Building a career at State Street: Fostering connections and breaking barriers

Today, Nathalie Gauthier heads State Street’s Global Human Resources Internal Communications. But when she first came to State Street as a contract worker earlier in her career, she wasn’t sure she belonged. Her degree was in marketing, not finance, and as a first-generation Haitian American, no one in her family had experience working in a corporate environment to help her navigate or share insight on the path ahead.

So she did what she does best: cultivate relationships. Through conversations with colleagues, managers and diverse array of mentors, she learned about roles in the organization that suited her skills. At the same time, she remained open to being challenged by learning new skills. She began to think of her career path in terms of a corporate lattice rather than a corporate ladder, making a series of lateral moves that soon translated into leadership opportunities. Within 10 years, she was an assistant vice president in the Global Markets Technology Project Management office, and a year later she became a vice president in the Talent Marketplace.

“One thing I appreciate about State Street is that whatever your interests are, the organization can incorporate them,” she says.

Nathalie’s journey wasn’t without challenges. “As a Black woman, there were times that I was underestimated, whether through microaggressions or blatant comments” she says. Sometimes she would find herself as the first and only Black woman on a team. She worried that if she made a mistake, another woman or person of color might not be given a similar opportunity. “That can be intimidating,” she says, “but I took those situations as opportunities to break barriers and show other professionals who may relate to being a first and only what’s possible.”

Tapping into employee networks helped Nathalie connect with diverse colleagues, from junior to executive level, throughout the organization. She started by joining the Black Professionals Network and the Professional Women’s Network. Over time, she raised her hand to volunteer, lead committees, then was elected to co-chair both networks, and joined networks that helped her step outside of her direct experience, like the Asian Professionals Alliance, PRIDE and Bible Study Group.

“Part of what I really cherish about the networks is that we’re teaching each other,” she says. “I simply love seeing the growth of other professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences thrive at the company.”

Over the course of her career, Nathalie says she has seen more widespread acknowledgment of the contributions the Black workforce made not only to State Street, but also to the US and global economy at large. “I appreciate that inclusion is a core value at State Street,” she says. “It’s about broadening our horizons and growing together.”

A legacy of IT excellence created by one of State Street’s diverse-owned suppliers

System Custom Consultants began working with State Street in 2020 as a subcontractor. Three years later, the company became a direct contractor.

“Black-owned businesses play a critical role in the economic fabric of Boston and other US cities where historical inequities created barriers to access,” says company CEO and co-founder Claudel Jean-Louis. “By generating jobs, driving local investment and strengthening underserved neighborhoods, when we invest in Black-owned businesses, we’re investing in the economy, economic mobility and wealth creation.”

For Claudel, innovation is in his DNA. His father, who immigrated to Greater Boston from Haiti in the 1970s, studied computer engineering and ultimately started his own IT business. With over 35 years of experience in IT, he paved the way for Claudel’s own journey in the tech world. As a result, Claudel grew up tinkering with computers and learning what it takes to run your own business. When he first launched his career as a consultant, his focus was on project management, usually for organizations’ technology operations. In 2020, he started his own consulting company with a specialty in IT, naming it after his father’s earlier business.

Claudel noticed early on that there weren’t a lot of people who looked like him in IT. So he sought out a network of Black IT professionals, cultivating relationships by attending events like the annual AfroTech Conference, which brings together Black innovators across the industry.

“I want to help change the perception of what an IT person is supposed to look like,” he says. And he’s seeing progress: “Compared to when I graduated from university in 2008, I see a lot more diverse individuals in tech leadership positions today.”

Connecting diverse workers with better jobs: How one State Street partner is building the workforce of the future

In partnership with SkillWorks, State Street is helping diverse workers find well-paying jobs, with the goal of narrowing racial income and wealth gaps. Since 2003, SkillWorks has been investing in workforce innovation, collaborating with stakeholders to provide skills training and professional development, as well as partnering with employers and government constituents to promote equitable practices among Boston-area businesses.

“We know these gaps aren’t natural,” says SkillWorks Executive Director Andre Green. “Black workers make less money than white workers with the same level of education. That means there’s a lot of talent, skill and knowledge out there that’s going to waste. We do the work we do at SkillWorks because we know that it’s in the best interest of workers, employers and the economy of Greater Boston.”

Andre and his colleagues remain focused not only on training workers, but on connecting them with employers who have identified specific needs. “Having good training programs is necessary, but it’s not sufficient,” he says. For the work to truly have an impact, employers need to be just as involved as workers. SkillWorks bridges this gap by engaging with both sides of the equation.

“The work we do makes the sum of Boston greater than its parts,” Andre says.

During the height of the COVID pandemic, when it became clear that the way we work would undergo a huge transformation, SkillWorks partnered with the Massachusetts government to invest in rapid reskilling, which helps low-income individuals find jobs in new fields, and connected participants with employers looking to fill specific needs. The initiative helped the Massachusetts economy rebound from the employment upheaval brought on by the pandemic.

“These are people who went from not being sure what to do with their lives to having jobs that allow them to take care of their families,” Andre says. “That’s always the goal.”

Celebrating the past, present and future of the Black workforce’s contributions

Nathalie, Claudel and Andre have each charted their own unique path toward success. But their journeys are part of a bigger story of Black talent in America focused on overcoming challenges to create financial equity, forge stronger communities and build healthier economies. At State Street, we’ll continue to do our part in providing equal opportunity to all workers and fostering partnerships with organizations committed to doing the same.