CBIA BizCast: Bead CEO Jill Mayer Drives Culture Change

When Jill Mayer joined Bead Industries, the average age of an employee was 60 and there were little to no women in senior management.
Today, the average age of an employee is in the mid-30s, with more than half of the management positions now filled by women.
“Changing a culture at an organization takes a lot of patience and time, it doesn’t happen overnight,” Mayer told the CBIA BizCast.
“You don’t want to throw out the good parts of the culture that you have. You’re not scrapping the culture. You are just improving what is there.”
Mayer first experienced the impact of a strong company culture when she was working for an online marketing company.
“It changed my perception of company culture,” she said. “What I liked about it was the collaboration and learning something new every day.”
Fifth-Generation Leader
Mayer let that experience guide her when she started at Bead as a finance manager for the family manufacturing company.
“My father said ‘we’re not creating a position, you have to take what’s available,’ and that was what was available,” she recalled.
She worked her way through the ranks before taking over the company as CEO in 2014, completing a fifth-generation succession plan and becoming the first woman to lead the Milford-based company.
“If I can give them resources that helped me or if I can loop them into the manufacturing network here in Connecticut sooner than later, they can be successful faster.”
Bead’s Jill Mayer
She said the men in her life and women leaders she met through various organizations and associations provided mentorship and knowledge sharing.
Now, she tries to give back the same way.
“I want to help because if I can give them resources that helped me or if I can loop them into the manufacturing network here in Connecticut sooner than later, they can be successful faster,” she said.
Mayer will share more about her experiences and leadership advice at CBIA’s When Women Lead conference March 20.
The CBIA BizCast is made possible through the generous support of Google. Please rate, review, and subscribe to the BizCast wherever you get your podcasts—we appreciate your support! If you have a story to tell, contact Amanda Marlow.
RELATED
EXPLORE BY CATEGORY
Stay Connected with CBIA News Digests
The latest news and information delivered directly to your inbox.