Maria G. Arias

Arias spearheads much of Comcast Corp.’s diversity and inclusion strategy, which covers governance, workforce, supplier diversity, programming distribution and content creation, and community investment. Over the last year, the company’s broad diversification strategy has led to national awards including a DiversityInc Top 50 spot, with the company jumping 19 spots since joining the top 50 list two years ago. Even when it reaches the #1 spot, Arias says the work won’t be done. “We’ll continue to raise the bar,” she says.

Best business advice you’ve received?

Learn every part of the business. A broad understanding and appreciation for every area of any enterprise offers invaluable opportunities to collaborate, make an impact on the business, and gain powerful partnerships and resources.

How do you define diversity?

At Comcast NBCUniversal we define diversity broadly—not just by embracing differences in race, gender, culture, color, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, age, or ability—but also by embracing a business culture that respects and includes different thoughts, choices, philosophies, and experiences.

How do you define success?

If meaningful, positive change results – whether big or small – that is success. Our overall goal at Comcast NBCUniversal is to become the model company for diversity and inclusion – that is our ultimate goal and that is how we define success in diversity and inclusion. And even when we reach that goal, we’ll continue to raise the bar.