49th Edition - August 28, 2012

Julie Oyegun has served as Director of Diversity since July 2001. On Septem-ber 1, she leaves the Bank Group to launch a new chapter as a missionary.

When I started work on Monday, July 09, 2001, I had no idea how fascinating

this project would become—improving diversity management and enhancing inclusion across the World Bank Group.

The more I settled into my new job here, the better I understood this institution’s meaningful commitment to diversity and inclusion (D&I). The subsequent decade has only served to strengthen this appreciation: D&I really matters here. The data bear this out. (See table below).

From my previous perch—I was Special Advisor for Gender Equity at UNHCR in Geneva— I was well informed about the Bank’s work. It was demonstrably ahead of the curve, especially compared to other multilat-erals. The 1973 Report of the Working Group on the Status of Women, the 1992 Stern Report on Gender Equal-ity, and the 1996 Dewey Ballantine Study on Racial Equality deserve special mention as analyses of the challenge and preferred solutions.

Just before I joined, President Wolfensohn put down the gas pedal inaugurating zero tolerance for dis-crimination, the Racial Equality Initiative that launched the Junior Professional Program for Afro-De-scendants. His Disabilities Working Group tasked itself with an innova-tive global inclusion program that now ensures all Bank offices across the world are fully accessible to per-sons with disabilities.

So I was eager to contribute. With the active encouragement of Dorothy Berry, IFC’s HR VP, I set upon a thor-ough diagnostic of our organization’s representation and its dynamics. The resulting analysis, “Enhancing Inclusion at the World Bank Group: Diagnosis & Solutions,” was finalized by external experts in late 2003 and formed the basis of our subsequent D&I approach.

The diversity focus shifted from “What do they look like, where do they come from, and will they fit in?” to “What is it like to work here, what determines who can succeed, and are we a competent global employer?”

It was a major paradigm shift, and the onus for change went from staff to management, from the individual to the institution. From that point on, I was focused on helping to nurture a level D&I playing field. Initially it was just my job, but collaborating to achieve it with staff and leaders across our complex institution, it soon grew to become a passion, a privilege, and a joy.

Over the years, the D&I team delivered time and again. I’m deeply appreciative of their tireless commit-ment to both the grand purpose and the tiniest details.

The Diversity and Inclusion Advi-sory Group was vital to our success. I am grateful for the incontrovertible leadership exercised at the highest level by Jean-Louis Sarbib, Shigeo Katsu, Fayez Choudhury and Izumi Kobayashi with Sanjay Pradhan and James Scriven over the years.

Across the Bank Group, D&I Coordinators share the burden of a lot of the day-to-day D&I work. Nominated by their VPUs, they serve as the grassroots links between the D&I Office and VPU management teams. Their role is to track progress on the D&I Compact and staff survey. I extend my fondest thanks to these frontline advocates and actors.

Some of our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have made invaluable

Nunc Dimitis: a CDO’s RetrospectiveA letter from Julie Oyegun

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SSA/CR GF+ Women GF-GG Managers - Part II Managers - Women

WBG Ten-Year Diversity Trends

FY03 FY07 FY12 Green bars indicate current minimum targets

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thE-Junction August 28, 2012 | page 2

Ken AnyeOPCFCJoined JPPAD: March 2012Nationality: CameroonStudied in: Cameroon, Italy, Spain, USA

Q: Describe your current work.A: I’m currently part of the Global

Center for Conflict, Security, and Development where I’m supervis-ing the development of “theHive”—a knowledge-sharing platform designed to connect practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and organizations work-ing on issues of fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) around the world.

Q: Share a detail or two about your background.

A: In 1997, I was part of a family telecom business that was the first to introduce wireless Internet services in Cameroon. Subsequently, I used that experience to start a telecom compa-ny in Spain, which operated in over 16 countries in Europe, Latin Ameri-ca, and Africa. The financial windfall

from this business helped me work my way through my schooling.

