Red Hat Coffee Hour with Lee Jourdan
and Shuchi Sharma

Cracking the code on creating a more diverse and inclusive culture

Organizations are realizing why the ability to adapt and innovate is critical to survive and compete. In the wake of global changes, leaders are wondering how they can build creative, responsive organizations without dictating every action or planning for every contingency.

Join us for the next Red Hat® Coffee Hour as Adam Clater, Red Hat Chief Architect, talks with Lee Jourdan, Chevron’s Former Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Shuchi Sharma, Red Hat Chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion Officer, about how to build an organizational culture that fosters innovation and keeps teams unified. They will discuss what works and what doesn’t when advancing to a more diverse and inclusive culture; how to successfully navigate change through lived experiences in the workplace; key challenges; and the tools available to help you successfully transform your organization.

Speakers

Chevron’s former Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer shares his experience on how to navigate difficult conversations about diversity and inclusion in the workplace in ways that unify rather than polarize.

After 15 years in high-level business development roles at Chevron and decades of experience in the energy industry, Lee Jourdan was tapped to develop a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture at Chevron. He and his team were extraordinarily successful, winning multiple awards and establishing Chevron as a diversity champion with high marks for an inclusive culture in the process.

Under Jourdan’s watch, Chevron was the first major oil and gas company to publicly share disaggregated demographic data by employee rank and race, which spurred others in the industry to do the same. He was awarded the SASE 2020 Advocate Award, the same year he was recognized by Business Insider as one of 100 People Transforming Business in North America. The following year, The Washington Post ran a frontpage profile featuring Jourdan’s pragmatic, reasoned and data-driven approach.

Since retiring from Chevron, Jourdan has emerged as a thought leader who advises leaders on how to implement measurable diversity goals and establish impactful programs in the employee recruitment and retention process; and how to involve teams in constructive, non-polarizing conversations around privilege, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Jourdan is a contributor to publications such as the Harvard Business Review, HR Today and leading energy industry trade publications.

He is the co-author of From Shoeshine to Star Wars, a memoir about his father who rose from shining shoes during the Great Depression to become a logistician playing a critical role developing the “Star Wars “ US nuclear defense system, and his mother,  a teacher and later an information technology manager who worked as a “Computer” for aeronautical manufacturers in the 1950s, a role akin to the women memorialized in the movie Hidden Figures.

Shuchi Sharma is the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer at Red Hat Software, the world’s leading provider of open-source software solutions. In her role, Shuchi is responsible for developing and executing Red Hat’s strategy on DEI. Prior to joining Red Hat in March 2022, Shuchi served as the Global Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at SAP, driving the workforce diversity strategy.

Shuchi has over 20 years of experience leading global organizations focused on digital transformation services, sales and marketing and working in over 14 different countries. She served on the global leadership team for SAP’s business consulting practice for many years managing the consulting business in 8 countries of the EMEA region, built a global marketing function for this service area, and led the North American SuccessFactors Business Transformation Advisory team. Shuchi started her career in management consulting at Ernst and Young LLP. She is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the University of Michigan. In her spare time, she serves on the board of the Frederick Health System and the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women.

Shuchi has been named one of the Financial Times 50 Future Leaders and Diversity MBA Journal’s Top 100 Executive Leaders, and Top 100 Women of Influence. She has over 17 years of experience advancing women within the technology and health care industry.

Virtual event details

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET

Date: July 14, 2022

Any questions? Please email jvangrit@redhat.com