Q&A with Lisa Iglesias
Lisa Iglesias is the EVP & General Counsel at UNUM.
Please tell us about your roots & uprising.
Each of my four grandparents emigrated from Spain. Traveling alone as teenagers, they settled in New York City where they eventually met and later married. My parents grew up a few blocks from each other in the Bronx, where they met and got married. They valued education and attended college on scholarships. My mother became a nurse anesthetist, and my father earned a PhD in Latin American Geography. As my father’s career progressed, they moved around to different universities. I was born in Florida, but we moved to Western Canada when I was two years old. I lived there through high school but returned to Flori- da for college and law school.
When and how did you realize you wanted to become a lawyer?
I always thought I would enter law enforcement, and even interned with the FBI’s White Collar Crime unit. Trying to be practical, I changed my undergraduate major from Criminal Justice to Accounting at the last minute. After practicing as a CPA in public accounting for 3 years, I decided to go to law school.
As a Latina, what would you say were the biggest challenges during your process of becoming a lawyer?
Growing up, I never met an attorney. My parents valued education and it helped them leave the Bronx and improve our standard of living considerably. However, most of our family and friends were from that Spanish neighborhood. They didn’t go to college and became mechanics, worked for the post office, became cooks or clerks, with most of them staying close to our neighborhood. My parents didn’t know anything about the U.S. college system, law school, or even legal careers, so I had to figure it all out.
What is your job title and tell us about your role?
I am the General Counsel for Unum Group. I manage a team of attorneys, paralegals, compliance managers and legal assistants. I advise the Chief Executive Officer, executive team, and Board of Directors. I also manage Unum’s Enterprise Audit Team and Corporate Services team.
Can you tell us about your career path, how did you get to your current position?
After law school, I practiced at a law firm in South Florida as a securities, mergers, and acquisitions attorney. Two years after having my first child, I decided to work with a local temporary staffing and recruiting firm that was on an acquisition binge. A few years after merging with another company, the CEO promoted me to General Counsel. I changed the culture and modernized the law departments. I served as General Counsel for almost 10 years before switching industries and becoming the first General Counsel for a fashion retailer.
When the economy collapsed in 2008, that company’s plans changed, and it wasn’t the right time to build a new law department. I took some time off and later joined a healthcare company as SEC Counsel to help rebuild its compliance and corporate governance culture after an FBI raid led to its top officers being indicted. I resolved related shareholder litigation and secured an early release of that company’s deferred prosecution agreement. I was promoted to General Counsel a few years later and stayed at the company for 5 years, until Unum called.
What has been one of the most re- warding moments you’ve experienced in your career?
I will always remember while working for the staffing company a large customer went bankrupt and the company – along with its franchisee – were at risk of having to repay much of the revenue we had received from the customer. I secured a complete release from that requirement. I came to appreciate the impact and significance of that event for the franchisee, after he and his wife let me know the successful negotiation saved them from financial ruin as they were about to retire.
What would you say to young Latinas today thinking about pursuing a career as a lawyer? Why is it so important to increase representation in the industry?
I would encourage Latinas to pursue a career in law as we need their experience and viewpoints in the profession. The markets attorneys and their companies serve are diverse, and it is important we represent the entire diversity of that marketplace. Various opinions educate others about the needs of those diverse communities that might otherwise be overlooked.
There is tremendous opportunity for women to grow and lead in this industry. Insurance companies typically have a higher percentage of women in the general workforce, but they continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions. Studies show gender-diverse teams have higher sales and profits than male-dominated teams. More female talent in an organization creates greater job satisfaction, stronger organizational dedication, less burnout, and higher engagement.
Unum has pledged to implement the Paradigm for Parity 5-Point Action Plan, designed to help companies increase the number of women of all races, cultures and backgrounds in leadership positions.
This year Unum also launched a Multicultural Leadership Development Program to prepare racially diverse employees for the next level of their career.