How I Got Here

Four Leading Council Members
Share Their Journey

GLG’s purpose is to bring the power of insight to every great professional decision. We recognize that this requires having the broadest possible perspective – free of discrimination of any kind based on race, ethnicity, social background, religion, sex or gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, or for any other reason. GLG’s commitment to fueling a culture of unique insights extends to everyone we work with, including our Council.

Join us as we celebrate Women’s History Month this March, by showcasing a few of our leading female leaders from our Council of more than 650,000 professionals.

 -Melinda Wolfe, Chief People Officer

Jan Fields
Former President of McDonald's USA, LLC

What has been your greatest challenge as a woman in your field?

When my leadership career began, women in the workplace was a new phenomenon. I had to work harder just to be considered equal, no matter what I was doing. Luckily, I was in an industry where every day you got a “report card” meaning sales and profits were monitored daily and that was the true measure of success. I was competitive and worked hard to make sure that my areas of responsibility were led by people that shared the same work ethic and competitive spirit that I did.

How did you overcome that challenge?

I looked at building my career as a lot like building a house. There are no shortcuts. I started at the bottom and built a strong foundation. If you move too fast, don’t put in the necessary work, your “house" is likely to collapse. I studied and worked harder than anyone else. I used a sense of humor in working with people which made them feel more comfortable and more willing to work hard.

Any advice for young women in your industry?

The harder you work, the luckier you get. You don’t get to the top by simply being a woman, or by being a minority, it all comes down to what you put into it that will take you to the next level. You can’t just work hard at your job, you have to work hard at every aspect of your being – whether it’s volunteering, getting involved in organizations, studying, or just taking care of your health and fitness. No one is going to do it for you. And if you fall, always get back up, no matter how hard you fall or how many bones you break.

Jan Fields started her career with McDonald's in 1978 as a Crew Member and rose to President of McDonald's USA, LLC at McDonald's Corp., a position she held from January 11, 2010, to November 30, 2012. Prior to that, Ms. Fields served as an Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of McDonald's USA, LLC., from August 2006 to January 11, 2010.

Ms. Fields is an executive with 25 years of experience. From operations and management to supplier relations, marketing, and strategic planning, she has accumulated a wealth of experience under the Golden Arches. Ms. Fields was honored with many awards throughout her McDonalds career. She was honored by the Women's Leadership Network and received the 2002 Women’s Leadership Award. In 2001, she received the WON Recognition Award.

Denice Torres
Founder of The Mentoring Place, former President, Johnson & Johnson, Consumer Healthcare

What has been your greatest challenge as a woman in your field?

As a gay, Hispanic, female who doesn’t exactly color inside conventional lines, I had a hard time learning the rules and understanding how to fit into a corporate environment. At the start of my career, I didn’t have a good sense of the rules of how to make an impact or get ahead. I certainly didn’t know the importance of mentoring and sponsorship. Instead, I worked around the clock and stood out by sheer determination and effort. The facts are quite clear that it is harder for women to get ahead for a myriad of reasons. The lack of representation among women who are also diverse is also staggering.

How did you overcome that challenge?

I don’t know if I ever completely overcame the challenge. Success often comes at a price – work/personal balance, stress, etc. Four things ultimately helped me thrive: finding sponsors, taking risks, loving my people, and maximizing my strengths. I was incredibly fortunate to have several people serve as sponsors who changed the trajectory of my career. I also took on high-risk roles and became known as a change agent. And, I loved leading teams and developing real bonds with people. I really wanted to be an inspirational, down-to-earth leader.

Any advice for young women in your industry?

I have so much advice that I started a free mentoring platform at thementoringplace.com. I want to see more women assume leadership roles in the healthcare industry. Balance is critical for patients, employees, companies, and our world. My advice is to start with the end in mind. Define your inner and external drivers of success. Then, go get it. Believe in yourself, learn how to network, develop sponsorship and constantly build new skills. Don’t ever sell your soul for some manufactured definition of “success.” Lastly, enjoy the journey – it becomes your life!

