This woman is on a mission to close the gender and diversity gap in leadership. In this episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, Lizette Ibarra, CEO and Founder of Latina Chief, shares with me how she became a talent acquisition expert and led one of the fastest-growing boutique executive search firms with operations in Mexico and the U.S. Hispanic Markets. Let’s just say she’s the queen of all head-hunters, assisting companies as they build diverse bold leadership teams while helping people who have reached a plateau in their careers (that damn glass ceiling!) secure positions where they can implement all the expertise Corporate America has been missing out on.

With roughly 8% of female representation in executive teams in Latin America and Hispanics occupying less than 5% of executive positions in Corporate America here in the U.S., it’s evident that the largest minority in our nation is grossly and woefully underrepresented (FYI: Hispanics are 20% of the U.S. population). At the current rate of “progress”, it will take 29 years for the average company in the U.S. and 238 years for firms in Latin America to reach gender parity on their executive teams. Ah! But Latina Chief has other plans.

Lizette’s clients often marvel at the quality of the candidates she identifies, puts forth for consideration, and successfully places in C-Suite positions. However, she is not surprised at the large pool of Hispanic and diverse talent that is currently untapped across all industries…because they are just that: UNTAPPED. When asked where she finds so many amazing multifaceted professionals, she quickly assures that it’s not that difficult if you know where to look 😊. 

We discuss how Hispanic professionals have built within them skillsets and qualifications that are culturally rooted, starting with varying levels of Spanish language proficiency that can be an asset to companies doing business globally, to attaining in many cases exemplary academic accomplishments because of the strong value Hispanic families place on education as a passport to social mobility. Lizette invites companies and job seekers alike to reach out to their team to work together on closing the gender and diversity gap in executive teams and boards throughout our country: https://www.latinachief.com/contact