Yeah, so companies really need to, I think what the research showed very strongly is that companies need to look at programs, policies, practices, and an environment that levels the playing field rather than isolating any particular gender or other form of diversity. >> But it's interesting, kind of law of unintended consequences, I think that panel that you were on earlier, one of the gentlemen said, since the not me, there's been reports of, >> Me too. >> for me too, excuse me, a lot of hashtags today. That there's been people doing, men scared of mentoring maybe that they weren't before. I don't know how true that is, but no it is kind of interesting to think, are there some kind of counter balances, as you said, if there's just maternity and not parental leave that need to be thought about? That probably people aren't thinking it through that far. >> Well and I think, one of the things as we saw in the research is that it's not about also one action, and so the way that companies really create a culture of equality is it's a combination of these factors. And you said something when we first started that I think is really important, and that was, you said, well it's really commonly known that diversity is important. And I think that people do need to understand that, we are optimistic about where we are today because, as a company, we're constantly in the c-suite. We serve in the U.S., 3/4 of the fortune 500, and as much as we're talking as a leader in digital disruption and artificial intelligence, the conversation quickly turns to people, to talent, to diversity, and so there's a real business lens that's on this, and that's the context in which we're operating. >> Right, and we can go to Grace Hooper, we do a ton of women's events as well as large conventions. And most people, I think, hopefully have figured it out, that it's not just about doing the right thing, it's about actually having better business outcomes. You get better outcomes with diversity of opinions, diversity of teams, you think about things that you just wouldn't think about. You don't have that same experience, everybody has a bias from where they come from, so you want to get some other people and have different points of view, different lenses to look at things. So it is really important. But why do you think things feel like they're changing now? What's important about, March 8th, 2018, versus say a year ago when you started doing some of this research? Is it the tipping point that it feels like, or? >> I think there's a couple of factors that are coming together right now. First of all, we're living in the digital age, and the digital age is all about innovation and innovation fast. And as you just said, you cannot innovate without diversity. Diversity is a form of, you're able to tap into creativity, and it's a source of competitive advantages for organizations in this age. But also what's happening in culture around the world, the me too movement as well as other things that are occurring for women around the world, and it's a moment in time where a movement can really start to happen. And I think, companies who look at culture as an accelerator of change are going to be the winners. >> Right, so what impacted bold leadership? We had from the Golden State Warriors on earlier and I think there's, what's great about sports teams is we all get to see them do their business. And we get to see the scoresheet at the end of the day, we don't necessarily get to see that in other companies. But really a fantastic example of new leadership coming in, made bold sweeping changes, probably a little bit of luck, which most success stories have, but you know significant top-down culture change. So how do you see cultures changing with bold leadership and old-line companies? Can the old guard flip? Do they need to bring in new blood? How are people executing bold leadership? >> Well first of all, I do think that it's not about old-line, it's not about young, it's really about leadership. And so it is very dependent on who is the CEO and what kind of a board we have, and so, we don't, both of us don't subscribe to the idea that you have to be born digital to be have a great culture >> To be digital. >> Yeah to be digital. And I would say that, one of the key things we saw in the study was around transparency of goals. And we talk a lot at Accenture about transparency creates trust. And so when you think about, how do you change a culture? Bold leadership is in part to find in the research by the willingness to set public goals, and to be transparent and that creates the trust. The trust of your employees, and the trust of the people you want to attract. And what I often will say that is, when we put out our statistics in the U.S, we're the first professional services firm, it wasn't that we had phenomenal statistics, but the fact that we were willing to put them out created trust that we were trying to change. And it helped people want to be a part of that change. >> Right. I mean you know that, you guys are in this business, if you can't measure it, you can't improve it. It's interesting, the Anita Borg organization puts out a self-assessment, we do their show, and Grace Hopper, to have companies. Again, not necessarily that they're going to score high but at least they recognize the problem, they're trying to measure it, they're trying to set a base line and make moves. We've heard that from Brian at Intel, Intel's making moves. And you guys have made a very definitive statement, write a line in the sand, at 2025, you're going to hit 50%. I believe that's the goal. >> Correct. And not only do we say that we're going to do it but we're doing something about it. And a lot of companies will say they want to achieve gender equality, but it's actually the actions that you take every single day. And then, of course, reporting on your progress, whether it's what you wanted to see or not, just the full transparency around the scorecard is important. >> Yeah, it's so critically important cause again, if you can't measure it, you can't change it. So great event here, as you look forward into 2018, I still can't believe we're a quarter of the way in to the year, it shocks me. (laughs) What are some of the priorities for 2018, if we sit down here again a year from now, where will you have moved on that measure, what are some of the things that are your top priorities around this initiative this year? >> Well I know for me, we certainly are trying to make sure that we continue to make progress, but I also think there's a growing conversation about the intersectionality of diversity, and so, it's women in color, it's race and the workforce, and so. We're a global company, but certainly in the U.S, which is part of the business I lead, we are not only focusing on gender, but the intersectionality of diversity and on race. >> Yeah and I think just broadening the conversation from gender diversity to true equality for all is really the big push for us here at Accenture now. And I think it's essential that no part of our organization or no individual gets left behind. And that's what we're really focused on. >> Well that's great, and so I want to thank you for having us, and wish you well in 2018, and really a fantastic event and super, super initiative. >> Come back in 2019 and we'll show you our progress. >> Alright. >> Exactly. >> She's Julie, she's Ellyn, and I'm Jeff, you're watching theCUBE from International Women's Day at the Accenture event in downtown San Francisco. Thanks for watching.

