A culture rooted in equality is vital to making sure your business reaches its full potential. It’s no surprise that companies with higher gender diversity in their executive team are more likely to experience above-average profits. But historically, women have experienced unique challenges in climbing the corporate ladder. For example, only 7.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.

Our chair and CEO Melissa Smith sits down to share her journey, what she’s learned along the way, and her suggestions for what companies can do to promote gender equality.