Garima Bhatnagar, IT Project Manager, Hyderabad, India

In nominating her, Garima’s colleagues highlighted the incredible contribution she makes by being invested in each individual and their unique personal needs and career ambitions. During the pandemic she was beacon of compassion for all as teammates cared for elderly parents, carried the weight of being sole providers, and coped with isolation.

Kimberly Maxwell, AVP, Supplier Manager, Atlanta, GA

Kim leads the Employee Experience and Culture Committee for a group within our Collections team. She creates a positive environment where her teammates support each other and have challenging conversations on racial and social justice. Kim helps to give employees a place to voice their opinions on sensitive topics and to improve their own knowledge and understanding. As a result, Kim has expanded the interest in diversity and inclusion across her department.

Franshaun Thomas, VP, Strategy – CareCredit, Alpharetta, GA

Franshaun’s colleagues expressed how she’s a role model in advocating for other women and active in her community. She is unafraid to discuss difficult issues with respect to race and social injustice, and in 2020 she partnered with Amanda Wardle to develop Women Confronting Racism. This initiative is a collaboration between our Women’s Network+ and African American Network+ and has risen to 600+ participants and 30 small groups, providing Synchrony colleagues a safe place to engage in rich and honest conversations about race and racism. The participants have expressed gratitude and relief for these discussions that have helped them to gain perspective and better understand the racial and social issues in America.

Amanda Wardle, VP, Quickscreen Acquisition – Marketing, Kettering, OH

Amanda believes that advocating for women in the workplace is a critical element to Synchrony’s success, and is particularly interested in promoting shared learning and growth through relationships. Amanda was presented with an opportunity in 2020 to drive continued conversations around race and social justice at Synchrony, subsequently developing the Women Confronting Racism initiative in partnership with Franshaun Thomas. This initiative, which has recently grown to more than 600 participants and approximately 30 small groups, has served to offer Synchrony employees a safe space for monthly discussion and learning around race, diversity, privilege, and related issues, educating colleagues while amplifying voices of color. Amanda’s colleagues admire her confidence and effortless ability to find the right words during difficult conversations when many people don’t know what to say or how to say it.

Irish May Cardeno, Customer Service Representative, Manila, Philippines

Irish has been instrumental and creative in finding ways on how to keep her teammates engaged while working from home, which also influenced other teams to do the same.
Her positive energy, expertise, and willingness to go above and beyond in everything she does makes her an empowered woman. Irish continues to find ways on how to influence her peers to be aware of their abilities and encourage them to showcase their talents. She lives by her own motto, “Women should be EMPOWERED to show what makes them different and make a difference.”