Lynne Walker
EVP and Director of Affinity Strategy
First Horizon National Corporation
Headquarters: Memphis, TN
Business: Financial Services
CEO: D Bryan Jordan
Website: www.firsthorizon.com
EVP AND DIRECTOR OF AFFINITY STRATEGY LYNNE WALKER Shares Her D&I Views
“Our philosophy centers around a simple equation: Diversity + Affinity = Inclusion. Through this equation, the goal is to advance and support bank-wide strategies, tactics, and goals to ensure workforce, workplace, and marketplace recognition as best in class for diversity and inclusion.”
The D&I Effect
“The opportunities that exist for the greatest impact consist of running D&I like any business strategy, with the support of data, insights, strategy reviews, and accountabilities to help leaders become engaged and committed…. Diverse leaders help us reach broader candidate circles and attract more diverse talent. Sharing our successes also helps generate enthusiasm and cultivate new ideas that lead to innovation, making D&I contagious.”
Evolving the Role
“Previously, D&I efforts at First Horizon were divided among several people. In 2015, a new position was created to lead our D&I strategy. The director of affinity strategy, who reports directly to the bank president, is responsible for developing and overseeing a 360-degree D&I strategy for talent, customers, vendors, and community. Reporting to the president is a key differentiator that helps to ensure we stay focused on diversifying staff, customer base, and market investments.”
Recent D&I Wins
“In 2016, during staffing map discussions and conversations with customers, a diversity gap was identified in some customer-facing positions. We implemented strategic hiring, which led to an increase in the number of diverse employees hired or promoted—from 36 percent in 2014 to 43 percent in 2017.
“As part of our vendor strategy, we have focused on working with minority, women-owned and disadvantaged businesses. In fact, in the past three years, our vendor diversity has increased from 7.18 percent in 2013 to 13.54 percent in 2016.
“Our strategic hire initiative has helped diversify our lines of business— something customers and employees have said they’d like to see more of. This initiative has led to the strategic hiring of 10 diverse candidates for front-line roles.”
Expansion Plan for 2018
“Building on the work of the past two years, the focus for 2018 is to expand initiatives that are yielding the best results. Expansion will consist of the use of data and insights in our staffing maps, connecting middle management and their teams with the strategy, and expanding customer and vendor initiatives. The objectives of 2018 will strengthen the foundation that has already been laid and prepare us for sustainability in 2019.”
