Investment management firm, American Century Investments (ACI) has appointed “New Heads of Talent, Development & Diversity and Employee Experience,” in a boost to their HR department.
The Kansas City, Missouri-based firm has appointed Deidre Boulware as Vice President, Head of Talent, Development & Diversity, and Diane Gallagher as Vice President, Head of Employee Experience, both will report directly to Chief Human Resources Officer Shannon Hobbs.
Boulware’s role will include coordinating “the recruiting, talent management, development and DE&I function globally, leading those teams and ensuring that aligned initiatives advance the firm’s mission and culture and drive organisational and employee effectiveness and efficiency.” She will also focus on the firm’s diversity strategy and how it aligns with employee engagement, talent development, and community partnerships.
Boulware boasts two decades of “business and HR experience in financial services”; prior positions included her role as Global Human Resources Senior Leader for Global Investments and Asset Management Exchange at insurance firm, Willis Towers Watson.
Prior to that, she held senior HR positions at major financial services firms including Capital One, Ally Financial, and Wachovia Securities. She holds a master’s in business administration from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s in science from Hampton University.
Gallagher’s new role will including leading “employee relations, employee engagement, employee experience, recognition and community investment.” She will also work with ACI’s marketing and communications teams “on how employee policies and practices are communicated internally and externally.”
She’s been with ACI since 1995, and previously served as Vice President, Value-Add Programs and before that was Vice President, Defined Contribution Investment Only Practice Management.
She holds a bachelor’s in Communication Studies from the University of Detroit Mercy. On the social impact side, she is an advisory board member of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City.
Hobbs commented on the two senior female appointments: “At American Century Investments, we approach diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) as a journey to learn, unlearn and relearn. I’m very pleased to announce Deidre and Diane’s appointments, which will maintain and enhance our corporate culture by continuing to embed our DE&I agenda in our progressive talent processes and bringing focus to our employee experience.
“Deidre has proven expertise in people and diversity strategy implementation, developing metrics-driven equity and accountability platforms, change management, organisational design, talent and succession management, and leadership development. Diane’s significant experience with clients will provide a unique perspective on how we enhance our employee experience and engagement, and her current and past community involvement will enable us to maximise our employee engagement as it relates to our community investments. The combination of Deidre’s deep human resources and business experiences and Diane’s extensive client and community experiences will bring significant impact to the human capital strategies for our firm.”
