$140,000: the amount that Texas Instruments spends on external leadership development programs for its female employees.

When its original women’s initiative was launched 22 years ago, no one at this semiconductor and educational technology company could have foreseen how essential to female advancement future chapters would become, with their mentoring, lectures and up-close-and-personal discussions with business leaders. The P&L Women of TI Network stages annual summits devoted to moving women into the C-suite and works with leadership on related initiatives. Today, there are 18 female employees with profit-and-loss responsibilities—twice the number that there were just four years ago.

Chairman, President & CEO: Richard Templeton

Senior VP, HR: Darla Whitaker

% of senior managers who are women: 6%

% of corporate executives who are women: 20%

% of promotions to manager, senior manager and corporate executive positions that went to women: 25%

% of the top 10% of the company’s earners who are women: 10%

% of corporate executives with profit-and-loss responsibility who are women: 13%

% of the executives running divisions with revenues of more than a billion dollars who are women: 0%

% of executives who report directly to the CEO who are women: 15%

% of the members of the board of directors who are women: 36%

% of female workforce participating in mentoring: 4%

99% of Intel managers are trained to accommodate employees who utilize flexible work arrangements.

The quest for innovation plays a central role at this technology company. With its 11 U.S. chapters, the Women at Intel Network seeks to harness that potential, treating members to a host of intriguing speakers and training and educational sessions that get them thinking bigger about their careers. Female managers and executives can look into the Internal Leadership Coaching program, which provides select women with sessions that foster thoughtful discussions about the most effective ways to approach workplace challenges. Women in the upper ranks benefit from guidance offered by the members of the Intel Network of Executive Women and are excited about its brand-new pilot sponsorship program, which is helping 36 of them snag exciting opportunities.

CEO: Paul Otellini

Senior VP, Director HR: Patty Murray

% of senior managers who are women: 16%

% of corporate executives who are women: 15%

% of promotions to manager, senior manager and corporate executive positions that went to women: 26%

% of the top 10% of the company’s earners who are women: 13%

% of corporate executives with profit-and-loss responsibility who are women: 7%

% of the executives running divisions with revenues of more than a billion dollars who are women: 33%

% of executives who report directly to the CEO who are women: 10%

% of the members of the board of directors who are women: 30%

% of female workforce participating in mentoring: 5%

IBM’s Technical Women Pipeline program provides coaching, sponsorship and development plans to employees who want to become distinguished engineers.

Training is everything at this technology company, where women can take advantage of generous annual tuition aid, a wealth of internal learning courses and (in preparation for profit-and-loss positions) fully paid MBA degrees. Those with an eye on the executive suite may attend a leadership course called Building Relationships and Influencing; after completing it, they often use the information they’ve acquired to help guide junior women. (New president and CEO Virginia Rometty no doubt serves as an inspiration.) Groups of up to 40 female employees gain a sense of empowerment while being mentored by executive facilitators in the Taking the Stage program, which aims to further refine their leadership skills. Opportunities for additional education include a workshop on “Building Your Brand” and the Multicultural Women Speaker Series. Plus, the Technical Women Pipeline program nurtures ambitious engineers.

President & CEO: Virginia Rometty

Senior VP, HR: Randy MacDonald

% of senior managers who are women: 28%

% of corporate executives who are women: 23%

% of promotions to manager, senior manager and corporate executive positions that went to women: 32%

% of the top 10% of the company’s earners who are women: 19%

% of corporate executives with profit-and-loss responsibility who are women: --

% of the executives running divisions with revenues of more than a billion dollars who are women: --

% of executives who report directly to the CEO who are women: 14%

% of the members of the board of directors who are women: 17%

% of female workforce participating in mentoring: 100%

41% of the employees who are included in HP’s formal executive succession plans are women.

In 2011, this tech company saw the number of women on its board of directors jump from three to five, including new President and CEO Meg Whitman. And that’s not the only place where more women joined its upper echelons, as the number of female employees hired for executive jobs has also grown from 20% to 23% (with more than one third assuming profit-and-loss responsibilities). Female VPs and directors maximize their long-term career potential by taking part in the Key Talent Leadership program, which offers in-depth coaching and a thorough assessment of their professional capabilities. “I would never have considered taking on a stretch assignment had I not participated in the program,” reflects Tara Bunch, who was later named SVP of the company’s Imaging and Printing Group. “It made a huge difference to my career.” the employees in HP’s executive-succession plans are 41% women.

