Building teams, supporting diversity

I was born in Barbados and came to the States when I was five years old. After graduating from Saint Joseph’s University, I started full time in a Big 6 Public Accounting firm. Over time, I have accumulated experiences in various industries through my career and held multiple roles as auditor, plant controller, financial, planning & analysis (FP&A) and corporate controller.

My first real job was camp counsellor for a camp for lower income children in the city of Philadelphia through the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Through the assistance from my then pastor and recommendations from existing counselors, I was successful in obtaining the role. That has been a common theme in my career: every opportunity has come through networking and relationships previously built. Valuing others and their opinions really matters!

Today, I serve as the Vice President, Global Controller and Principal Accounting Officer for Trinseo Plc. Trinseo is a specialty material solutions provider that partners with companies to bring ideas to life in an imaginative, smart, and sustainability-focused manner by combining its premier expertise, forward-looking innovations and best-in-class materials to unlock value for companies and consumers. From design to manufacturing, Trinseo taps into decades of experience in diverse material solutions to address customers’ unique challenges in a wide range of industries, including consumer goods, mobility, building and construction, and medical.

I am a member of the National Association of Black Accountants but have served in many capacities in the organization. I am also Vice Chairman for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Youth Advocates supporting foster children in our Delaware & Chester Counties. I also served as Chairman for one of my former employer’s African American Network.

Generally, I pride myself on going beyond the numbers and understanding the business/ industry in which I work. I believe that if you are willing to listen you can learn from everyone around you, no matter their level, role or experience. We are all made up of different experiences and its great to appreciate those differences.

One of the more challenging aspects includes staying current and understanding the impacts of changes as Trinseo moves forward in its transformational journey. One of the best parts of my role includes watching members of my team succeed in their careers and take on more responsibilities.

I am very proud of becoming a certified public accountant (CPA) — the only one in my family. I’m also very happy that I’ve been able to mentor and develop leaders inside and outside of the company. Watching people’s careers blossom and knowing that I may have added value to them, even if just a tiny bit, is extremely satisfying.

Like many others, I have been fortunate to have many coaches, mentors and silent supporters along the way in my career. Even though I have changed companies several times, these coaches have stayed with me, serving as an invaluable sounding board. From very early in my career, they helped me understand that what’s important is to control what you can control — and manage those things you can’t. Dwelling on what you can’t control doesn’t help you keep moving forward. My mentors have also been there, when needed, to help pick me up from mistakes, learn from them, and keep progressing.

Someone once said to me, “Bernard if I didn’t watch you, I wouldn’t know all the good things that you do.” What I have taken from this is that you shouldn’t be afraid to share what you do well with others. There is a manner to highlighting your successes without being arrogant. It is okay to be humble and have humility while sharing some of the good work that you do with others, especially if you often work independently.

What’s more, even though you may be an introvert, it doesn’t mean you can’t engage and connect with others. I have found success by reaching out to all functions and understanding what happens in the business. It helps me do my job better.

The pursuit of a diverse organization should be deliberate and unapologetic. As a global organization, diversity at Trinseo takes on many forms beyond the obvious ones of color and gender. It also includes others such as nationality, childhood experience, and/or religion.

In the DE&I space, Trinseo is just embarking on this journey, and we recognize there is progress still to be made. It has always been part of our core values to treat all those with whom we do business with respect and integrity, and with that value as the foundation, we continue to work to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace for our employees that fosters innovation and creativity.

Diversity is one of our global strategic objectives and part of our definition of high performing teams. Additionally, creating a more sustainable workforce is one of our 2030 Sustainability Goals. These objectives have steered us to become more focused on broadening our recruiting efforts, expanding our board representation, and openly supporting external organizations. In fact, we are in the process of hiring a new DE&I and Culture Leader to lead this charge.

We are taking steps such as these as we aspire to not only achieve company goals, but most importantly ensure our culture represents our core values, so our employees can bring their whole selves to work every day.

There is always room for continued growth, but progress is being made. We need to ensure we maintain the momentum.