Global & Cultural Effectiveness

Stephen is a globally recognized inclusion, leadership and communications expert. From 2007-2012 Stephen designed, led and implemented the inclusion programs for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games as Head of Diversity and Inclusion for the London Organizing Committee (LOCOG). Prior to LOCOG, Stephen established and led the workplace team at Stonewall, Europe's largest LGBT equality organization. Stephen was elected recipient of the 2010 Peter Robertson Award for Equality and Diversity Champions and in 2011 he was named one of the top 100 influential LGBT people in the UK.  He is currently a Visiting Fellow in the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

Follow Stephen on Twitter @frostincluded.

Since 1986, Ms. Young and her associates have helped their clients develop vision and strategies and implement “change” in their businesses worldwide. They coach and develop globally competent and multiculturally versatile leaders on the individual and group basis in order to help mold a new organization that is nimble and flexible in order to meet its customers’ needs around the world.  Ms. Young is a faculty member of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, Organization System Development Programs where she trains coaches in the theory, concept and application of Gestalt in the development of “Whole Person” leadership, teams and organization.   She is an adjunct professor for Pepperdine University, School of Business.  Ms. Young is also a professional speaker on Pacific Rim cultures, cross-cultural communication, organizational behavior, organizational change, multicultural leadership, diversity and creativity, and global business strategies.   Ms. Young has a BA in Business Administration from Fu-Jen University in Taiwan, a MBA in Marketing from Michigan State University and a MA in Counseling Psychology from Pepperdine University.

Miguel Payán is Chief Global Strategist at the Global Strategy Group (GSG) at Samsung Headquarters in Seoul, Korea, where he is responsible for engaging and partnering with Samsung Group's global business leaders to develop strategic initiatives that enhance business performance.  Miguel oversees Samsung's 110 consultant strong internal consulting organization (GSG), which also serves as the Group's talent pipeline for its affiliates' global operations 

Prior to joining the Samsung Group, he was an Executive Director at Russell Reynolds Associates where he advised clients on recruiting and retaining outstanding senior leaders across the industrial and natural resources sectors.  Miguel also spent eight years with McKinsey & Company, most recently as an Associate Principal, where he managed teams on strategy, operations, organizational transformation, performance management and technology.  He also has deep expertise in the Consumer Electronics, Semiconductors, Mobile, and Health and Medical Equipment industries.

 Miguel has lived and worked in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, The Netherlands, Japan, and Korea, and spent almost one year in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait when he was an enlisted machine-gunner with the U.S. Marine Corps during both Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf.  He received his B.S. in computer engineering from the University of Illinois and his M.B.A. in corporate finance from the Ross School of Business, the University of Michigan. He speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish, and is an avid scuba diver.

Joe Gerstandt brings greater clarity, action, and impact to organizational diversity and inclusion efforts.

Joe has worked with Fortune 100 corporations, small non-profits, and everything in between. He speaks at numerous conferences and summits, and blogs at joegerstandt.com. He is a featured contributor for the Workforce Diversity Network Expert Forum and his insights have been published in Diversity Executive, HR Executive, and numerous other print and on-line journals.

A strong advocate for resetting the diversity and inclusion conversation, Joe sees these issues as poorly understood and often misunderstood.

John Hom is currently Vice President and Head of the Talent Consulting team, which is part of the Prudential’s Talent Organization.  The team is focused on enhancing results by working with senior leaders on large-scale transformation projects from across the US and International Businesses and Corporate Functions.  Previously, he was the Senior Vice President of Talent Management at Merrill Lynch /Bank of America where he was responsible for talent management for multiple functions including Global Risk Management, Global Research, Global Operations and the Chief Financial Office representing 11,000 employees globally. 

Prior to Merrill Lynch, John was a senior consultant at the Hay Group, a global human resources consulting firm.  At Hay, he specialized in improving sales force effectiveness.  In this capacity, he consulted to sales organizations at Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries including pharmaceuticals, financial services and telecommunications. 

John also worked at Salomon Brothers in both its Strategy Consulting team and Mergers and Acquisition group.  In these roles, he worked extensively with different business unites on revenue-generating projects including developing the company’s pan-Latin American strategy and identifying long-term equity investments.  He also held various operational roles at Lehman Brothers and Chase Manhattan Bank. 

John graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.  He also holds a Masters in Business Administration in Finance and International Business Management from New York University.  He currently serves on the National Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of the USA and is also the Chair of its Executive Compensation Committee.  John lives in South Orange, New Jersey with his wife, Linda, and two children, Sydnie and Matthew.

Mercedes has served the international mobility industry for 15 years consulting on intercultural and performance needs. She also conducted field research on expatriate selection. Currently Mercedes is the Director of Business Development at Cultural Awareness International. She graduated from Princeton and completed an MBA from Tulane. Mercedes is a product of a bicultural family (1/2 Iranian; 1⁄2 Puerto Rican), and has lived and worked in Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Mercedes has experienced the impact of cultural competency on performance and behavioral health; including relocating internationally with her four children. Follow Mercedes on Twitter @MechaDAngelo.

Colonel David W. Sutherland is the co-founder and Chairman of the Center for Military and Veterans Community Services (Dixon Center) and actively contributes to numerous national veteran and military family committees and boards. Sutherland speaks in communities at universities, businesses and conferences around the country as a vocal advocate and leader for transformational change. He is a vocal advocate for our service members, military veterans, their families, and the families of our fallen.

Colonel Sutherland culminated his 29 years of service following Brigade Command, as the Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with principle focus on Warrior and Family Support. By visiting hundreds of communities and assisting thousands of organizations, he created a nationwide network of support utilizing grassroots solutions for veterans and their families.

Awards and decorations include, among others, the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Purple Heart, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman's Badge Second Award and Senior Parachutist Badge. He is also the 2008 Freedom Award recipient presented by the No Greater Sacrifice Foundation, the 2011 Meritorious Service Award recipient presented by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and the 2013 Commitment to Service award presented by Give An Hour for his work on behalf of returning service members, veterans, military families and families of the fallen.

He holds a Bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University in History and Economics and a Masters in Strategic Studies.

Team Sutherland’s roster includes Colonel Sutherland, his wife Bonnie and their two sons, Andrew and Patrick.

A founding member of Andrews • Lagasse • Branch & Bell LLP and specializes in all aspects of employment law.   She provides quality and result-oriented representation for employers who are sued for harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour violations, breach of contract and other related issues.  She also represents employers before administrative agencies, such as the California Labor Commissioner, the U.S. Department of Labor, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and others. 

Natalie Holder-Winfield is an employment lawyer who creates innovative sexual harassment prevention and diversity training programs based on the latest workplace trends.  She creates customized leadership and inclusion, produces training videos, and develops training curriculums for Fortune 500 corporations, law firms, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations, such as Wiggin & Dana, Time Warner, Deloitte, Proskauer Rose, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the New York Mission Society. 

She writes for the Huffington Post, Diversity Insight Magazine, and Diversity Executive. Her commentary has been featured in the New York Times, the New York Law Journal, and Good Morning Connecticut.

Natalie wrote, Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Workforce: New Rules for a New Generation, which provides human resource managers, diversity officers, managers, employees and students with practical strategies for improving intergenerational communication and offers ideas for creating inclusive workplace cultures.   The book is used to facilitate discussions at conferences, orientations, meetings, roundtable discussions, recruitment events and diversity training sessions.

Follow Natalie on Twitter @Nhwinfield.