President & CEO: Meg Whitman

Executive VP, HR: Tracy Keogh

% of senior managers who are women: 25%

% of corporate executives who are women: 18%

% of promotions to manager, senior manager and corporate executive positions that went to women: 28%

% of the top 10% of the company’s earners who are women: 19%

% of corporate executives with profit-and-loss responsibility who are women: 12%

% of the executives running divisions with revenues of more than a billion dollars who are women: 11%

% of executives who report directly to the CEO who are women: 33%

% of the members of the board of directors who are women: 17%

% of female workforce participating in mentoring: 65%

 

Cisco’s Center for Collaboration Leadership clarifies for executives what type of leadership and business results are expected of them, making success easier to envision.

Plenty of programs move women through the pipeline for top jobs at this information technology and networking company. Deliberately sought out to fill positions at the VP level and above, candidates are then interviewed about their goals and provided with an executive coach to design a career plan. Female directors and VPs who join the Executive Action Learning Forum receive extra guidance, interact with female leaders and get a rare chance to study how different company strategies affect the bottom line. Members of the Connected Women employee resource group attend events that address a range of business topics, from office politics to online networking; some also participate in executive shadowing sessions, in which they observe those farther up the ladder.

Chairman & CEO: John Chambers

Interim Chief HR Officer: Jim Gemmell

% of senior managers who are women: 20%

% of corporate executives who are women: 17%

% of promotions to manager, senior manager and corporate executive positions that went to women: 24%

% of the top 10% of the company’s earners who are women: 18%

% of corporate executives with profit-and-loss responsibility who are women: 12%

% of the executives running divisions with revenues of more than a billion dollars who are women: --

% of executives who report directly to the CEO who are women: 20%

% of the members of the board of directors who are women: 15%

% of female workforce participating in mentoring: 64%

Jennifer is from McKinney, TX, and mother to Grant (13), Reid (9), Jack (4) and Luke (4).

In addition to being an outstanding employee at Texas Instruments, human resources manager Jennifer Kleman has overcome many unique parenting challenges to create an innovative work-life approach that is truly successful for her and her family.

Jennifer started working at TI in June 2000 as a contract recruiter and joined the company as a full-time employee a few years later. After giving birth to twins in 2007, she took a year-and-a-half leave of absence to take care of her boys’ medical challenges. “Many people at TI helped me on a personal basis during this experience and it has touched me in a unique way,” Jennifer explained.

In particular, Jennifer said a TI senior vice president made a significant difference in her twins’ quality of life. This VP took it upon herself to ask a person that she had met as a board member to help get the boys an appointment at a leading neurology facility. This treatment helped the boys tremendously.

With her sons’ medical conditions stabilized in February 2009, Jennifer made the decision to return to work. But this decision was not an easy one. According to Jennifer, she struggled with the decision and talked to her two oldest boys about it

“My oldest child said I had to make the decision from my head and my middle child said I had to make the decision from my heart,” Jennifer explained. “In the end, I made the decision with my head but through my heart and it was the right decision for all of us.”

For Jennifer, schedule flexibility continues to be the key ingredient to her work-life success, while an extremely positive outlook on life coupled with unwavering love for her children makes her an outstanding working mom. She leaves the office by 4 p.m. each work day and returns a few business calls on the way home. After getting all of the children to bed in the evening, she sleeps from 9 p.m. to midnight, works at home from midnight to 3 a.m., then goes back to bed for a few hours of sleep before getting the children ready to start their day.

 “Making any work-life balance successful involves figuring out what works for your individual lifestyle so you can truly add value to everything you do,” Jennifer said. “This schedule works very well for me and allows me to be a good mother and employee.”

 

Younghee is from Raleigh, NC, and mom to Adrian (14).

Business program manager Younghee Overly, in addition to being a busy working mom, is the North Carolina chapter president of UNIFEM/USNC, an organization dedicated to empowering women globally.

This past year, she organized and led the UNIFEM/USNC annual conference, where the theme focused on strategies to end violence against women. In addition, as the North Carolina chapter president, Younghee raised $36,000 at a one-day event and saw $29,000 go directly to charity after all expenses were paid.  She was able to inspire many volunteers to contribute to the event and make it a magical, empowering day for all.