Q: What is your favorite motto?A: Necessity is the mother of

invention.Q: Share one career aspiration.A: Short term, I feel like I need

to continue the learning process, which is why I’m getting involved in a lot of projects here. It’s intense, especially the country-support work. Long term, my goal is to move back to Africa and use my private sector roots to work on something that’s going to focus on rapid development in the Central Africa region.

Mihasonirina AndrianaivoSASFPJoined JPPAD: May 2012Nationality: MadagascarStudied in: Madagascar, England, France

Q: Describe your current work.I’m currently working on finan-

cial sector issues in South Asia,

in particular in Bhutan. My other projects include an ICR for a private sector development project in Bhu-tan, and an impact evaluation of a women’s entrepreneurship program in Pakistan. I’m really enjoying get-ting more experience in South Asia. It’s good for me and it gives me an opportunity to really concentrate on financial and private sector develop-ment, which is a fascinating issue.

Q: Share a detail or two about your background.

A: I earned a PhD in Econom-ics, International Development, and Financial Development. I worked for three years with the international telecom firm, Orange. I focused on regulation of mobile financial ser-vices, which was very timely since we were launching all sorts of inova-tive products in Africa. Then I served as an Economist in the Regulation Department supporting several units on various topics, including mobile financial services, pricing and com-petition issues.

Q: What is your favorite motto?A: They didn’t know it was impos-

sible, so they did it.Q: Share one career aspiration.A: I have always wanted to deep-

en my knowledge of development is-sues and how to address them. With this opportunity at the World Bank, I hope to bring a useful contribution to improving people’s lives in devel-oping countries.

Adetola OyebanjoFFIMSJoined JPPAD: November 2011Nationality: USAStudied in: Nigeria, England

Q: Describe your current work.

JPPAD: Diversity in the Ranks

continued on page 3

The Junior Professionals Program for Afro-Descendants (JPPAD) was created in 1998. JPPAD goals are to provide participants with practical experience, the Bank Group the benefit from their ethnic and cultural heterogeneity, and a more diverse talent pool. To be eligible, participants must be 35 or younger; of Sub-Saharan African descent; have a master’s degree or equivalent; and have 3–5 years of relevant work experience. Since its inception, JPPAD has recruited and placed dozens of participants. The JPPAD has a retention rate to date of over 50%. Today, 18 JPPADs work throughout the Bank. The diversity they bring in terms of national, educational, and professional background is notable.

August 28, 2012 | page 3thE-Junction

A: I provide support to World Bank teams working on Consumer Protection and Financial Literacy projects which include the develop-ment of diagnostic reports, reform measures as well as technical as-sistance for their implementation. I have had the opportunity to support this work in countries in Europe and Africa and contribute to regional operational activities. Within the MSME unit, I am responsible for all knowledge management activities as well as trust fund monitoring and budget reporting.

Q: Share a detail or two about your background.

A: I earned a BSc in Economics from Babcock University in Nigeria, then an MSc in Finance from the University of Manchester in the UK. My professional experience includes a two-year stint consulting for (and later hired by) an SME based in the US undergoing rapid expansion in Nigeria. We spread to 22 states in Nigeria before I left—this was really good exposure for me, building a sustainable business in a developing country with very peculiar opera-tional challenges.

Q: What is your favorite quote?A: We are what we repeatedly

do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.

Q: Share one career aspiration.A: I hope to make a significant

contribution to the body of knowl-edge surrounding finance and private sector development across the globe; building my skill set and developing expertise in my areas of interest are key to accomplishing this. The work I do now brings me a step closer to accomplishing this.

Berta MacheveTWIWPJoined: March 2012Nationality: MozambiqueStudied in: Mozambique, Holland

Q: Describe your current work?A: I’m working as an operations

analyst on International Bench-marking Network for Water and Sanitation Utilities, or IBNET. Funded by DFID in partnership with the World Bank and Water and Sanitation Program, this database

provides information on more than 2,000 water utilities in more than 85 countries. It helps promote best practice among water supply and sanitation providers worldwide and eventually provide consumers with access to high quality and afford-able water supply service.

Q: Share a detail or two about your background.