Denice Torres started her career as an attorney. After the longest year of her life, she eventually found her love – healthcare marketing. For nearly 15 years, she worked in marketing and business unit management positions at Lilly.

Ms. Torres then worked at Johnson & Johnson where she was President of Janssen Neuroscience, President of McNeil Consumer Healthcare, and Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer for the medical device sector. Today, Ms. Torres is a board member, consultant, keynote speaker and author of the soon to be published, Flip the Tortilla and other lessons in resilience, optimism, and mojo. In 2019 she founded a free mentoring program for women (www.thementoringplace.com).

Kathleen McLean
Senior Executive and Board Member

What has been your greatest challenge as a woman in your field?

Standing out while fitting in. As a woman in a technology field, I was clearly in the minority when I started working over 35 years ago, but this is true even today. I am dismayed that this is still a challenge for women to overcome social biases in order to reach senior leadership positions. It’s even more frustrating when it happens despite research that demonstrates companies with gender diversity in their leadership teams consistently outperform their counterparts. Specifically, using 2014 diversity data, McKinsey found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 15% more likely to experience above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile. In their expanded 2017 data set, this number rose to 21% and continued to be statistically significant.

How did you overcome that challenge?

Strong relationships and extreme competence. From the beginning, I recognized the importance of building strong relationships with my peers and at all levels of the organization. I also took on hard assignments and consistently delivered superior results. You have to work hard, there’s no shortcut around that, but it’s a lot more fun when you do it with people you know, like, and trust. When you face the inevitable roadblock, your network will be there to help you navigate around it.

Any advice for young women in your industry?

First, I would like to encourage young women to enter my industry! Information technology permeates every aspect of our lives from communications, to manufacturing, entertainment, medicine, energy, agriculture, and beyond. Few fields of endeavor are untouched by the advances in information technology. It is a broad field of continuous innovation with huge opportunities beyond just programming, yet women are still underrepresented. Don’t count yourself out, and don’t let others count you out. The work will be complex and challenging, but it is a rewarding career.

Kathleen McLean is an independent consultant providing strategic management and technology consulting on matters ranging from organizational design and executive coaching to business process engineering, technology investments, information technology innovation and management, cyber security, data privacy, risk and compliance. .

Previously, Ms. McLean was Vice President and Chief Information Officer for The ADT Corporation where she was part of the leadership team moving ADT to the forefront of security and information technology innovation and the Internet of Things (IoT). She is currently a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, and serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of a Charter Management Organization in Newark, NJ.

Gabrielle Etrog-Cohen
SVP of Brand, Communications and Business Development, Rent the Runway

What has been your greatest challenge as a woman in your field?

It's funny, I have not felt like I was at a disadvantage because I was a woman at any point in my career. I've always worked for incredible women who supported me, challenged me and helped me grow. I did sometimes feel like my age was a hurdle--I was too young to be at my level, or I was often the youngest executive in the room. That was brought up far more often than my gender.

How did you overcome that challenge?

I put my head down and did my job. I work my tail off. The proof is in the work.

Any advice for young women in your industry?

Raise your hand, ask for more, and work hard. Also, be kind--to everyone.

Gabrielle Etrog-Cohen is currently the SVP of Brand, Communications and Business Development at Rent the Runway. She was previously Senior Vice President of Soulcycle Inc, a role she held from November 2011 to April 2018.

Ms. Etrog is also an Adjunct Professor at the New York University, a role she took up in January of 2015. Prior to this she served as a Media Specialist and Senior Accountant Supervisor at NJFPR between September 2007 and November 2010. She served as a Freelance Publicist at Bonnie Reuben Communications between May and September 2007. Earlier in her career, Ms. Etrog served as a Sales and Marketing Manager at Global Events Partners from May 2006 until August 2007.

Jan, Denice, Kathleen and Gabrielle are just four of the more than 650,000 Council Members comprising the world's largest platform for professional insight. To connect with any of those featured above, or learn more about GLG and how we support research, visit glg.it.