Building a Diverse Workforce through Early Talent ID

Have you thought about building an early-ID program for freshman / sophomores but not sure where to start? Join the early talent team at IBM to hear how they successfully created a diversity focused early talent identification program, IBM Accelerate, from the ground-up. This session will focus on best practices when designing a new program, lessons learned and the importance of developing future talent early.

Moderator Highlights

Employers can nurture students (future interns and employees), and help them upscale and succeed in the hiring process through building an early talent development pipeline
Best practices to build an Early Talent Identification program – start small, make the program user-centric, align it with the purpose & needs, keep the business engaged in the process (not just talent acquisition), don’t underestimate the value of branding and communication, and most importantly, agility is key!

About the IBM Accelerate Program

IBM Accelerate offers high potential undergraduate students a virtual learning experience delivered through weekly live sessions over eight weeks during the summer.

Bridget King is the North America Branding & Communications Program Manager, Early
Professional Hiring at IBM, responsible for strategic branding and communications across the
US and Canada to enable IBM to attract and hire top early professional talent.
Previously, Bridget led IBM’s campus recruitment team in Canada. A graduate of the University
of Waterloo Arts and Business Co-op program, Bridget has also worked in recruitment in the
tech industry and the federal government. She holds her CHRP and is an active member of the
York Region HRPA chapter. She was awarded the 2019 HRPA Innovation Award and Campus
Recruiter of the Year by TalentEgg in 2017.

Mary-Peyton has over 8 years of experience in Early Professional Hiring at IBM. Her roles have included specialization in Talent Marketing, Campus Relations, Sourcing, Communications, Strategy, and Experience Design. Through a passion of agile ways of working, Mary-Peyton led a 5-week redesign of the IBM North America Intern Program to shift the program to virtual in 2020. In her personal time, Mary-Peyton enjoys playing tennis, being outdoors, and spending time on the North Carolina coast with her family.