The following testimonials were submitted voluntarily by the industry leaders noted and the companies cited are not all represented on the PAR Initiative Best Companies for Women in Cable lists. The WICT Foundation maintains a confidentiality agreement with participating companies and these statements do not violate that agreement.
Geraldine B. Laybourne
Chairman and CEO
Oxygen Media, Inc.
"In June 2004, my Oxygen PAR Initiative team made a presentation to our monthly management meeting. I was taken aback. I've actively participated in many wide initiatives over my two decades in this business, but I've rarely seen this kind of impact from the not-for-profit sector.
"What ensued was a conversation that will forever change our company. Frankly, because we're so pro-women and have so many on our staff (72% of our workforce), we were shocked that we didn't make the PAR Initiative Best Companies list in the first year. We were so busy getting to profitability that we sometimes didn't stop to breathe.
"What the rigorous process of filling out the PAR Initiative questions did for us was uncover areas that our employees didn't know we were doing and institutionalized some of the practices we had just left to chance. PAR made us look deeply at the ways we recruit, develop, nurture and support talented women and made us aware that those things should not be taken for granted.
"Even more than that, it led us to a management-wide profound discussion on diversity. From that flowed a new resolve that in our company we make sure men feel valued, left-brain oriented people (the operations folk) feel valued, and minorities feel valued. PAR has been a catalyst for us to institute initiatives we have wanted to do for years."
Decker Anstrom
President & COO
Landmark Communications, Inc.
"The genius of the PAR Initiative is that it taps the competitiveness of the cable industry. People want their company in the top five. It's a very creative way of stimulating competition to advance women in our industry."
Pat Esser
Executive Vice President & COO
Cox Communications
"We talk about equality. We talk about diversity. We talk about doing the right thing. Even with the best intentions, progress in these areas can be unclear since inclusiveness often is subjective. The PAR survey quantifies some of those measures, and gives us all a chance to reflect on our progress and share best practices.
"As the first recipient of the Forerunner Accolade award for Operator, we are thrilled that our continued focus on diversity has been recognized publicly. However, like quality, customer service or financial performance, there's always room to aspire for more. In fact, we owe it to our employees, our customers and each other to do so. I salute the WICT Foundation, and look forward to more heated competition for this award."
Lynn Yaeger
Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Time Warner Cable
"Time Warner Cable and our parent company, Time Warner Inc., have long made diversity a priority, but I believe WICT Foundation's PAR Initiative has helped bring greater awareness of what we are doing in the areas of developing, hiring and promoting women in our company.
"We are more aggressive now in dealing with many of the issues women face in the workplace such as creating a better work/life balance. The PAR Initiative has really helped us put a focus on the importance of addressing these matters everyday."
Jill Campbell
Senior Vice President - Operations
Cox Communications
"The PAR survey has effectively expanded our industry-wide understanding of what makes an inclusive environment and why it's critical to our continued success. I'm delighted that the industry has embraced this program and am encouraged by the enthusiastic response.
"Collectively, we're all engaged in the ongoing challenges of fostering an inclusive workplace and better serving our diverse customer bases. As we address this as an industry, I'm excited about the power this can have on our reputation, recruitment and retention, and bottom line. Our competitive spirit has never been put to greater use!"
Melanie Penna
Vice President of Human Resources
Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
"The PAR Initiative has been instrumental in many ways. At Comcast, it serves as a vehicle for capturing the many unique workplace programs we have in place -- allowing us to evaluate their reach and overall effectiveness. It is an important tool in helping us to identify underserved [employees] and where we need to further expand our programs.
"Finally, it serves as an integral benchmark metric allowing us to measure our progress year-to-year while comparing us to other leading companies in the industry."
Sheryl Anderson
Senior Vice President
Human Resources and Administration, Starz! Encore
"We strive to keep the PAR philosophy alive all year long; we know that by doing so we build a strong and effective company, one that will naturally advance the progress of women as we support and promote their career development."
Elizabeth Hillman
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Hallmark Channel
"The WICT PAR Initiative is a vital part of making cable and telecommunications industries more effective and profitable in the future. As the workforce in the U.S. continues to change, companies will continue to utilize the growing number of talented women rising up the ranks of leadership.
"At Hallmark Channel, fostering mentorship, learning and development is a key part of our vision as we move into the future."