Open to Women?

It was another promise of the new economy: We'd finally move from the old-time rules of the old boys' network to a workplace based on merit, performance, and skill -- a workplace that would be more open to women. Forget about breaking the glass ceiling, the logic went, the new economy would break out of the whole box. That was the promise. Just how well has it been kept? To find out, Fast Company surveyed six successful women, high achievers in industries as diverse as autos, packaged goods, finance, and medicine. The question: Are we living in a meritocracy or a machotocracy?

Pamela Thomas-Graham

President and COO, CNBC
New York, New York
Fort Lee, New Jersey

I'm fairly optimistic about where women are in business today. We're not in an environment anymore where a role model is just one person -- or one kind of person. And although we still don't have enough diversity, at least lots of different women, who showcase lots of different management styles, are successful these days.

Young women today should feel inspired by the fact that in a relatively short period of time, things have changed. Things are a lot easier for us than they were even just 10 years ago. And they will continue to change, as long as we keep pushing.

In the first act of the new economy, a lot of transitions took place. It's actually the female leaders in the broadly defined technology space who have demonstrated most clearly the advances in what women can do. The old media, however, is still a pretty tough go: There just aren't many senior women in broadcasting, cable, or film.

I'm concerned that as we hunker down in this current downturn, people will once again say, "I don't know if I want to take a risk on a woman in this role -- on someone who doesn't look like I do."

Pamela Thomas-Graham (ptg@stantoncrenshaw.com) became McKinsey & Co.'s first black female partner in 1995. She left consulting four years later to oversee the online activities of CNBC.com as president and CEO. She is now president and COO of the entire CNBC television network. Thomas-Graham sits on the boards of the New York City Opera, the American Red Cross of Greater New York, the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, and the Harvard Alumni Association. She is also the author of the Ivy League Mystery series, published by Simon & Schuster.

Susan Arnold

President, Global Personal Beauty Care
Procter & Gamble Co.
Cincinnati, Ohio

I don't consider myself a trailblazer. I don't have horror stories to tell you. I've been treated fairly throughout my career, and I've shattered some glass ceilings along the way. I was able to attain my current position for two reasons. First, I delivered excellent results. As a vice president, I oversaw multiple businesses in beauty care and led our largest profit center in North America to the best results we'd had in a decade. Second, I had great advocacy at the top: Our CEO was my first boss. And he has always been a firm believer in diversity and fairness.

I've had multiple mentors in my career, and they have been central to my success. Women often tell one another that they have to "get a mentor," and it becomes a forced thing. I've always gotten to know my mentors in business situations, and my relationships with them have been based on working together.

I mentor as many people as I can now -- and I specifically try to be available to women. We find each other through natural working interactions. My best advice is to give it time. The best, most effective mentor relationships are ones that develop naturally.

Susan Arnold's career at Procter & Gamble spans 20 years. Joining in 1980 as a brand assistant for the Dawn/Ivory Snow group, she rose through the ranks as a brand manager, an advertising manager, and a general manager in a number of different product areas. In 1996, Arnold was named vice president and general manager of deodorants/Old Spice and skin care, and in 1997, she became vice president of North America fabric care. She is now president of P&G's global personal beauty care division.