About Us | Why did I create GEM
WHO IS GEM’s FOUNDER
Lulu Arias (she/her/hers), founder and CEO of GEM, has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Masters in Engineering from UCA.
She developed a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion while working for the Commission of Gender Equity for the state of NY and projects in partnership with UN Women. Her work focused on developing public policies and transformation plans on gender and racial pay equity. Throughout her career, she has worked for BCG in management consulting and J.P. Morgan in the investment banking space. Lulu has extensive experience in helping senior leadership teams execute transformational programs to drive change.
Lulu envisioned GEM as an idyllic combination of her passion for advancing gender and racial equity with her corporate and academic expertise. She aims to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces by integrating her experience in the industry with her devotion for DEI.Lulu hopes to make her mark by ensuring a more equitable world, one company at a time.”
WHY DID LULU FOUND GEM
I strongly believe in the gravity and impact of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace (you can read more about it in Why Our Work Matters section).
I grew up in Argentina where opportunities for women were scarce. I was able to overcome challenging obstacles and became an engineer working in two of the most prestigious banking and consulting firms in the world.
Throughout my consulting years, I focused on deploying transformation projects for heavy industries (e.g. mining and oil & gas) where I faced challenging working environments. During this time, I obtained insight into the main problems that non-inclusive workplaces bring about. I realized that even though women gained access and opportunities in today’s modern world, the playing field was still skewed and unfair.
I decided to begin changing our world. I ran Women@BCG, worked in the Commission of Gender Equity for the state of NY, ran the Columbia Women in Business Conference and volunteered my time working in gender equity non-profits.
I learned that being academically and professionally successful in today’s world requires hard work. Unfortunately, some must work harder than others to achieve the same results. People’s gender, race, sexual orientation or even socioeconomic status continue to play an important role in their professional career. In our current society, the more diverse you are, the harder you need to work. People who belong to one or more minority groups, have to push harder, be stronger, become louder. Our workplace environments have not changed with our time. They do not embrace people’s uniqueness; they do not empower our employees. They hinder and wear down people’s creativity and raw talent.
This is where GEM comes in. I founded GEM to help companies create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive world, starting from what I know best. I believe that GEM combines my passion for equity and my corporate work experience & academic background, to drive change in the right direction. GEM will modernize our workplaces, one company at a time.”
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