March 13, 2020
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Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Rep. Katie Porter elicits answers on free coronavirus testing, Sophie Trudeau has the virus, and we celebrate two new instances of female leadership.
– Fresh leadership x 2. If ever there was a week to ponder the current state of leadership in general, this was it. Could use a bit of a shaking up, no? Well, that’s happening in a few corners of the world, so let’s take a moment to recognize it.
The Fortune 500 is set to get another female CEO in June as UPS named Carol Tomé its new chief executive. The former CFO of Home Depot, who sits on the UPS board, will succeed David Abney, a UPS lifer who started his career as a package-loader. He became CEO in 2014 and led the shipping giant as it’s embraced the growth of e-commerce and made timely investments in its online infrastructure, as Fortune‘s Phil Wahba reports.
Tomé helped lead Home Depot out of the 2008-09 financial and housing crisis to become one of the best performing major retailers. She was a leading candidate to become CEO of the home improvement chain in 2014 and stayed on for five more years even though she didn’t get the job.
Her appointment to UPS CEO means there are now 38 women among Fortune 500 CEOs, if you include those soon to step down—IBM’s Ginni Rometty and Key Corp.’s Beth Mooney—and those, like Tomé, who are soon to step up.
Meanwhile, the saga at U.S Soccer continues . Federation president Carlos Cordeiro resigned yesterday after the organization claimed in the gender discrimination case it’s facing from the women’s national team that female players have less physical ability and responsibility than men. The claim triggered heated rebukes from sponsors and saw the women’s team stage an on-field protest.
Cordeiro’s departure elevates the federation’s vice president, former American midfielder Cindy Parlow Cone, making her the first woman to head the governing body.
Before Cordeiro stepped down, Cone, a former pro player, was among those who expressed outrage at the federation’s court filing, saying she was “hurt and saddened” by the brief.
“I disavow the troubling statements,” she said, “and will continue to work to forge a better path forward.”
On that note: to forging a better path.
Have a good weekend.
Claire Zillman
claire.zillman@fortune.com
@clairezillman
Today’s Broadsheet was produced by Emma Hinchliffe.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
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- Clever questioning. In a strategic bit of questioning yesterday, Rep. Katie Porter got Centers for Disease Control director Dr. Robert Redfield to verbally commit to providing free COVID-19 tests. "I think you’re an excellent questioner, so my answer is yes," he told her after she made her case using a whiteboard. Mother Jones
- Coronavirus in Canada. Canada's first lady Sophie Trudeau has tested positive for coronavirus, after feeling ill following a speaking engagement in the U.K. earlier this week. She's reportedly experiencing mild virus symptoms and is feeling well but will remain in isolation for 14 days. Her husband, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will also go into isolation as a precaution, though he is said to be in good health. CNN
- When quarantine isn't safe. Quarantining or social distancing at home—while often necessary—isn't safe for everyone. Being stuck at home could increase domestic violence. In China, activists already reported a surge in domestic violence while families were isolated together. HuffPost
- Plan of action. The attention lately is on paid sick leave (still an extremely critical issue!), but allow us to return to paid parental leave for a moment. As companies eager to compete for talent have expanded their parental leave policies, some firms have struggled with unintended consequences. When a woman returns to work, if she's a manager, will she find that her team was OK without her? Some startups already address the needs women have at home during leave. A new startup called Parentaly is aiming to help senior women tackle the challenges in their working lives posed by extended leave through guided leave-planning, executive coaching, and more. Fortune
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker joins the board of Finix. Amazon VP of delivery experience Maria Renz will join SoFi, leading the credit card, brokerage, and bank account businesses.
Content From Deloitte
What Being an Ally Is—and Isn’t
Leaders must take fresh approaches to accelerate progress and solve persistent roadblocks around gender parity, diversity, and inclusion. Deloitte US CEO, Joe Ucuzoglu, discusses how to substantially strengthen allyship. Read more
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
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- Campaign chief. Joe Biden hired a new campaign manager: Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, who managed Beto O'Rourke's 2020 campaign and was a key official on the Obama-Biden reelection campaign. O'Malley Dillon is tasked with pivoting Biden's operation from the primary season to a laser-focus on defeating President Trump. New York Times
- Protecting public health workers. Arianna Huffington and Michelle Williams, dean of the faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, write for Fortune about the importance of keeping health workers well during the coronavirus crisis. Public health workers need to put on their "proverbial oxygen masks" firsts to make sure they can care for the rest of us, they write. Fortune
- About Accenture. Accenture has grown and grown to the top of consulting and tech. Can it keep going? The Economist goes deep on the giant now led by CEO Julie Sweet. Economist
PARTING WORDS
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"Wouldn't it be such a tragedy if I was infecting others while doing my best to keep them healthy?"
-A nurse in Sacramento, speaking anonymously about the challenges she's faced accessing a test for COVID-19
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