How Marriott’s commitment to “career acceleration” raises the profile of women leaders

Half (51%) of executive positions (vice president and above) in the United States are held by women. Globally, the percentage is 48%. Women also make up nearly half of the board and 50% of CEO Tony Capuano’s direct reports.

This is in stark contrast to the market average.

Per McKinsey Women in the Workplace Report 2024Women hold only 29% of executive roles and 34% of vice president positions. The Conference Board found that only women were represented 29% of board seats in the Russell 3000 As of 2024.

There’s something different happening at Marriott, this year’s honoree luck List of Best Workplaces for Women™.

“It’s not just about representing these people in senior leadership roles; it’s also about how we help them get there,” says Fred Edmond, Marriott’s senior vice president of customer engagement and the program’s incoming executive sponsor. Auxiliary Women’s Resource Group (ARG).

That’s why career development conversations play such a crucial role. At Marriott, leaders are expected to speak regularly with their direct reports, as part of an annual performance review cycle, about their career aspirations and how they can achieve their goals. Within these conversations, there was a subtle, game-changing shift – what Edmund describes as a move from mentorship to “career acceleration”.

Previously, mentors would keep an eye on opportunities and, if the stars aligned, were expected to help their peers take the next step in their careers. Leaders have new expectations: “Tell us what you want, and we hold ourselves accountable to help you get there.”

This shift can be seen in examples from Edmund’s career, including an indelible professional conversation with a supervisor five years ago.

“I was asked to come up with three roles that I could see myself in over the next three to five years,” she says. “There was never a promise that I would play these roles, but for me the art of possibilities was where I saw myself.”

It’s an exercise she now repeats with her direct reports, and it’s a key component of Marriott’s culture of opportunity. “We are required at every level within our organization to ensure that we are developing future leaders,” she says.

As a result, employees at Marriott have a much better experience than at a typical American company.

Linked resource groups

Open to all associates, Marriott’s Women’s ARG supports its 5,500 members by providing guidance and educational support on topics ranging from financial health to executive presence, and mock job interview practice. The group also works collaboratively with other resource groups in the organization, highlighting support for all affiliates, including military veterans, neurologically different employees, and working parents.

Edmund says allies in the group play an important role in mentoring and sponsorship.

“Most of my mentors have been men, if I’m being completely honest,” she said. But they were invested in its growth and had the authority at key moments to help guide it. What happened when you made your first presentation to the board? “Our chief legal counsel, as well as our chief communications and public relations officer, sat across from me during the board presentation and gave me simple eye cues,” she says.

Their mere presence was a huge vote of confidence, Edmund adds. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to know that those two invested in me the first time I presented to the board to make sure I was set up for success.”

Tips for building better workplaces in 2025

For organizations that want to become like Marriott, Edmund offers some advice.

• Invest in partners at every level of the organization

How you invest in partners at lower levels of the org chart ultimately affects results at the top. For example, Edmund started out as an hourly employee, and over the course of his 22-year career, he held seven different roles at the company.

“You can’t go from hourly employee to senior vice president,” she says. Inclusion requires a support system at every level of the organization.

• Make time for development conversations throughout the year.

Candid development conversations won’t happen if you discuss them only as an afterthought or in response to an annual employee engagement survey. Edmund says your approach to development must be continuous and deliberate.

• Celebrate daily accomplishments, including failure.

Growth requires all partners to have permission to try new things, take on stretching assignments, and sometimes fail. “When we fail, we celebrate that too,” Edmund says.

• Sending a clear signal on inclusion from senior leaders.

When Marriott CEO Tony Capuano He reaffirmed Marriott’s commitment to welcoming everyoneThe message had a direct impact on employees.

“Tony was asked some tough questions at the start of the year,” says Edmund. “We were waiting to see how he responded — and he responded the way we needed.”

The message has enabled Marriott associates to continue participating. “We start from a place that welcomes everyone,” says Edmund. “No matter what happens in the environment, we will always welcome everyone.”

Ted Ketterman is the Director of Content at Great Place To Work®.