A: I received my BA in Civil Engineering in my home country of Mozambique and then earned a MA in Water Supply Engineering in Holland. My favorite professional experience before the Bank Group was working with the Water Regu-latory Council where I had several positions from working to commu-nities in the field to monitoring the performance of the regulated water utilities. My last position was Head of Operations Department.

Q: What is your favorite motto?A: Don’t stop at the first hurdle,

persevere until you achieve what you want.

Q: Share one career aspiration.A: I always wanted to focus on

work that would somehow improve the quality of life of the poor. I know my work might be a small drop in the ocean, but I am sure at the end of the day it makes a difference in people’s lives.

…JPPAD: Diversity in the Ranks

continued from page 2

I know my work might be a small drop in the ocean, but I am sure at the end of the day it makes a difference in people’s lives.

– Berta Macheve

thE-Junction August 28, 2012 | page 4

contributions to the progress we now can take for granted: the dynamism of IFC’s Women’s Network, the African-American ERG, GLOBE and many, many more will animate my memories for years to come.

I’ve always marveled at how this institution rises to a challenge. The Gender Parity in Management direc-tive by President Zoellick in 2009 was radical, and I will long remem-ber how we have responded to this unique opportunity. We embraced

the reality that subnationality issues such as caste, religion and ethnic-ity exist in many country offices in addition to the ubiquitous gender equality challenge. Country-based managers needed acknowledgment of this complexity and tools to manage it, while in Washington the focus was on increasing the recruitment and retention of US minorities.

Leadership has always been key to success: I salute every winner of the annual Diversity & Inclusion Leader-ship Awards—warriors and role mod-els to us all, from drivers and team assistants to vice-presidents.

The Bank Group’s quest for full inclusion is still a work-in-progress, but it is firmly on the right course. I will never be far from it: it has meant so much to me. Here’s wishing new President Jim Kim every success leading D&I to the next level of accomplishment across the World Bank Group.

Blessings!Julie OyegunJioyegun@gmail.com

For more information on thE-Junction, contact Monica Oldham, 202-458-9858, moldham@worldbank.org.

Founded in 1980, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) advo-cates on behalf of LGBT Ameri-

cans, mobilizes grassroots actions in diverse communities, invests strategi-cally to elect fair-minded individu-als to office and educates the public about LGBT issues.

Q: You appeared on a Bank Group panel recently.

A: I’m pleased with all the ex-citing work that is going on at the Bank and the extent to which senior leaders are engaged. At the panel, there was a consensus that the Bank is taking LGBT issues seriously. Just as we see in the private sector busi-nesses with which we work, there are two levels of change that need to oc-cur, that of the policy level and that of the social or attitudinal change level. I see the Bank fostering both with visible discussions like the one last week, coupled with meaningful policy changes.

Q: What’s your role and respon-sibility at HRC?

A: I oversee our annual Corporate Equality Index. I’ve overseen the survey for the last several years. I joined HRC almost five years ago. This year we cel-ebrated “A Decade of Progress” with our 10th edition of the Corporate Equality In-dex. It’s a national survey that assesses major businesses’ policies, benefits, diversity practices and external engage-ment with the community through such

efforts as philanthropy, marketing and legislative support—the CEI is the only one of its kind. We focus not only on the Fortune 500, but also many of the Fortune 1000, the American Lawyer top-200 law firms, and additional American firms with strong brands.

Q: What is HRC’s objective with this index?

A: The LGBT population has been marginalized for a long time. In many U.S. states, these people have no legal workplace protections. You can be fired or denied employment in 29 states if you are gay, or 35 states for your gender identity. First in a very material way, by working with the private sector, we’re working to improve workplace policies. Second, we are advancing the conversation within society more broadly. The safer that people can feel at work, the more likely that they can be “out.” It’s no longer a taboo issue in many companies, and that’s progress.

For more information on the Corpo-rate Equality Index, see: www.hrc.org/cei

Measuring LGBT Inclusion in Corporate AmericaQ&A with Deena Fidas, Deputy Director of Corporate Programs, HRC Foundation

…Nunc Dimitis: a CDO’s Retrospectivecontinued from page 1