This week, payments giant Visa announced the appointment of a new Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Corporate Responsibility.
According to a press release, Michelle Gethers-Clark will be joining Visa’s Executive Committee in this newly-expanded role to help lead a company-wide effort toward inclusion, diversity, sustainability, and social impact globally with a keen focus on equitable economic growth.
“It is my honor to join the Visa team and lead our strategic inclusion and diversity, social impact and sustainability efforts globally,” said Gethers-Clark in a statement. “I bring to this role a passion for partnering with internal and external team members to continue bringing to life what this work can mean for our company, our customers and our communities around the world.”
Within this role, Gethers-Clark will report directly to Chairman and CEO Al Kelly. Her various responsibilities include ensuring Visa’s organization and culture are actually building toward an inclusive future, as well as managing initiatives that will help enhance Visa’s commitment to social responsibility as an ethical and sustainable company, a press release shares.
Moreover, she’ll be focusing on supporting small and micro-businesses as a means to boost Visa’s social impact efforts.
“As a global, purpose-led company we are guided by the belief that economies that include everyone, everywhere will uplift everyone, everywhere. Michelle has tremendous leadership experience closely aligning inclusion and diversity, social impact and philanthropic initiatives to business objectives and producing transformational results,” Al Kelly shared in a statement. “We are very excited for Michelle to join our team and help us to continue to drive positive impact within Visa and around the world.”
A press release reports that Gethers-Clark previously spent 20 years of her professional career working at American Express in a variety of senior roles across internal audit, risk management and credit and collection operations, which led to her becoming the company’s SVP and General Manager of Card Operations.
She led regional philanthropic and social impact initiatives, as well as the national agenda for the American Express Black Employee Network.
In her most recent role, Gethers-Clark served as United Way’s President & CEO in the Greater Greensboro, North Carolina area where she was head of fundraising and distributing $90 million to social impact programs dedicated to providing positive life, health and economic outcomes for children and families.
Gethers-Clark will begin her new role at Visa this May based out of the company’s San Francisco headquarters.
