To that end, even in the face of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, Raytheon Technologies doubled down on its efforts to make meaningful change both internally and externally. The company made a $25 million, five-year philanthropic commitment to support marginalized communities through programs focused on racial justice, empowerment, and career readiness. And to address gender equity, in addition to being a Catalyst Global Supporter and signing on to the Catalyst CEO Champions for Change initiative, Raytheon Technologies joined Paradigm for Parity and pledged to reach gender parity at its executive level by 2030. To achieve that goal, the organization has embarked on an aggressive, strategically focused approach to hiring, developing, and retaining talented women employees.

An integral part of that approach is the company’s WILL Rise program, which aims to accelerate the professional development and advancement of women in Aerospace & Defense leadership positions. The founders of WILL Rise attest to the fact that no matter how dynamic (or daunting) the big-picture situation is, efforts to help retain and advance talented women have always been treated as mission-critical by senior leaders, Hayes chief among them.

WILL Rise (WILL is an acronym for Women in Line Leadership and “Rise” is precisely what the group’s founders intend to help other women do) started small. In 2018, Jennifer Reed—now Vice President of Investor Relations at Raytheon Technologies—was seeking the guidance of a mentor after accepting her first position as a General Manager at Collins Aerospace. A mutual colleague connected her with Jennifer Caruso, Vice President of Transformation at Pratt & Whitney, one of the four RTX subsidiaries. The two established a successful mentorship and were soon inundated with requests from other women looking for the same. It was clear to them that their colleagues needed the kind of support offered by a formalized program. So, Caruso and Reed drafted a proposal and took their cause up the chain.

Says Caruso, “I remember saying to Jennifer [Reed], ‘I'm not asking if we can do this. We're doing this.’ To me, it’s indicative of our culture that we didn't feel the need to ask. We had conviction and purpose, and weren't afraid to say, ‘Here's our idea. This is where you can support us. It’s so compelling, and it’s so needed. You can’t say no.’”

Those leaders did not, in fact, say no. According to Reed, they said, “We are all in. What do you need? How can we help? Can you make it bigger?” WILL Rise was green-lit shortly thereafter and kicked off with a two-day conference in early 2019.

The program’s mission is to help women prepare for, pursue, and eventually assume P&L level leadership roles, and then to support them once they get there. The foundational components are mentorship and sponsorship, but there is also ample opportunity for networking (both with peers and leaders), practical training, and coaching sessions. Many of these components aim to combat deep-seated beliefs that often hold women back, such as the tendency not to apply for roles for which they are not 100% qualified.

Each cohort of 64 high-potential women is selected through a robust nomination and approval process that includes their leadership, HR, and the WILL Rise Board. From there they move to a “pod” of 10-12 women, led by a dedicated Executive Sponsor. This pod becomes home base for the year and well beyond, according to alumni like Sondra Radcliffe, General Manager of Oxygen and PSU Business, Collins Aerospace, and a participant in the first cohort:

Raytheon Technologies’ WILL rise: Building a legacy with heart

Executive Summary

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