(clicking) >> Hey, welcome back everybody, Jeff Frick here with theCUBE, we're in downtown San Francisco, the Hotel Nikko, it's International Women's Day, March 8th, stuff happening all around the world If you haven't seen it, jump on social. I think there's more hashtags than I even know what to do with. Thankfully we have 240 characters now. (Lisa laughs) But we're excited to be here at the Accenture event, it's Getting To Equal. Accenture's made a commitment to get to 50% gender equality by 2025, and this is a terrific event, 400 people, a lot of panels, a lot of real-world conversations. So we're excited to be here and our next guests are joining us, it's Lisa Bridgett, she's the COO of The Modist. Welcome. >> Thank you so much. >> And Amy Fuller, chief marketing and communications officer from Accenture. Thank you for having us. >> Thank you. >> So for folks that aren't familiar with The Modist, give us a little overview. >> Hi everyone, we are a year old today. >> A year today? >> A year old on International Women's Day. >> Happy birthday. >> Thank you so much. And we are a luxury ecommerce platform between Dubai and London, that has an assortment and a curation of luxury fashion, 150 brands, but all with the sensibility around modesty, so we think about hemlines, we think about opacity, we think about loose fits, all with luxury fashion on top of it, but making sure that we cater for our customers' needs in mind. >> How could this not have existed before, 366 days ago. >> This is the age old question, and our founder Ghizlan Guenez has been asked that time and time again. We have numerous places where you can go and find anything that will reveal, but there wasn't a one-stop place that really had curation and styling thought through from a modest perspective. And the customer base spans women who think about modesty from a religious perspective, businesswomen, curvier women, older women, high fashionistas that love a layered look, really, it's a niche, but it's massive. It's a massive global niche. >> Again, we're here, Macy's is right across the street, we're right downtown San Francisco, Nordstrom's, this is the big retail hub of San Francisco, one of the bigger retail hubs in the United States. And we know, we were talking before we turned on the cameras, I have teenage girls, and you go to the store, and you're like, "Oh my gosh, "is there nothing else that you can buy, "besides what's on there?" Why is this so underserved, or was underserved? >> I mean, I think that the fashion industry is going through a massive overhaul now, as one thinks about whether you're designing for aspiration, or whether you're designing and selling for really the reality of what the consumer segment is out there. And that goes for a Western woman, and when you think about the global fashion industry, are we thinking about fashion that resonates in India, or the Middle East, or in Asia, or are you sticking to a more conformed, idealized persona of what the customer is. And so this is very much on top of minds of all retail at the moment, and you will have seen shifts into larger sizes, very well-known fashion designers thinking about how do I design and cater for women that don't subscribe to an idealized format, it's quite a reflective thing that the fashion industry's going through at the moment. >> It's interesting Amy, a lot of conversations about communications, and objectives, not necessarily about what's comfortable and what I want to wear. As you look at this world and how it evolves, what's your take? Because, designing for an aspiration, that's a really interesting way, versus just designing practical clothes, we haven't seen the practical side. >> Well I think that what Lisa and her company are doing has potential to be quite transformational, and, I'll just plug a piece of research that we're publishing in honor of International Women's Day, which looked at, how do we get to equality in the workplace. Massive research, analytics, surveyed 22,000 working adults, men and women, in 34 countries, and what we were trying to get at, and did get at, are things about the culture. So what are the cultural factors that actually make a difference? So this is a very long way of getting to the point, but one of the questions we asked was, have you ever been asked to change clothing, hair, tattoos, et cetera, things about personal appearance to fit and conform in the workplace. A lot of people had been asked, sadly. And this was across 34 countries. But what we further found was, if you had not been asked to conform to the workplace, in other words, if you are allowed to dress as you wish to dress, that that was a factor that drove equality in the workplace. So, the idea that a woman with fabulous taste, who wishes to dress modestly, and Lisa described, there are a lot of people out there with that point of view, have a place to go to get absolutely stunning stuff, and dress as they wish to dress, and therefore, be the persona they want to be in the workplace is really powerful. And there were a lot of other factors, but that was the one that I found really, really, really interesting, and we found out before we had even invited Lisa to talk to us today, so it was a coming together of things that do matter. >> It's interesting because dress in the workplace, in the context of the workplace, is an interesting topic, if you go to Wall Street, everybody's got to buy the super nice suits, and then we got this kind of Casual Friday thing a few years ago, and people were very confused, how casual do I get on Casual Friday, and then, you've kind of got the whole joke about the baristas, with tats, and ripped up t-shirts-- >> There you go. >> And the getting that blended into traditional corporate cultures, little bit of a shocker. >> Well, there are a lot of questions that come into play, and I was having a long chat with one of my male colleagues, last night about how things have changed, and