Rosanna M. Durruthy
President and Chief Talent Strategist, Aequus Group

Professional Experience

Aequus Group, LLC                                                                                         2003 – Present

Hoboken, NJ

§         President and Chief Talent Strategist

Consultancy focused on talent strategy management and diversity. We provide support in organizational strategy, professional development and coaching to organizations seeking inclusive solutions to talent acquisition, development and retention.

Vivendi Universal (formerly Joseph E. Seagram & Sons)                                      2000 – 2002

New York, NY & Paris, France

§         Vice President, Global Human Resources Development & Chief Diversity Officer        

Developed and managed core processes to meet the needs and expectations of a changing global workforce of more than 80,000.  Guided the Global Diversity, HR Technology, Corporate Mobility and EEO departments, achieving numerous recognitions for organizational commitment to diversity. Included in our successes was the development of a bi-lingual/bi-cultural HR portal with on-line tools to manage job postings, e-learning, benefits and retirement planning. Promoted in 2001, from position as Director of Global Diversity and Strategic Staffing.

Blockbuster, a Viacom Company                                                                           1996 – 2000

Dallas, TX                                       

§         Vice President, Global Staffing and Leadership Development                                         

Introduced staffing and development methodologies to meet the demands of a rapidly expanding organization as it grew from 4,200 to 6,800 stores in 3 years. Directed the relocation and staffing for the corporate headquarters move form Fort Lauderdale, FL to Dallas, TX. Developed the organization’s first global leadership competency model and 360 performance feedback process.  Promoted from position as Director, Recruiting in 1996.

Merrill Lynch                                                                                                         1993 – 1996

New York, NY

§         Vice President, Corporate & Institutional Client Group Recruiting

As relationship manager for diversity recruiting, I led talent acquisition efforts to increase the representation and retention of number of Women and People of Color in investment banking, and institutional sales and trading for this Wall Street leader. Developed programming for mentoring and coaching MBAs, undergraduates and career changers. Pursued and developed new relationships to broaden the candidate pipeline for diverse talent. Promoted from position as Assistant Vice President, CICG Diversity Recruiting in 1995.

Citibank, N.A. (Citigroup)                                                                                     1985 – 1993

New York, NY                                

§         Assistant Vice President, Citicorp Investment Services Human Resources                      

Managed the human resources implications of acquiring and integrating a retail investment brokerage network to form a NY branch based investment services practice; developed a competitive recruitment process to attract talent from leading brokerage businesses and contributed to the design of an incentive based compensation plan for investment consultants. Facilitated the people development & planning processes with management teams, coaching managers and staff to achieve business objectives. Excellent record in defending against EEOC charges; began as an Assistant Manager and was promoted several times during my tenure with the bank.

Education

Marymount College                                                                                                                

Westchester, NY                                

§         Coursework in Business Management, Statistics & Philosophy                                                 

Harvard – Radcliffe Colleges                                                                                                 

Cambridge, MA                                  

§         Coursework in Government, Humanities and English Literature

Certifications & Practical Experience

§         Certified facilitator of Center for Creative Leadership’s Benchmarks 360 assessment and the FIRO-B instrument.

§         Experienced in application of Drake P3 methodology for selection, management assessment and development.

§         Certified facilitator of Framework for Excellence in Equality and Diversity (FEED), a continuous improvement, organizational assessment tool designed to measure diversity effectiveness through business processes and organizational performance.

Board & Advisory Memberships

Lambda Legal                                                                                    October 2000 – Present

Member of the National Board of Directors

Lambda Legal is a national organization that seeks the full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, the transgendered, and people with HIV or AIDS through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Their work led to the monumental June 2003 Supreme Court decision overturning the Lawrence vs. Texas case.

§         Member of the Strategic Planning Committee                                                  2000 - 2003

§         Member of the Development Committee                                                    2003 - Present

§         Co-Chair of the 2003, 30th Anniversary NY Liberty Dinner and Co-Chair of the Corporate Outreach Committee; Co-Chair of the 2001 NY Liberty Awards dinner

Drum Major Institute                                                                           January 2003 - Present

Member of the National Board of Directors

The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to challenging the orthodoxies that impede the achievement of social and economic justice.

Community Connect Inc.                                                                September 2002 - Present

Member of National Advisory Board

Community Connect Inc. creates and maintains online communities for US ethnic audiences through the AsianAvenue.com, BlackPlanet.com and MiGente.com brands.  

Professional Memberships

Personal Recognitions

§         Hispanic Business Magazine, recognized  on list of 80 Elite Women, April 2002

§         Hispanic Magazine, recognized on list of 100 Successful Women, June 2002

Language Skills

§         Fluency in Spanish (speak, read and write)

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