Following our merger with Paradigm for Parity, we are pleased to recognize the incredible leadership that shaped its mission. In a recent interview with longtime partner Gregor Clark of Hiker, Paradigm for Parity Co-Founder Jewelle Bickford shared her powerful reflections Paradigm for Parity’s evolution and the progress made advancing gender parity in leadership.
Learn more about how NextUp is bringing lasting change to the workplace from the top down and bottom up
Jewelle Bickford
L-R: Ellen Kullman, Sandra Quince, Jewelle Bickford, Sandra Beach Lin
Gregor Clark: What about Paradigm for Parity makes you the most proud?
Jewelle Bickford: The fact that the organization was founded by executive women for all women. Together, I believe we cracked the code. We demonstrated how to partner with corporations to change the culture, open the aperture, and level the playing field so everyone has a chance to succeed.
When you have a shared vision among C-suite members, it shapes behavior and decision-making—and that’s what we’ve been able to do. We did this initially through the 5-Point Action Plan and vigorous application of the toolkit, and later adapted the toolkit based on what companies taught us. We grew and shaped the work successfully because we were flexible and incorporated from the companies their feedback and that’s part of how we became a true partner with companies.
P4P’s executive women founders knew how to be partners, and that’s foundational in terms of how you create change of the corporate culture and raise up women, allowing them to succeed at every level.
Gregor Clark: Does that mean this work will always require a learning mindset?
Jewelle Bickford: Yes—especially with AI. We’re in the midst of huge changes to the ways we work, and there will be some disruption but also new opportunities to expand skillsets and develop new tools. This will be another important moment for executive women to support and elevate the leaders of today and tomorrow.
Gregor Clark: Where do you see our efforts toward gender parity heading in the future?
Jewelle Bickford: I don’t have to tell you or anyone else that our work is more critical than ever to empower the next generation of women leaders.
We need to show that what we do is effective for everyone and demonstrate impact and tangible benefits both for the company and for our women. For example, the Profit and Loss Accelerator program teaches women how to manage the finances of a company, thereby benefiting both the women and their companies.
And we must understand that women can’t succeed at the expense of men. This isn’t either/or – we’re allies here. It’s about creating a culture where everyone trusts that they will be treated fairly.
Gregor Clark: What would you say to a younger female executive looking to advance her career today?
Jewelle Bickford: I’d say the same thing I say to people inside corporations: build your business constituency, as well as your community. One platform Paradigm for Parity provides its members is a way for like-minded companies to share ideas.
For young women: outside of work, build your network of like-minded people who care about what you care about.
My advice to my granddaughters: make and cherish your friends. My friends and I give each other moral support – we walk in Central Park, talk about what we can do about the causes that are important to us and spread the word when there’s an opportunity to learn more. Again, it’s all about community.
Gregor Clark: Have the goals for Paradigm for Parity changed over the years, and do we need to keep evolving?
Jewelle Bickford: Being intentional about how we support women of color was a big shift for us. When we founded Paradigm for Parity in 2015, we were focused solely on gender.
At one of our conferences – I believe in 2019 – a Black executive told me that white women could reach 50-50 parity and leave all but 1% of Black women behind. And this was before George Floyd. We didn’t pivot because of that – we pivoted because it was fundamentally unfair.
And it led us to Sandra Quince, a Black executive who was excellent, and became our first CEO, and is now President of the Board. Sandra taught us what we didn’t know and how to expand our support for Black women. That’s what I mean by growth – we were flexible, we listened, and we acted. I’m thrilled she will be joining the NextUp board.
Gregor Clark: In thinking about this conversation, what else has come to mind? What else should I be asking you, or what else should we be talking about?
Jewelle Bickford: Our goal for the last decade has always been to broaden the number of companies that engage with us. And with NextUp, I’m very encouraged we’ll be able to do that. I believe that all companies are changing now because of AI, and they’re trying to think of ways to be more profitable.
If you look at our data, companies that concurrently used the toolkit and implemented the 5-Point Action Plan had a 13.5% faster rate of women reaching the C-suite than those that didn’t. We’ve demonstrated that diversity pays off for companies, and that means that there’s a significant opportunity ahead for Paradigm for Parity and NextUp to help companies become more profitable by supporting women at every level.
Gregor Clark: In this moment of transition, are there other reflections you have about this change for the organization, or this moment for the organization?
Jewelle Bickford: I’d like to say one thing, which is that I am so grateful for women like Linda Paresky, Ann Drake, Ellen Kullman, Pam Craig and Sandy Beach Lin. From the very beginning, the minute we came home from our initial meeting in the summer of 2015, they’ve been steadfast in their commitment and marvelously generous with their time, money and expertise.
And Paradigm for Parity is fortunate that our excellent, long-term Executive Director Beth Kent is becoming part of the management of NextUp. Beth has an outstanding relationship with our corporate members, and she will be able to work seamlessly with NextUp’s CEO Lisa Baird to continue advancing our mission through the merger.
Gregor Clark: What would you say to current members who are wondering if this transition means the work is ending?
Jewelle Bickford: I would say to them, it’s only ending if you don’t participate. It’s not going to end on our part. Lisa Baird, NextUp’s CEO, is very experienced, qualified and creative. She will take this to the next level. She believes in what we’re doing, and our missions are highly aligned. I feel very optimistic that we will be more successful and stronger together than either of us would be alone. That’s the reason why we agreed to merge with NextUp.