how much trickier it is to navigate, and he described that early on, cut to a couple of decades ago, men had to wear white shirts and ties at Accenture, and there was a young man who came to work in a blue Oxford, tie, suit, perfectly appropriate-- >> But blue, not white. >> On a Monday, yes, taken to task, and drawn aside, and said, "Blue shirts are for Fridays." >> Wow. >> So, from there, we go, and one of the things we really love about Accenture is that, you can wear what you want to wear, and it really has such a profound impact on how you feel in the workplace. And, if I can pull in a little AI stuff as well, when we look at AI, and the impact it will have on the workforce, what really, really matters is the things that humans are uniquely able to do. And what AI is uniquely able to deliver, that's the big win for all of us, for business, and when you think about the uniquely human characteristics, creativity, comfort that leads to creativity, and being able to freely think, is one of the most valuable qualities we have as humans. And, oddly, or not oddly, what you wear allows you to feel comfortable, or not. So coming back to what the Modist really provides women with great taste-- >> Great taste. >> To something that they feel comfortable with, and they can be more productive, and more successful. >> Yeah, I'll halo just a couple of those points. The first one is about choice. So, we were saying earlier on, we're in a luxurious environment where we are able to say, "You can choose," because it has not been that way and still continues not to be that way for many people. And that's why we really are for a mission and a purpose, because here we provide you with this element of choice, and you don't need to be ashamed of it, and you'd need to be proud of it. The second part was that modesty didn't need to equate to frumpiness, why can't I dress elegantly and magnificently beautifully, and there is something about dress, and fashion, that really provides a sense of identity, that's an age old desire for society, and for women, a lot, and this is a place where you can be modest, but luxuriously, and beautifully dressed up. And be proud of that, and not necessarily conformed into a box of frumpiness, or less stylish wear. >> The other big interchange, I think, which drove a lot of the traditional norms around clothing, was when you interface with a customer. It was how do you represent the customer, I'm sure that was a lot of what the story that you said, or in the investment bankers, where, we want you to have a certain look, because you're representing the company, it's that company's look that you are personifying when you go out and talk to your customer. Well today, a lot of customer interactions, let's take banking for one, is done on a mobile app. People don't go to the bank, I don't expect the guy to come out from the back with the beautiful pinstripe suit, who knows me anymore. I wonder, do you think that's had a part of the impact on this? Or just more of our acceptance in general of people that don't necessarily look like me? Whether that be in skin color, dress, the way they speak, et cetera. >> Yeah, those are great-- >> You go, and I've got a-- >> Well, I think it's both, and I love both of those points, more virtual interaction clearly takes clothing out of the equation, as well as a lot of other things, and that can be liberating, though I think we have a thirst for the in real life, and the person-to-person which isn't going away. But, I grew up in the advertising business, and, at ad agencies, they were pretty loose. But you always dressed for your client, so that certainly was a dynamic. But of course, now, dressing for your client doesn't imply a suit. And it makes it slightly more work, in fact, 'cause you have to do some anthropological study of what is the client environment like, and that how would you be most comfortable, and appropriate in that environment, so, certainly both of those factors come into play. >> And I feel the hyperdigitalization of the way we interact actually allows for more authenticity. Because you don't have to dress up in the suit that's the conform, you know. Your digital interaction and the work effect is happening, and so people behind that wanting to know who are you really? And authenticity is a way in which you get your own identifical message through, and dressing is one of the elements that comprises that. >> Alright, so before we wrap, Lisa, I want to get your take, so, you've been in business for a year-- >> Yes. >> Again, happy birthday. >> Thank you. >> If we get together, a year from now, you've, say, got over the hurdle, you're up, you're running, you're shipping, what are some of your objectives for the next year? >> Well, we have an amazing strategic roadmap ahead, we have got a very secret launch around product that will be coming out shortly, and that's something that we've been deep in. We are really developing the personalization and the AI component of our shopping experience, so we're really targeting what works best for this consumer, how and where, and that goes all the way from her marketing, through to her experience inside, and through to the retention side. And, just increasly, continually growing globally. We ship to 120 countries, our first market is UAE, our second is America, third is UK, fourth Saudi Arabia, fifth Canada, sixth Hong Kong. So we're global at the get-go, and it's just continuing to grow our customer base in this magnificently beautiful parts of the world that love modest fashion. >> Well, congratulations-- >> Thank you so much. >> And what a great story, we'll continue to watch it. >> Thank you so much. >> So Lisa, thank you, Amy, thanks for spending some time with us. >> Thanks so much! >> Alright, I'm Jeff Frick, you're watching theCUBE, We're at the Accenture International Women's Day event, in San Francisco, California. Thanks for watching. (mellow electronic music)