Achieving Ambitions with Real-Life Lessons: A Conversation with Nellie Borrero

Nellie Borrero is a highly respected senior leader with global experience and expertise spanning three decades. Known for her unwavering passion for inclusion, diversity and sharp focus on equality, Borrero works to raise awareness, re-shape cultures and increase understanding – at Accenture and to clients across industries. Joining Accenture in 1986, Borrero created the first role for diversity efforts. A deeply committed advocate for change, she believes strongly that Accenture’s rich diversity makes the company stronger and more innovative and focuses on increasing the representation across all diversity segments. In her current role as Managing Director, Senior Strategic Advisor - Global Inclusion & Diversity at Accenture, Nellie works with C-level executives to execute on strategies designed to meet organizational goals. Under her direction, the company launched several successful training programs worldwide – including in Japan, India, South Africa, Brazil, U.K. and the U.S., among many others – spanning multiple segments of diversity. In addition, her focus has included creating a global career development program for high-performing women, global positioning of the company’s LGBTQ+ and Persons with Disability agendas and the design and execution of ethnic diversity-focused programs. Borrero is a sought-after global speaker for her inspirational impact, seeking to raise awareness of the development and advancement of women, ethnic minorities and all diversity segments represented in the workplace. Borrero earned a BA in Management – Human Resources from Lehman College. She served as an active board member of HITEC. Nellie is also an Advisory Board Member of VisionSpring, LaGuardia Community College Foundation and Aspira of New York. She currently serves on the board of Comprehensive Development, Inc. and has received a coaching certification from the Hudson Institute and the International Coaching Federation.

Tamara Fields, Office Managing Director for Accenture in Austin, is responsible for bringing innovation to clients, recruiting and retaining top talent and strengthening Accenture’s impact in the Austin community. As a business veteran with more than two decades of cross-industry, multilateral project management experience, Tamara helps better serve clients with creative, strategic, and transformative solutions. In addition, she is also the Director of Operations for Accenture’s U.S. South Market Unit, responsible for executing the business strategy and operational excellence to drive growth and efficiency and engaging and developing high performing leaders across the 13-state region business. Passionate about promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace, Tamara serves as the U.S. co-lead for Accenture’s women’s employee resource group and the inclusion and diversity lead Accenture’s Austin office. In support of the company’s goal to achieve 50/50 gender balance by 2025, she advocates that Accenture’s rich diversity makes teams stronger—more creative, innovative and competitive—helping Accenture to better serve clients and communities. Tamara serves as a coach and mentor in and outside of Accenture, helping people find their voice and preparing them for career advancement. An Austin native and University of Texas graduate, Tamara serves on the Red McCombs School of Business Advisory and is Accenture’s former executive recruiting sponsor for UT. She is a board member of the Texas Conference for Women, one of the largest women’s conferences in Texas. She is also a board member and on Financial Executive Committee for Paul Quinn College, a historically black college in Dallas. Tamara serves as a board member for Austin Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Executive Committee. Tamara is a recipient of the Austin Chamber of Commerce’s Greater Austin Business Award for Executive Leadership. She was named the Texas Exes Black Alumni Network’s 2019 Legacy Alumnus of the Year and is a winner of Austin Business Journal’s 2019 Profiles in Power and the Central Texas chapter of the Texas Diversity Council’s 2018 DiversityFIRST awards. Tamara was recently selected for Austin Business Journal's "Texas 100" list for 2022 which identifies Texas-based business professionals with the highest potential for growth, disruption, or innovation in the coming year.