“As tough as this year was for all of us to witness, to feel, to endure, I don’t believe that it will be for naught. “I think we’re all going to be better off.” “As tough as this year was for all of us to witness, to feel, to endure, I don’t believe that it will be for naught,” Harris said. The company also improved its recruiting practices to expand its pipeline and create more opportunities. And, Morgan Stanley announced last year the formation of the Institute for Inclusion, investing in underserved communities, advancing equity through giving, and driving workplace diversity and inclusion. Morgan Stanley doubled the size of its Multicultural Innovation Lab, a startup accelerator launched in 2017 to promote financial inclusion and provide access to capital for companies led by women and multicultural entrepreneurs. Harris said, “It certainly has made us think even more assertively about what we can do to make a difference.” Those conversations have led to action at companies and organizations across the nation, including Morgan Stanley, which has long been a leader on diversity, equity, and inclusion. And, when you have those kinds of obstacles and walls, it definitely does indirectly but substantially impact productivity and collaboration and innovation.” “Anytime there are things that we can’t talk about, those things grow into real obstacles and walls. “What has happened in the last year is that it has opened up the conversation, and I could not be more excited,” Harris said. That has led to increased dialogue and more opportunities to listen. The displays of social injustice and demonstrations have had a major impact on everyone. This past year, though, has been different and not just because of the pandemic. Renowned gospel singer Carla Harris performs on stage. That ear has been honed from singing and performing.” Making a Difference, Making ProgressĪny entrepreneurial leader knows that listening and responding go hand in hand, and Harris has spent a career doing just that as she has climbed the corporate ladder at Morgan Stanley. “As a singer, I have a great ear for listening, and if you’re going to be a great banker or a great relationship person of any kind, you must be a good listener. “As a singer, you are very attuned to your audience,” Harris said. In addition to bringing balance to an otherwise hectic professional life, Harris’s singing has helped develop more than her voice. Watch Babson’s virtual Commencement ceremonies at /watchcommencement. Pursuing her passion has ensured that she has never had that problem even as her career has passed its 30th anniversary. “I didn’t want to get to the 10th anniversary in my career and look in the mirror and either not like that woman that was looking back or not know her,” Harris said. She continued pursuing a recording and performing career even while starting on Wall Street as a first-year associate at Morgan Stanley. Harris began singing in gospel choirs when she was 13 and sang with the renowned Radcliffe Choral Society while at Harvard, where she earned both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA. “Singing has always been a very large part of my life,” she said. Harris also will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Harris brings her voice to Babson College this month for Commencement, where she will address the graduate Class of 2020 at the digital ceremony Saturday, May 8. “To be on that stage and perform is a singer’s dream come true.” “It doesn’t get any better than that,” she said. She has recorded several albums and performed in Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater. On top of all of that, Harris is an accomplished gospel singer. Harris also readily shares her experiences and advice-Carla’s Pearls, as she calls them-as a book author, speaker, and podcast host. She even served as chair of the National Women’s Business Council, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013. The vice chairman, managing director, and senior client advisor at Morgan Stanley not only has forged an impressive career over 30-plus years in investment banking and financial services, but she also has become one of the most powerful and influential women and Black executives in the world. Few leaders on Wall Street-or any street-know how to use their voice quite as well as Carla Harris.
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