Younghee shares what she has learned about the global women’s movement as a mentor with others in her job, specifically the realization that the global women’s movement is not just about empowering women to end poverty and violence against people aroud the world. It is about having a dream to really help and make a difference to as many people as possible in the global community.

Tara is from Fort Collins, CO, and mom to Emily (10), Ian (6) and Aidan (6).

Tara Bunch is HP’s senior vice president for Global Support Customer Operations. While she has had a number of opportunities within HP, Tara navigated towards her current career path because she was willing to listen to the advice of others and step outside her comfort zone.

 “HP offers a Key Talent Program, specifically designed to develop the company’s top leaders ,” says Tara. “This program included a personal coach and an assessment of my skills and experience, relative to my readiness to be promoted.”

During the assessment, Tara realized that while she had a lot of operations and research and development experience, she lacked any experience in a customer-facing role. In response, “I decided to accept a stretch position leading HP’s Consumer Support Services,” she says. “This role helped me develop a keen understanding of HP’s customers and grow both in my leadership skills and services knowledge and expertise. I would have never considered this opportunity had I not acted on the feedback I received in the Key Talent Program.”

Tara was subsequently promoted to the Senior VP level due to her leadership, results and breadth of experience. Her current role is very demanding, but she is committed to spending time with Susan, her partner of 14 years, and their three children, Emily, Aiden and Ian. They have at least two “sit-down” dinners each week and block out time for family game nights. Tara fiercely protects these special evenings on her calendar.

Additionally, Tara sits on HP’s Global Diversity Advisory Board and sponsors events for HP’s LGBT and women employee resource groups. Because of her commitment to these groups, Tara is an inspiration and role model and is frequently sought out by others for mentoring and guidance. 

 

Robin hails from Gravette, AR, and is mom to: Macy (14), Carter (10), Graham (5) and Spencer (4).

Global Sales Director Robin Ford’s love for business began as a young girl in Arkansas, in her family's manufacturing plant making children's clothes. One day, she met Sam Walton when he walked through the family's business door one day to place an order and her life was changed forever.

Robin is involved in her community through Party Palace, which offers unique birthday parties for girls. The girls become princesses on their birthday and, most importantly, share an oath written by Robin that states that to find a princess, a girl must look inside herself, where her true beauty lies.

Additionally, Robin has hosted “Diva Days” for several hundred seventh and eighth grade girls at Dobie and Pearce middle school, in Austin, Texas. At these special events, girls receive a makeover, a new outfit and a sumptuous luncheon. They also participate in a fashion show and read Robin’s pledge as well.

Robin has also co-founded an organization called Project Nineteen, (named after the year 1919, when women won the right to vote). P19 is a non-partisan issue-neutral organization dedicated to advancing women in leadership roles throughout the public, private and non-profit sectors. Project 19's kickoff was on the Capitol steps with 120 women donating Susan B. Anthony dollars to the Voter's Education Fund.

 

Swati is from New Delhi, India, and mom to daughter Rohini (7 ½).

Senior Director of Customer Value Chain Management Swati Saran was lucky enough to be mentored by her mother, who came from a small village in India and went on to start her own very successful enterprise against all odds while still maintaining a great work life balance. Her mother instilled in Swati a desire to succeed and lead.

Swati wanted to be a similar inspiration for women around the world. She completed a bachelor’s degree in engineering in India, then came to the U.S. to complete her MBA. She married, and became a mom. As Swati has advanced through her career, she has come to realize that women need to use their innate skill sets as strengths to succeed in the workplace.

Those soft skills, such as compassion, the ability to listen, and strong communication and collaborative skills, are ones she herself demonstrates. These skills, says Swati, are assets that allow women to distinguish themselves and be confident. Swati has mentored many women both inside and outside of the Cisco family and she has encouraged them to use these skills. Swati always tells her mentees to do the job well, allow themselves to have the confidence to communicate about their great work, and don’t stay in the shadows.

Swati has even forced herself to present to large audiences to build her confidence—and sometimes practices these presentations on her daughter. Her advice to women is to find a mentor with whom they can take risks, and practice skills in a safe environment.

Over the last three years, Swati has worked with many bright women who have had the passion to succeed and looked for advice on career growth. And her mentees have been successful: Two were promoted in the last three years and one has even gone up two levels.